God is the Lord and He intends something in this Table. We are His covenant people, called by His name, and it is our task to intend the same thing.
Perhaps we do not know what that is, and are secretly glad for the ignorance. Or perhaps we do know, and have been shrinking from it. But as we assemble here, our Lord speaks from the head of the Table, and He speaks to each us concerning His intentions for us. We each have a white stone with our name on it, and name known only to God.
At this Table, Jesus Christ addresses you with that name, and He says that He intends for this wine and this bread to build you up into Jesus Christ, the perfect man. In order for this to happen, certain new things will certainly grow and develop, but more to the point of our concerns, certain old things must cease.
This includes anger or bitterness at your spouse. It includes frustration with your children. It includes disrespect of your parents. It includes lust and all the attendant evil desires. It includes envy and covetousness over the good fortune of others. Jesus Christ has come down to us, but He did not do this in order to leave us as He found us. He is our Savior, and He is saving us from our sins. He is not saving us from just those sins that have gotten tiresome for us, while leaving us to enjoy those sins to which we are still attached. He saves and sanctifies us, and He does it according to His will.
So, today, if you hear His voice—and you have heard His voice—repent of any sin that His Spirit convicts you of. Come to the Table knowing that He is nourishing you, and growing you out of the pettiness that afflicts you. Life is before you, and you are invited to partake of it. But know this: all sin is death, and partaking of this true life here means, necessarily, the death of all death.