When I was a kid, if you asked me what my favorite season of the year was, I would always give the same answer.

Clearly, everyone’s answer should be baseball season!

With spring training having already begun and the regular season soon to be underway, this is always a time of the year that brings back many memories.

I can clearly remember opening day of baseball season for many of the years I played.

I can feel the warmth of the sun and the crisp spring breeze.

The smell and vibrant green color of the grass perfectly mowed in preparation for that first game.

There was the smell of the soft pretzels and hot dogs from the concession stand that you knew would be yours in a few hours’ time.

The sounds might be the clearest memory of them all, though.

The sound of the baseball hitting the pocket of a glove and the crack of the bat hitting the ball are forever ingrained.

No opening day was complete without hearing those familiar lyrics sung by John Fogerty, “Put me in coach, I’m ready to play today. Look at me, I can be centerfield.”

This time of year reminds me of the visceral impact our memories can have on us. How sounds, smells and tastes can bring us right back to moments that happened decades ago.

Our senses can trigger memories so strong it is like we are reliving those moments all over again.

I believe that fact is part of the power of participating in the sacrament of Holy Communion.

What must it have been like for Jesus’ disciples to share in this act together for the rest of their lives! The smell of the bread, the taste of the wine and the reciting of the words Jesus spoke to them must have brought them back to that table of the Last Supper. It must have made it so real for them.

Each time they participated in it, they would be taken back with vivid memory of that night.

That element of engaging the senses separates Holy Communion from Bible reading and prayer. It is unique in how we interact with it.

Though we were not at that table as Jesus gathered with his disciples, we too commune with the Lord as we eat of the bread and drink the cup. We are taken back to that night in a way different from merely reading about it.

Our actions join us with Christians from all over the world who have participated in Holy Communion over the past 2,000 years. We come to the table side by side, one body, in communion with the Lord.

Jesus has given us an amazing gift to be able to draw close to Him in this way.

May we appreciate it and savor it each and every time we participate.

Above all, may we “taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8).

People’s Evangelical Congregational Church is located at 216 Wagner St., Lehighton.