Day 21 – Remembering Christ at the Lord’s Table

The Shepherd Calls His People to Remember Christ

Today we come to another important practice given to the Church by Jesus Himself:

The Lord’s Table.

On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus gathered with His disciples.

He knew what was about to happen.

He knew He would be betrayed.

He knew He would be arrested.

He knew He would suffer.

He knew He would go to the cross.

And in that solemn moment, Jesus gave His followers something to remember Him by.

He took bread.

He gave thanks.

He broke it.

He took the cup.

And He said:

“Do this in remembrance of Me.”

The Lord’s Table is therefore not primarily about religious ceremony.

It is about remembering Christ.

His body given.

His blood poured out.

His sacrifice.

His covenant.

His death.

And the salvation He accomplished for us.

Jesus Told Us to Remember

The words are simple:

“Do this in remembrance of Me.”

Jesus knew how easily human beings forget.

We become distracted.

We become busy.

We can become consumed by religious activity while forgetting the One at the centre of our faith.

Jesus therefore gave His disciples a visible reminder.

Remember Me.

Not:

Remember the institution.

Not:

Remember the tradition.

Not:

Remember the ceremony.

But:

Remember Christ.

The Lord’s Table directs our attention away from ourselves and back toward Jesus.

Christ Must Remain at the Centre

This has been one of the central themes of The Open Gospel.

Again and again we come back to Christ.

Why?

Because Christianity is about Him.

The Gospel is about Him.

Salvation is about Him.

The cross is about Him.

The resurrection is about Him.

The Church belongs to Him.

And the Lord’s Table points us back to Him.

Whenever we gather around the Table, our hearts should be directed toward Jesus.

The focus is not ultimately the ceremony.

The focus is Christ.

“This Is My Body Given for You”

Jesus took the bread and said:

“This is My body given for you.”

His words point toward the cross.

Jesus was about to give Himself.

He was not going to the cross because He had failed.

He was going because He willingly gave Himself for sinners.

His sacrifice was not an accident.

It was part of God’s redemptive plan.

Jesus gave Himself.

For you.

That is personal.

“This Cup Is the New Covenant”

Jesus then said:

“This cup is the new covenant in My blood.”

The Old Testament contains promises of a new covenant.

Through Jesus, that promise was being fulfilled.

His blood establishes the new covenant.

The new covenant is not based upon our ability to become perfect.

It rests upon God’s grace and Christ’s sacrifice.

God promised forgiveness.

God promised transformation.

God promised to work within His people.

And Christ would establish this covenant through His sacrifice.

The Table reminds us:

God has kept His promise through Jesus Christ.

The Cross Is Not a Symbol Only

The cross has become familiar to many people.

We see crosses on buildings.

Jewellery.

Books.

Artwork.

Churches.

But the cross is much more than a religious symbol.

At the cross, Jesus suffered and died.

He gave Himself for sinners.

The Lord’s Table brings us back to that reality.

It reminds us:

Our salvation was accomplished through Christ’s sacrifice.

The cross tells us that sin is serious.

But it also tells us that God’s grace is greater.

Remembering Is an Act of Worship

When Jesus said:

“Do this in remembrance of Me,”

He was not simply telling His disciples to think about Him occasionally.

The Lord’s Table is a deliberate act of remembrance within the gathered Christian community.

We remember His sacrifice.

We remember His covenant.

We remember His grace.

We remember His promise.

We remember that our hope is in Christ.

Therefore, the Lord’s Table is not merely something we observe.

It is an opportunity to worship.

We come with reverence.

We come with gratitude.

We come remembering what Christ has done.

The Table Points Backward and Forward

When we come to the Table, we look backward.

We remember what Christ has done.

His suffering.

His death.

His sacrifice.

His blood.

His grace.

But the Christian story does not end at the cross.

Jesus rose from the dead.

And Jesus promised that He would come again.

Paul later wrote:

“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” – 1 Corinthians 11:26

The Table therefore points us in two directions:

Back to Christ’s finished work.

And:

Forward to Christ’s return.

We remember what He has accomplished.

And we look forward to what He will complete.

The Table Calls Us to Reverence and Self-Examination

Paul gives the Church serious instructions concerning the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11.

We should approach the Table with:

faith,

humility,

repentance,

gratitude,

and love for fellow believers.

We examine ourselves not because we must become perfect before coming to Christ.

We examine ourselves because Christ’s sacrifice must never be treated casually.

The Table gives us an opportunity to ask:

Am I trusting Christ?

Am I walking in repentance?

Is there bitterness I need to surrender?

Am I deliberately holding onto sin?

Am I treating Christ’s sacrifice with reverence?

Self-examination should lead us toward Christ, not into despair.

When God reveals sin, we confess it.

When we recognise bitterness, we seek forgiveness.

When we see pride, we humble ourselves.

When we recognise spiritual dryness, we return to the Lord.

The Table Reminds Us That We Belong to One Body

The Lord’s Table is also connected with Christian unity.

Paul writes:

“Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.” – 1 Corinthians 10:17

The Table reminds us that Christians are not isolated individuals.

We belong to Christ.

And because we belong to Christ, we belong to one another.

This should affect how we treat fellow believers.

We cannot claim to love Christ while deliberately holding hatred or bitterness toward His people.

The Table therefore calls us toward forgiveness, humility, reconciliation, and love.

Remember the Cost and Remember the Love

When we remember Christ at the Table, we remember the cost of our salvation.

Peter wrote:

“You were redeemed… with the precious blood of Christ.” – 1 Peter 1:18–19

Our salvation was not something we could accomplish ourselves.

Christ gave Himself.

His sacrifice demonstrates the seriousness of sin and the greatness of God’s love.

The cross tells us:

Sin is serious.

But the Gospel tells us:

Grace is greater.

The Table should therefore produce both reverence and gratitude.

We remember the cost.

And we remember the love.

A Message for the People of the East

For many people, religious ceremonies have been part of their lives from childhood.

They may have attended services.

They may have participated in communion.

They may have followed religious calendars and traditions.

But we must ask:

Do I understand what I am remembering?

The question is not merely:

“Did I participate?”

It is:

“Am I trusting Christ?”

The Lord’s Table is not meant to be an empty religious routine.

It calls us back to the Gospel.

Christ gave Himself for sinners.

Our confidence must never rest in religious participation, family tradition, cultural identity, or outward ceremony.

Our confidence must be in Jesus Christ.

Remember the Promise

Jesus connected the Table with the coming Kingdom.

He said:

“I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

The Table therefore carries hope.

The Christian story does not end with the cross.

It moves toward:

Resurrection.

Restoration.

The Kingdom of God.

Christ’s return.

We remember what Jesus has done.

And we look forward to the day when He comes again.

The Invitation

Perhaps the Lord’s Table has become familiar to you.

Maybe you have participated many times.

Or it has become part of your routine.

Today, stop and remember.

Remember Christ, His body given, His blood poured out, His sacrifice, His grace, His covenant, His resurrection, His promise.

And remember that salvation is not found in the ceremony.

Salvation is found in Christ.

If you have trusted Christ, let the Table deepen your gratitude, strengthen your faith, and renew your commitment to follow Him.

If you have never truly trusted Christ, do not place your confidence in religious participation.

Come to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith.

And if there is bitterness, pride, deliberate sin, or division in your life, bring it honestly before the Lord.

The Table calls us to remember Christ and to live as people who belong to Him.