The second “memorial” or point of remembrance that is mentioned in the New Testament is one that Christ himself told his disciples that should be remembered each time the gospel story is told. It is the story of the woman, who owned nothing but an alabaster box of ointment, and took the box, broke it, and poured the contents on Jesus head. As his disciples scoffed at her extravagant waste (some even claimed that it should have been sold and the money given to the poor), Jesus simply rebuked them: And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her (Mark 14:6-9).
When this woman took that alabaster box and anointed the Lord Jesus Christ she was not looking to be memorialized; she was looking for peace and joy. She was looking for atonement, for forgiveness, and for acceptance. Her selfless act in sacrificing her only earthly possession that had a high value placed on it by the world was all she could and did offer to show her love. She held nothing back and not only did she find salvation, she found that Jesus accepted her and wanted her sacrifice and his defense of her selflessness to be remembered by all who hear the gospel story. Here in our modern world, her story is still preached from the pulpits, in Sunday School classes, and in Bible Studies.
Within most churches there are crosses that are part of the interior decor. Christians do not worship the cross; it is there as a memorial to the death of our Lord Jesus Christ – whose blood was shed to atone for our sins. It was our sins that should have placed us on that cross but it was the Son of God that took our place. Some Christians wear a cross around their neck and others, such as myself, carry one in our pockets, all to remind us that as we go through our daily routines to be thankful and mindful of what we have as Christians.
With all these memorials, I often wonder do we need to build memorials for our families that not only remind us of God and his love towards us, but reminds us of our many blessings. These memorials don’t have to be built of steel and stone, but of sharing the story of the nativity of Christ at Christmas before presents are opened; maybe share the story of the resurrected Christ before the first bite of Easter breakfast is eaten. Maybe we should build weekly memorials where each Friday or Saturday evening the family just shares blessings around the family dinner table before everyone rushes off for the evening routines. It really doesn’t matter what we choose to make as the memorial just as long as it helps us remember the blessings and the beauty of God’s eternal gift of salvation through the completed work of his son, Jesus.
