Here at the Lord’s Table we focus upon Jesus sacrifice on the cross, when he took upon himself the pain and suffering due to our sin, and the sin of all mankind.
He suffered death in our place, as he took the guilt of our sin upon himself to the grave. He was our substitute, that we may be judged guiltless and righteous before God, and be reconciled to God.
As we read in Romans 5:10, “when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son”.

But there were further events which are an essential part of Jesus’ miraculous gift of salvation.

On the third day, our Heavenly Father raised Jesus from the dead, thereby defeating the power of sin and death, so that we too may live – eternally with him.
Romans 6:4 reads, “just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

And after a further 40 days, Jesus ascended to be with the Father, and ten days later he sent his Holy Spirit, as he had promised.
As we read in John 14:16-20:
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever — the Spirit of truth.”
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

Through his Spirit, Jesus’ personal presence is no longer limited to a small number of people near Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.
The Holy Spirit makes the presence of Jesus real for all people who turn to him in faith across the entire world, for all time, and especially for us here today.

And just as we read in the gospels of how the mere presence of Jesus transformed people’s lives, so it is with us now.  His Spirit enables us to see our sin, and gives us a hunger for God’s forgiveness, and even faith itself is a gift of the Spirit.  The Spirit gives meaning to God’s word as we read the bible, and as we hear the sermon today.  And His Spirit guides and equips us to follow the path that Jesus has prepared for each one us.

In the book of Acts we read of how the presence of Jesus and his ministry continued after his ascension through the Holy Spirit, and it still continues today.

So, as we now celebrate Jesus’ victory on the cross, we look back with thankfulness to what he accomplished for all-time 2,000 years ago.

But we also rejoice in what he is doing in our lives today, as he lives in us, and we in him.