Took one for the team tonight, and went along to the Memorial. My first time in a Kingdom Hall for just over a month. It was as expected, dry, boring and extremely uninteresting. However I took some notes during the talk so that if some who visit this board missed the Memorial, they might be able to read through and get an idea what was said in the event that someone asks them about it.
The notes below were written as they speaker said them. I am reporting, not supporting;
Memorial 2013 Talk: Appreciate What Christ Has Done for You
- We come here tonight to remember a superlative example of love.
- This can be hard for us to comprehend as not many of us would have had someone give their life in our behalf.
- We gather and celebrate as the result of a scriptural command. Luke 22:19, 20.
- So we are grateful that we can be here and observe this simple ceremony. We know Jehovah will be pleased.
- Wherever Jehovah's people are, they will be gathering tonight. Kingdom Halls, rented facilities, open fields, even prisons. Millions in more than 200 lands will meet and observe.
- Many will go through hardship in order to come here. You might have had family opposition, but you came here anyway. We are not unlike those in other lands who meet under trial. Last year 19,300,000 met in this way.
- Let's now answer four questions.
- Why do humans need to be delivered from death?
> Adam lost the privelige of everlasting life and as a result, all of us have a death sentence. Romans 5:12. It was passed onto us genetically.
> What about those who, unlike Adam, wanted to be obedient to God? Jehovah set up an arrangement where his son Jesus could give his perfect life to make up for the perfect life Adam lost. Romans 5:19.
> Jesus showed great courage and it would have pained Jehovah very much to go through this. Because Jesus was perfect, he had to die. His perfect life had to be given in order to cover the perfect life that Adam gave up. It makes us feel emotional when we think about what he did for us.
> When a loved one gives us a gift, it is something intangible. Jesus gift for us was invisible so sometimes it can be easy to forget. Our conscience though reminds us, when we do wrong, of the value of that sacrifice.
- Who benefit from this sacrifice?
> The bible describes two hopes. A limited number will have life in heaven, the others will live on a cleansed earth as God intended for Adam and Eve. We can choose to serve Jehovah, but we can't choose our destination.
> Revelation 14:1. These ones are in heaven, and as they have God's name on their forehead, they are Jehovah's witnesses. These are the ones who partake of the bread and the wine, as they are the ones who have been chosen to serve in the heavenly kingdom.
> Isaiah 11:6-9. If we long to see these things, then this shows we have a hope for an earthly life ahead. Isaiah 35:5, 6. If we are sick and long to see the fulfilment of this, it shows that we have the earthly hope. Isaiah 65:21-23. If we long to have fulfilling work, then we are showing that we want to live on this earth.
> Jesus will fix all of our problems, whatever they may be, in the near future.
- Who partake in the bread and wine?
> Both groups benefit from the ransom sacrifice, but only the ones with the heavenly hope partake. This is because Jesus set this covenant with his close followers, ones who would be in the kingdom with him. For this reason we would expect that someone who partakes has a long history of faithful service to Jehovah.
- 1 Corinthians 11: 23-25 gives us the process of what happened that night. Let's review it and then follow the same pattern.
- Prayer and bread.
- Prayer and wine.
- That was the simple ceremony that Jesus instituted. We should be proud that we carry on what Jesus set up.
- What must we do to show appreciation for this sacrifice?
> Jehovah and Jesus want us to have a relationship with them. To do so, we must live by the rules of his house. He helps us with this and gives us practical advice. Pour out your heart to him in prayer. Jehovah longs to hear it. He can handle whatever you say to him. We must keep up our education about Jehovah and grow in appreciation of him and what he has done for us.
> If we follow him and his guidelines, we can make Jehovah happy. We know as Jehovah's Witnesses we do our utmost everyday to please him.
- 1 John 4:9. Continue to grow in appreciation for what Jehovah has done for us.