I have in my possession a fascinating piece of metal! It’s actually a bracelet made from the fuselage of a Japanese bomber shot down in the Northern Pacific, the Marshall Islands to be specific. This belonged to my Great Aunt Alma Murphy. It was given to her by her husband, my Great Uncle Carl Murphy, who served in the United States Navy during WWII. This is a real keepsake:
- On the outside, using some kind of a tool, there’s a heart embossed in the center with the word “Love” in the middle of the heart.
- At the bottom of it the name “Alma” appears — that’s my Aunt Alma.
- Then, across the front, on either side of the heart, are the words “Marshall Islands.”
- The inside is painted red — probably the original paint on the fuselage. Embossed inside are the words Jap Bomber.
- Every time I look at this bracelet
- I’m reminded of Uncle Carl and Aunt Alma.
- It reminds me of the love Uncle Carl had for her.
- Every time I look at this bracelet, I begin reminiscing about all the fun we had as kids with them — and other family on the holidays.
You see, this bracelet is a symbol, a reminder of so many wonderful things connected with Uncle Carl and Aunt Alma.
This is what the Communion elements are meant for: they are reminders, symbols of Christ’s love for us, demonstrated on Calvary’s cross!
“Right reception of the Lord’s Supper has a sanctifying effect on the soul. The bread and wine remind us how great is our debt of gratitude to our Lord, and how thoroughly we are bound to live for Him who died for our sins. They seem to say to us, ‘Remember what Christ has done.’” J.C. Ryle (1816-1900)
“It was wonderful love that Christ should rather die for us than for the angels that fell. They were creatures of a more noble extract, and in all probability might have brought greater revenues of glory to God; yet that Christ should pass by those golden vessels and make us clods of earth into stars of glory — Oh, the hyperbole Of Christ’s love!” Thomas Watson (1620-1686)
The next time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, let’s ponder deeply the meaning of these simple-yet-profound symbols, the bread and the cup — effective reminders of the ultimate sacrifice: Christ’s forfeiting of His life in exchange for ours.
“He [God the Father] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:21).