YEAR B
LENT 2024: Do This in Remembrance
Featured Each Week:
All Weeks Include: AIM commentary, call to worship, prayer of confession, assurance of pardon, benediction, key quote, key illustration, more quotes, more illustrations, discussion questions
series overview
introduction
Casey and Rachel Clark
Ritual and Remembrance
Lent is both ritual and a call to remember. Ritual and rememberance and a common theme in the life of the church. Take for example the Lord’s Supper, a central practice of the church since its beginnings. Our Lord Jesus commanded his followers to “Do this in remembrance of me,” and ever since Christians have made it a habit, a ritual, to break bread and share the cup.
I made a new friend named Scott in 2015 when he started dating a dear friend of mine. My family got to know Scott very well over the years as he and my friend continued to date and then were married in 2018.
There are two things I want to tell you about Scott. First, in 2016 he was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given a prognosis of 5-7 years. Secondly, Scott loved Jesus and loved to celebrate communion. As an Anglican, he had the opportunity weekly to celebrate communion with his church family. Over the years, there were many times that my family would attend church with Scott when we visited, and other times where he and my friend would come to our church. I could always tell that Scott approached the Lord’s table with sincerity, joy, and gratefulness. It was so important to him. During the final stages of his cancer, his wife would give me updates on how Scott was doing—medication changes, his ability to rest, paint management, and receiving communion. Whenever possible, he loved to feast on the body and blood of Jesus, and it became even more of a lifeline during his final months. The Lord’s Supper was a gift—the gift of being told to remember. Remember Jesus’ sacrificial love for you. Remember you that you are forgiven. Remember that Jesus has given all for you.
Humanity Needs Reminders
Jesus knew human beings, knew our hearts, knew our propensity to forget. And so, the command to “Do this in remembrance of me” is a beautiful gift to us, meant for our good. We are a forgetful people. We get distracted. We are tempted to turn our eyes from God. But when we come to the table, we are invited to remember, to reflect, and to be renewed. We come to the Lord’s Table to receive and “stand with empty hands and palms turned upwards” (T.S. Eliot). We come to the Lord’s table to give thanks for all that we have and will receive.
The seasons of the church year, like Lent, are times that also help us to remember. In entering the season of Lent, year after year, we practice a time of intentional remembrance. We don’t remember in order to achieve something, to gain a reward from God, but rather because it is good for us. It is good to remember. We get to remember.
Coming with Empty Hands
Like at the table, during Lent we remember that we come with empty hands. We acknowledge our need and God’s great generosity as our Giver and Provider. The habits and practices of Lent can help us to live this liturgy of remembrance. These practices are not merely passive, because as we remember, we also respond. Our lives are marked by responses of repentance, worship, and gratitude as we remember the life and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus.
Each week during this Lenten series we work around the theme of “do this in remembrance.” We’ll simply ask, “In remembrance of what?” What have we forgotten of God’s character? What has slipped our minds and needs to be brought to the fore? And we’ll ask, “What must we do?” In what ways are we being called today to follow Jesus? As we remember back to Christ, where is he leading us ahead?
Ash Wednesday: Isaiah 58:1-12 | Relationship and Ritual
Focus:
“Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?” (Is 58:3, ESV)
The people of Israel wonder why their fasts and rituals have not pleased God. But their hearts are the problem. Even as they do the right rituals, they are unjust. God opposes their selfishness and pride. What is the foundation for our rituals and practices, including Lent? In the season of Lent, how are we recalling ourselves to the center of the faith, to the cross of Christ?
Focus:
What does 1 Peter 3:19 mean when it speaks of Jesus’ proclamation to the “spirits in prison”? The passage reminds the reader of the stalwart faith of Noah in the face of opposition—a mirror of the faith of the suffering early Christians the epistle is addressed to. How does Christ’s own suffering and sacrifice address the concerns of Christians suffering then and today?
Focus:
Romans is addressed to a church where the dividing line between Jewish and gentile Christian is a sticking point. But Paul has a plan to unite them: pointing out that they are both heirs of Abraham’s faith. Faith in Christ is what matters and we receive grace as a free gift. Gratitude for that gift is what drives us to follow Christ wherever he leads.
Focus:
The 10 Commandments or “10 words” were given to Israel, newly freed from slavery in Egypt. They were part of the establishment of a special convenantal relationship between God and his people in light of Israel’s deliverance.
What do these familiar commands mean in the Christian life? How do we understand the relevance of the 10 Commandments without slipping into legalism?
Focus:
When Israel rejected God’s provision in the wilderness, a plague of venomous serpents were sent to them. In an odd twist, God delivers them by having Moses create a bronze serpent on a pole. Why serpents? And why does Jesus recall this event in his conversation with Nicodemus in John 3?
Focus:
“Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.” (Ps 119:11, ESV)
Memory is at the heart of the Psalmist’s song about God’s teaching. Because he treasures and delights in God’s word, he is transformed by it. What we love and what we treasure changes us. Our reading Scripture, praying, and gathering with the church to worship helps us remember and be transformed ourselves.
Palm Sunday: Isaiah 50:4-9a | Remembering the Servant’s Ascent
Focus:
When Jesus turned from Jericho to Jerusalem, he began enacting the words of Isaiah about the Suffering Servant. He passed through deep humiliation to the greatest triumph. Do we live as though Jesus truly is sovereign? How do we come to forget and accept lesser substitutes?
Casey Clark
Casey Clark co-pastors New Monmouth Presbyterian Church with his wife, Rachel, in Lexington, VA. Previously he served a church in Durham, NC, focusing on discipleship and the study of Scriptures. During that time he started a website to encourage and equip others in personal Bible reading called Year in the Bible. His other interests include soccer, murder mysteries, and coffee. Casey studied history at James Madison University and earned an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary.
Rachel Clark
Rachel Clark is a pastor in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia at New Monmouth Presbyterian Church. Rachel has a B.A. from Wheaton College and an M. Div from Princeton Theological Seminary.
She and her husband, Casey (with whom she co-pastors), have five children who keep them busy running around but also provide lots of laughter. In her free time, Rachel enjoys reading, hiking, baking, walking with friends, and playing board games.
Among her many accomplishments, Rachel played a pivotal role as a member of the 2006-2007 PTS intramural football championship team (The Golden Calves) alongside TPW founder Stu Strachan.
FAQ:
What is AIM Commentary?
AIM stands for Ancient context, the text through the lens of Jesus (Ἰησοῦς), and our Modern application.
Understanding the Ancient or original context of the passage is necessary to inform and guide our interpretation. We also believe along with the Reformers that the interpretation of the Ancient context of the Hebrew scripture for the church necessarily flows through its Lord, Jesus Christ. Furthermore, we affirm that the role of the preacher to bring the congregation from the Ancient context through Christ and to the Modern context, making the message real in our hearts and lives.