Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-06-07

| I1Oiy odcTament. Many SlSnElCdnceS
has this ceremony, but it is pri-
Jesus wanted to be remembered.
His heart coveted the faithful and
fadeless affection of His friends.
Having loved His own which were
in the world, He loved them unto the
end" And He wanted them so to
love Him. The thought of passing
away and being forgotten is repug-
nant to every one of us; this is the
last assertion of our identity as in
dividusls-we want to be remem-
bered.
No man knows another's heart;
but in His own words we have the
evidence that Jesus shrank from be-
ing forgotten. He was the prince of
friends. Love meant more to him
than to others. Therefore He priced,
with passion which baser spirits
cannot comprehend. the constancy of
this little band of disciples. Therein
is the point of This do in remem-
| brance of Me. With desire have
desired to eat this passover with
YOU" Jesus yearned for a friendship
that would last.
The way this tryst has been kept
inspires the Imagination. Through
long centuries, many of them dark,
constant friends, whose hearts have
responded to the soul-cry of the Man
of Nazareth as He was about to go
forth to His death, have met with
| Him at the sacramental table, show
| ing forth their remembrance of Him.
The mystic significance of this SIM
| pie feast to lives which never reveal
| their deeper emotions may be infer
red from their actions Consider the
| communion services to which each
of us have knowledge, personal or in
direct. Before my mind as l write,
is picture of a company of boyish
soldiers, looking forward to the bat
| tlefield, rising at dawn and kneeling
on rough pine board before an i'm
provised alter to receive from their
chaplain the token of their Masters S
dying thought of them. Again l re-
call the scene far away in the noun
| tains of the New West, distant from
a railroad, in a little chapel which
could not afford communion vessels.
where the Master himself seemed to
| sit as a guest at the table when the
missionary broke the bread. Still
again there is before me a picture of
a gathering of Christians in the re-
mote interior of Japan, and as the
bread and wine were being passed 1
saw the wondering. curious faces of
ueiA HGdlIlGI
men and women peeping in through
| doors and windows. All around the
earth loyal hearts are keeping this
memorial of an unforgotten Lord.
The Threefold Meaning
This simple upper,-simpler it
| could not be-which Jesus instituted
on this epochal occasion when His
little band of disciples gathered
about Him in a room where the hate
filled eyes of the priests could not
| find them, has a significance which
reaches in three directions. 1t was
an adaptation of the Jewish pass
over, looking backward to the merci-
full and protecting providence of Je-
hovah. 1t is reminder of the past.
Contained within it were messages
of Gods gracious dealing. 1t said
Remember Egypt" To the Chris
tian it adds to this Remember
Calvary" 1t was fraught with the
personality of Jesus. Thoughts of
Him make it significant. In Paurs
words, it declares, "Remember Jesus
| Christ" The first purpose of the
Lords Supper is a memorial. 1t
| looks backward to Galilee, to Judea,
to the upper room, to Calvary, to
Joseph's garden.
Brooding over the past, to the
| iASSiNNS VI lllS iSoSHl anu lHG Iu-
| ture, is never wise. Since the Foun-
der of Christianity designed a SYM
metrical life for His friends, this
monument which He established
points forward to goal to be at
tanned. The feast is to be kept un-
| til renewed again in the visible
presence of Him who first broke the
bread and poured the cup. The sac
I rament is one of anticipation. With
in its form is contained the reminder
of the blissful fellowship of all the
faithful. and asso citation with their
Lord himself. In that day there will
be no lurking foes to be escaped. no
shadow of treason or faithfulness to
cloud the occasion. no impending
sorrow to sadden hearts. We fail
to partake Alright of the Lords Sup
per if it does not fill our hearts with
hope of eating and drinking it anew
in the kingdom.
Backward, forward and then in
ward this celebration points. Vari-
Gus beliefs cluster about this sacra
ment, and myriads count it a cleans
ing from sin but all agree that IL
incites the noblest spiritual impulses
and awakens dormant aspirations
after the best in life. Let a man
examine himself" is the Injunction
Supper; and the feast should always
lead to profitable introspection
Whatever inspires purity of heart in
the individual naturally is the surest
contribution to the welfare of the
whole. So this memorial has served
mankind
n Traitor at the Feast
An air of mystery envelopes the
plans made by Jesus for the keeping
of this feast. He wanted to be free
during these last hours with His
dearest friends, from the interrup-
tons of His enemies, who hourly
grew more bloodthirsty. The need
ed privacy He had secured by pre-
ARRANGEMENT with some disciple, pos
sibly Mark. This friend was to meet
the two disciples who were to make
arrangements for the feast, and they
would know him by the pitcher sof
water upon his shoulder. Without
question they were to follow him and
ask certain thing, possibly sort
of code. /. All this was doubtless TO
prevent Judas from knowing in ad-
vance the exact spot. lest he should
give warning to the priests. The
tragic undertone of the great story
is the black fact of the presence OF
Judas, the traitor. Among the
twelve closest friends, one was false
and Jesus knew it. The hatred OF
the Pharisees, and their murderous
plotting with the priests, did not
stab Him to the heart like the knowl-
edge that one of His own, who
shared with Him the common dish
was willing to sell Him for price.
When Hearts Open
Every sensitive person knows what