Victory
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What are you doing for the memorial this year? - 2005/03/21 00:12
What follows assumes that everyone who comes here genuinely loves truth. And if you love truth, you won’t be inclined to cower or run away the instant your beliefs are put under scrutiny.
Also, what follows was originally intended for a different website. But due to timing and other matters, I’ve chosen to present an abbreviated version here. So, here goes.
The memorial of Christ’s death is without doubt the most significant celebration on our calendar.
We owe it to Jehovah, the God of Truth, to get it right. And we owe it to His son to celebrate this event in the manner he intended.
Yet, as Jehovah’s Witnesses, we’ve saddled this event with unscriptural and irrelevant trappings. For example, precisely where in the Bible does it say anything about “observers?”
Search the Bible. Jesus did not bring along “observers” to watch the Apostles partake. Nowhere in Paul’s writings does he say anything about “observers.” Neither is that idea found in the former Passover celebrations. You simply won’t find that idea anywhere in the Bible.
People either shared in the meal, or they didn’t attend. It’s as simple as that.
And nowhere does the Bible make provision for those who are partakers of the Lord’s evening meal to be presided over by those who are not partakers.
The entire “observer” scenario is a contrivance of the Watchtower Society. It’s a hangover from the pre-1930’s when everyone was expected to partake. From 1935 onwards, the Society decided that those who didn’t partake should just quietly sit and observe.
Of course, “observers” were then in the minority. And those taking the lead back then didn’t expect this system of things to last so long. Yet here we are 70 years later and the situation is reversed.
There are now millions of “observers” and only a hand-full of partakers. And still the Society sticks to its outdated and irrelevant teachings. In the process, they’ve turned the Memorial into an embarrassing sideshow for the few genuine partakers and their family members.
Only a miniscule number of the 96,000+ congregations have any anointed in them. And those few congregations with anointed become hotbeds of gossip as the mandatory “is he or isn’t he” discussion kicks in. Is this they way Jesus intended for his death to be commemorated?
Again, it makes absolutely no sense to pressure millions of people into attending a celebratory meal, yet bar them from sharing in it.
Now we’re definitely not suggesting that everyone should partake. Far from it. What we’re saying is that the Bible only makes provision for those in the New Covenant to partake, so logically they are the only ones that should attend.
The point is this: If you're not a partaker, then Scripturally, you're not obligated to attend as an “observer.” If you want to attend a Kingdom Hall that’s fine. But you don’t need to feel guilty about not attending. Attending as an “observer” is not synonymous with worshipping in Spirit and Truth.
Besides, the time is fast approaching when few genuine anointed will be found celebrating the Memorial in Kingdom Halls anyway.
Meantime, there are plenty of other ways to show respect for everything Christ accomplished by his faithfulness and death. Let your love for him determine how you personally do that this year.
Peace and Love
V
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