In the Bible, to commemorate means to remember and honor significant events or divine acts, often through rituals or observances. For instance, the Passover is a celebration that commemorates God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt (Exodus 12:14).
Scripture
14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.”
15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
16 On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you.
17 And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever.
18 In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.
19 For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land.
20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.”
Commemorate Meaning in the Bible
In the Bible, the act of commemorating signifies not only a remembrance of events but also an intentional honoring of God’s faithfulness and mighty deeds throughout history. This practice is deeply intertwined with the covenant relationship between God and His people, serving to instill awareness of divine intervention in human affairs. The Israelites’ observance of the Passover, as outlined in Exodus 12:14, exemplifies this idea. The Passover was established as a lasting ordinance, serving as a recurring reminder for generations of God’s liberation from slavery, emphasizing the importance of storytelling within the community. Through commemorative rituals, the significance of past salvation experiences is passed down, fostering faith and continuity of identity among believers.
Similarly, Jesus instituted the practice of Communion (or the Lord’s Supper) as a commemoration of His sacrificial death and resurrection. In Luke 22:19, He instructs His disciples, “Do this in remembrance of me,” thereby connecting the act of breaking bread and sharing the cup to the broader narrative of God’s redemptive plan for humanity. This practice serves not only to remember Christ’s suffering but also to engage believers in a collective act of faith, uniting them in their shared salvation history. In these ways, the concept of commemoration in the Bible underscores the value of memory in shaping faith, identity, and community, inviting believers to reflect on and celebrate God’s ongoing involvement in their lives.
The theme of commemoration in the Bible extends beyond specific rituals to encompass broader life events and acts of God’s provision. The Israelites, for example, were commanded to build altars and memorials at various key locations to commemorate significant events in their journey, such as the crossing of the Jordan River into the Promised Land. These physical landmarks served as lasting reminders of God’s faithfulness, inviting future generations to inquire about their meaning and share the stories of God’s wonders. Each stone, inscribed with memory, reinforced the community’s identity and their dependency on God’s promises, acting as bridges to their past and catalysts for their faith.
Additionally, the Psalms often reflect a commemoration of God’s attributes and His mighty works in creation and salvation. The psalmist invites both personal and communal recognition of God’s greatness, often recounting historical events such as the exodus from Egypt or instances of divine protection and deliverance. This practice of recalling God’s goodness not only strengthens the individual’s faith but also calls the community to worship and gratitude, revealing how collective memory shapes communal identity. By encouraging a wide array of forms—songs, prayers, and gatherings—commemoration breathes life into faith, anchoring believers in the assurance of God’s eternal presence and providence as they navigate contemporary challenges.
Remembrance of God’s Faithfulness
In the Bible, to commemorate often signifies a deliberate act of remembering God’s faithfulness and His mighty works throughout history. This act of remembrance serves to reinforce the covenant relationship between God and His people, reminding them of His promises and the deliverance He has provided. By commemorating significant events, believers are encouraged to reflect on God’s character and His unwavering commitment to His people, fostering a deeper trust and reliance on Him.
Preservation of Spiritual Heritage
Commemoration in the biblical context also emphasizes the importance of preserving spiritual heritage. It involves passing down stories, rituals, and teachings from one generation to the next, ensuring that the lessons learned and the experiences of faith are not forgotten. This practice helps to cultivate a sense of identity and belonging within the community of believers, as they collectively honor their shared history and the foundational events that shape their faith.
Call to Action and Reflection
Additionally, to commemorate in the Bible often serves as a call to action and reflection. It is not merely about remembering past events but also about responding to them in the present. Commemorative acts can inspire believers to live out their faith actively, embodying the lessons learned from history in their daily lives. This dynamic aspect of commemoration encourages individuals and communities to engage with their faith meaningfully, prompting them to reflect on their own spiritual journeys and the implications of God’s actions in their lives.
How to Deepen Your Faith Through Sacred Remembrances
Deepening your faith through sacred remembrances is a beautiful journey that invites you to pause and reflect on the moments when God has touched your life. Start by creating a personal ritual that allows you to remember significant events, answered prayers, or even the quiet whispers of comfort during tough times. This could be as simple as journaling your thoughts, lighting a candle, or setting aside a specific time each week for prayer and reflection. As you revisit these memories, let them serve as reminders of God’s faithfulness and love, helping you to cultivate gratitude and trust in His plan. Surround yourself with symbols of these sacred moments—perhaps a photo, a piece of scripture, or an object that holds special meaning. By intentionally recalling these experiences, you not only strengthen your relationship with God but also inspire others to recognize His presence in their own lives. Remember, faith is not just a belief; it’s a living, breathing relationship that flourishes when nurtured through remembrance.
Bible References to Commemoration Meaning:
Leviticus 23:4-8: 4 “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them.
5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord’s Passover.
6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.
8 But you shall present a food offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.”
Deuteronomy 16:1-8: 1 “Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.
2 You shall offer the Passover sacrifice to the Lord your God, from the flock or the herd, at the place that the Lord will choose, to make his name dwell there.
3 You shall eat no leavened bread with it. Seven days you shall eat it with unleavened bread, the bread of affliction—for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste—that all the days of your life you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt.
4 And no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory for seven days, and none of the flesh that you sacrifice on the evening of the first day shall remain all night until morning.
5 You may not offer the Passover sacrifice within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you,
6 but at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell in it, there you shall offer the Passover sacrifice, in the evening at sunset, at the time you came out of Egypt.
7 You shall cook it and eat it at the place that the Lord your God will choose. And in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents.
8 Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord your God. You shall do no work on it.
Joshua 4:1-9: 1 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,
2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man,
3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’”
4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe.
5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel,
6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’
7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
8 And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the Lord told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there.
9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day.
1 Samuel 7:7-12: 7 And when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
8 And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”
9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him.
10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel.
11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.
12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.”
2 Chronicles 7:8-10: 8 At that time Solomon held the feast for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt.
9 And on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for they had kept the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast seven days.
10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the prosperity that the Lord had granted to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people.
Nehemiah 8:13-18: 13 On the second day the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law.
14 And they found it written in the Law that the Lord had commanded by Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month,
15 and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.”
16 So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim.
17 And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing.
18 And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule.
Esther 9:20-28: 20 And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far,
21 to command them to keep the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
22 as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
23 The Jews accepted what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them.
24 For Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur (that is, cast lots), to crush and to destroy them.
25 But when it came before the king, he gave orders in writing that his evil plan that he had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
26 Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term Pur. So, because of all that was written in this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them,
27 the Jews firmly obligated themselves and their offspring and all who joined them, that without fail they would keep these two days according to what was written and at the time appointed every year,
28 that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, in every clan, province, and city, and that these days of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the commemoration of these days cease among their descendants.
Psalm 78:1-8: 1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 Things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
5 He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children,
6 that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
Isaiah 46:8-10: 8 “Remember this and stand firm,
recall it to mind, you transgressors,
9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me,
10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
Matthew 26:26-30: 26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you,
28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Mark 14:22-25: 22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.”
23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.
24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.
25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
Luke 22:14-20: 14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him.
15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
16 for I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves.
18 for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26: 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Reverend Ogunlade is a seasoned Church Minister with over three decades of experience in guiding and nurturing congregations. With profound wisdom and a serene approach, Reverend Ogunlade has carried out various pastoral duties, including delivering uplifting sermons, conducting religious ceremonies, and offering sage counsel to individuals seeking spiritual guidance. Their commitment to fostering harmony and righteousness within their community is exemplified through their compassionate nature, making them a beloved and trusted figure among the congregation.