08.08 | Memorial
Acts 10:1-23a
‘About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.”’
Acts 10:3-4
When you give to the needy, Jesus said, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.1
When you pray, He told us, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.2
There was a concept in the Old Testament that is usually translated as ‘memorial.’ It was connected to various sacrifices and the burning of incense, the smoke of which were pictured as ascending into the heavenly throne room of God, to bring before Him the worship and requests of His people. ‘Memorial’ is a word related to ‘memory’, and yet the feel of the biblical wording is not of something remembered that had previously been forgotten, but rather an intentional drawing to mind of something known. Memorial had to do with attention, drawing the gaze, focus, or bringing to mind. Memorial offerings brought the people of God before the mind of God with the intention of provoking the activity of God.
As we meet Cornelius the Roman centurion today, Luke gives us some information about him.
The Italian cohort. Cornelius is neither Jewish nor Samaritan. He’s Italian. He’s a Gentile.
Devout and God-fearing. He is a man of integrity, who orders his ways under the lead and values of God. His understanding of God’s reality and His power leads him to make life choices that prioritise God above all else.
Giving alms and prayed continually. He practices these things in unseen places, giving away money and possessions to support the power and the vulnerable, and stewards a healthy friendship of interactive love with the Father.
All this begins to come together, for, as the angel of God comes and greets him, the angel wants to tell him something:
Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.
The prayers that you have prayed. The generosity with which you have lived. These ongoing, regular, and (likely) unseen activities have presented your life before the mind of God. You have caught His attention.
Now on one level, the sceptic will respond, all things are seen by God.
It is true. And yet the turn of phrase here suggests a difference between God simply seeing all that we do, and catching His attention. The former suggests that He was looking anyway; the latter suggests that we turned His head. The former suggests that we are merely visible; the latter that He has been resting His thoughts upon us. The former suggests mere awareness; the latter suggests memorial.
Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.
Cornelius is about to have his life filled with the power and presence of God. He is about to become a pioneer in the the Story of God, as God’s salvation and presence overspills from the Jewish and Samaritan communities to the nations of the earth. He is about to be counted among the clean and holy, to have his life reoriented around the purposes and character of God.
Why?
Because He drew the gaze of the Father. Because His unseen acts of devotion put His life on show before the hosts of heaven. Because, as the Father’s eyes searched for the one through who He would instigate this expanding work among the nations of the earth, it was Cornelius who drew His gaze.
Generosity. Prayer. Kindness. Truth. Such unseen habits. And yet, my friends, these things are not mere religious piety or charitable compassion. They draw the gaze of the Father. They are the unseen activities of a life to be filled with His presence. They are the hidden acts on the earth awaiting heavenly reward.
They are a memorial.
Reflect:
Prayer and generosity. How do these activities work in my life as an expression of my devotion?
If guilt and legalism begin to creep in here, return yourself to the knowledge of His love. Both these things are not religious duties to be sulkily offered; they are love responses to the Greater Love.
Pray:
Father,
I offer you again
My unseen life;
Who I am
And what I do
And how I think
When nobody else is looking.
Protect me from the atrophy
Of external pretence
Without hidden integrity;
Strengthen me in the secret place,
In beautiful intimacy
And the freedom of doing all things
From love.
And Father,
May my secret acts
Be before you as
A memorial;
And so
Entrust to me
The true riches
Of your heavenly Kingdom.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
Old Testament:
For those also reading the Old Testament this year, your additional readings are here:
Jeremiah 40-42 | Psalm 96
Matthew 6:3-4
Matthew 6:6