The sacrifice of Christ was voluntary and compulsory. It was voluntary in that no law required it of Him, no external source coerced Him into it. And yet His sacrifice was motivated by love and He could not not love. God is love. God so loved the world that He sent His only Son. The Son loved the world and laid down His life so that we could have life. Love compelled Him to give up His life so that His people could live.

The good news is that God, in Jesus, took on flesh, fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law, died in place of sinners, and rose again to prove His triumph over sin and death. All of who believe share in that triumph.

What does that mean? What does participating in His triumph get us? We get life from and in His love. It’s what we did not have. It’s what we could not earn. We were dead, not to mention unlovely. Life is a gift of love received, a gift to be rejoiced over.

We may mourn our sin that brought the need for this Table. But even more we rejoice by faith that Christ has triumphed. We rejoice as we eat a meal in this triumph of life and love. Let’s do it together.