DAILY TEXT, Today's Friday, March 22, 2024, They will be proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he comes (1 Cor. 11:26).

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Friday March 22, 2024

They will be proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he comes (1 Cor. 11:26).

One of the reasons we invite others to the Memorial is because we want them to know what Jehovah and Jesus have done for us all.​—John 3:16. We want what you see and hear for the first time that night to motivate you to know Jehovah better and to be his servants. Our invitations are also addressed to another group of people: the inactive. We invite you to the Commemoration to remind you that God continues to love you. It fills us with joy to see that many decide to attend. That night reminds them of how happy they were in serving Jehovah (Ps. 103:1-4). Whether people accept our invitation or not, we make every effort to invite them because we know that people are very important to Jehovah.​—Luke 15:7; 1 Tim. 2:3, 4. w23.01 20 para. 1; 23 paras. 9-11.

WE CELEBRATE THE COMMEMORATION DESPITE THE DIFFICULTIES

What situations could become an obstacle for us to celebrate the Commemoration?

Jesus predicted that in the last days we would have problems of all kinds: family opposition, persecution, wars, epidemics... (Matt. 10:36; Mark 13:9; Luke 21:10, 11). Any of these situations could become an obstacle for us to celebrate the Memorial. What have our brothers done in these circumstances, and how has Jehovah helped them?

How did Jehovah bless Artiom’s courage and determination to celebrate the Memorial in prison?

The jail. Brothers who are imprisoned for their beliefs do their best to remember the death of Christ. Let's look at the example of Artiom. During the 2020 Memorial season, he was locked in a 17-square-meter (183-square-foot) cell, holding up to 5 inmates at a time. Nevertheless, he managed to obtain some items that he would use as symbols for the Memorial and made plans to present the speech to himself. But there was a problem: his cellmates smoked and spent the day saying bad words. What did Artem do? He asked them if they could spend an hour without using that language or smoking. To his surprise, they said yes. He says: “I told them I could explain what the Commemoration is about.” Although they told him that they were not interested in him, after seeing him celebrate, they asked him for more details.

What did Jehovah's people do to celebrate the Memorial despite the COVID-19 pandemic?

The COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this pandemic, Jehovah's people were unable to attend the Memorial in person. But that did not stop us from celebrating it.d Congregations that had internet enjoyed the occasion via videoconference. But what about the millions of brothers who did not have the internet? In some countries the speech was broadcast on television or radio. In addition, branches recorded it in more than 500 languages ​​so that even those living in isolated areas could celebrate the Memorial. And there were brothers who were responsible for sending them those recordings.

What do we learn from a Bible student named Sue?

Family opposition. The biggest difficulty some have had in celebrating the Memorial is the opposition of their family. That's what happened to a Bible student named Sue. In 2021, one day before the Memorial, Sue told her teacher that since her family was opposed, she would not be able to enjoy the Memorial. Her teacher read Luke 22:44 to her. She explained to him that when we have problems, it is best to follow Jesus' example and pray to Jehovah with complete confidence that he will help us. The next day, Sue prepared the bread and wine, and watched the special morning worship program on jw.org. Later, she locked herself in her room and listened to the Memorial on the phone. She later wrote these words to her teacher: “Yesterday you encouraged me a lot. I did everything I could to attend the Memorial, and Jehovah did the rest. "You can't imagine how happy and grateful I feel." If you are going through a similar situation, do you think Jehovah can help you?

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