Dear Family at Christ Community,

    We have the privilege this Sunday to celebrate yet again the victory of Christ over sin and death as we come to the Lord’s Table. The truths signified in the broken bread and cup of the new covenant should be particularly comforting to us given the weight of the prophecies from Daniel 7 last Sunday and Daniel 8 this Lord’s Day Sabbath. I found this quote from Iain M. Duguid in Daniel: Reformed Expository Commentary particularly encouraging in light of where we are in our culture and in the book of Daniel:

“The cross is therefore the guarantee that God’s plan will always prevail in the face of our weakness, rebellion, and sin, and in spite of the fierce enmity of Satan and all of his hosts. Because of the victory won on the cross, the gates of hell can never prevail against Christ’s flock. To be sure, evil remains awful and powerful in this world. Sin still has devastating effects, whether it comes from outside or inside the church, and it will not simply pass away as our world matures. Our path to heaven often takes us through the valley of deep darkness, through horrible realities in the here and now that may be the fruits of our own sin, or of the sins of others, or of the enmity of powerful spiritual forces. Yet in the midst of that sobering reflection, we must never lose sight of the glories of heaven and the fact that God’s timetable is the one that directs events. His timetable will eventually draw our time on this earthly stage to a close and usher in God’s victory.”

    As you prepare for the table, consider the guarantees accomplished on the cross by Christ on your behalf. Given the finished, eternal nature of Christ’s propitiation, give thanks for your own failings, the failings of others, and Satan’s fierce enmity having no final power or say over you. Reflect on how God has used even your mistakes and those of others to draw you to Himself. Praise God for His mercy and grace which lavishes upon you through the death and resurrection of Christ. Repent of your pride and panic seeking to have your faith in the sovereignty and faithfulness of God nourished by the bread and cup from the Lord’s Table. Rejoice in the victory of Christ over the power of sin and death!

In Christ,
Cameron