“Keep Doing This in Remembrance of Me”
Jesus’ Death to Be Commemorated on April 2
1. Why is April 2, 2007, an important date?
1 On April 2, 2007, millions of people around the world will assemble to commemorate Jesus’ sacrificial death. Jesus died as an upholder of his heavenly Father’s sovereignty, giving proof that Satan the Devil had falsely charged that humans serve God only out of selfish motives. (Job 2:1-5) The Lord’s Evening Meal also reminds us that by means of his death as a perfect, sinless human, Jesus ‘gave his soul a ransom in exchange for many.’ (Matt. 20:28) Therefore, Jesus commanded his disciples: “Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19) Has appreciation for this precious gift of God moved you to start making preparations to commemorate this superlative act of love?—John 3:16.
2. How can we prepare our heart for the Memorial?
2 Prepare Your Heart: By considering what occurred on each of the final days of Jesus’ human life, we can prepare our heart for this Memorial observance. (Ezra 7:10) To assist us in this, a schedule of special Bible reading can be found in Examining the Scriptures—2007 and on the 2007 Calendar. This scheduled reading closely matches the days on which the events surrounding Jesus’ death occurred according to the calendar we use today. The days and dates referred to in the Bible accounts are based on the Jewish calendar, which reckons days from sundown to sundown. This difference has been taken into consideration and is reflected in the Memorial Bible reading schedule. Reviewing such information and prayerfully meditating on the depth of God’s love will help us to benefit fully from the Memorial observance.
3. How can we help interested and inactive ones to benefit from the Memorial?
3 Invite Others to Attend: The insert in the February Our Kingdom Ministry announced a special campaign to invite people to this important event. Have you made arrangements to share fully in this campaign? Have you made a list of acquaintances to invite, and have you started contacting them? Make plans to be present early enough on the evening of the Memorial to welcome those whom you invited as well as other interested ones. You may want to sit with them, making sure that they have a Bible and a songbook. Introduce them to others in the congregation. After the program make yourself available to answer their questions. Invite them to attend the special public talk that will be given on April 15. Elders especially will be interested in making sure that those who have associated with the congregation but have become inactive receive an invitation to the Memorial and the special talk.
4. How can we assist people to continue to make spiritual progress after the Memorial observance?
4 Help Newly Interested and Inactive Ones to Make Progress: The Memorial speaker will briefly explain our Bible study arrangement and encourage newly interested ones to continue learning about Jehovah. You can use his comments as a basis for offering further spiritual help to those you invited. If they are not presently studying the Bible, be sure to visit them soon after the Memorial and demonstrate the free Bible study arrangement. In order to make spiritual progress, they will also need to attend congregation meetings. (Heb. 10:24, 25) With this in mind, encourage them to begin attending regularly. Elders will want to visit inactive Christians who attended the Memorial and to build on the thoughts presented in the discourse. This may encourage them to resume their activity in the congregation.
5. What effect may observing the Memorial have on us?
5 The Memorial observance provides an opportunity to reflect seriously on what Jehovah and Jesus have done in our behalf. Such meditation deepens our love for them and affects our conduct. (2 Cor. 5:14, 15; 1 John 4:11) Now is the time to begin preparing ourselves and interested ones for this important occasion during which we ‘proclaim the death of the Lord.’—1 Cor. 11:26.