The Promise of Passover Devo

October 4th, 2020

Devotional

“The Promise of Passover” - Exodus 12:1-13; 13:1-8

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Lamb” - Exodus 12: 1-6

The story goes that Moses had tried time and time again to convince Pharaoh to let Gods people go. Each time, after being struck by some sort of plague, he would agree only to relent later. So God brought forth one last plague, killing the first born of every Egyptian household. The night this was to take place, the Israelites were instructed to sacrifice a lamb to God and put its blood above their door post as a reminder to God to pass over their house leaving it unharmed. The lamb was then cooked and eaten as one final meal before their journey.

Because God did such a great act in rescuing the people of God, Passover was (and still is) to be a time of celebration. A time to remember in order to look forward to the future.

But, for Christians, Jesus changed the tone of the evening when he interrupted with the disciples knew, all of the ritual they had experienced since they were children, by taking the unleavened bread and breaking it. Then taking one of the cups of wine and saying it would be a sign of the new covenant. The disciples were probably confused. Jesus’ ministry up to this point had been marked by parables that confused the disciples, but now Jesus was giving them something tangible, not simply a teaching. The bread stood for his body, the wine his blood that would be shed. Jesus was giving them one last thing to remember him by.

How are Passover and Holy Communion linked?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank you for the meal you shared with your disciples on Passover. We thank you that in the midst of the story of liberation from Egypt emerged the story of liberation from sin. Tell us this story again and again, we pray. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Blood” - Exodus 12: 7-11

If you have ever been to a Passover Seder you know that it is a meal marked by symbols. Everything on the table symbolizes a part of the story of Exodus - the story of the flight from Egypt. Bitter herbs, wine, salt water, apples, the unleavened bread, the lamb. All part of the story. 

In Jesus’s celebration of the Passover, the rituals were kept alive. At three o’clock they joined the line at the temple to have their lamb slaughtered. The priest would take each lamb and slit its throat, collecting the blood in a bowl to be poured at the base of the alter table. The priest would butcher the lamb and give it to back to the person bringing the offering. They would have cooked the lamb for three to four hours, before everyone gathered for the dinner at seven o’clock to remember the story of how God rescued the Israelites from the oppressive hand of Egypt.

In this particular scripture from Exodus, we are told not only what was consumed, but with what posture. “This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord.” This is the story of a people waiting for God to move - waiting for God to liberate and set them free. 

What in our story speaks to the liberation that comes from God?

Prayer: Lord, we thank you that you are the God of love and liberation. We thank you, O God, that you set us free, sometimes from that which we do not even know is holding us back. Break open our hard hearts and free us from sin, we pray. Amen.

Wednesday: “Pass Through” - Exodus 12: 12-13

We may never fully understand the ways of God. Sometimes when I read this story, my heart aches to think of all of the people who lost their lives or loved ones. Some people, smarter than I, ask why in the world would God do this? Many point back to the Pharaoh commanding that Hebrew boys be slaughtered - a fate which Moses escaped. 

But, even if we fully do not understand the ways of God or this plague in particular, we do know this - when people gather to celebrate the Passover meal, there is no rejoicing at the death of the first born. This is part of the story, but it is not part of the celebration. For people’s lives were lost. 

What do you do when you do not understand the ways of God?

Prayer: Lord, sometimes when we read your Word we are overwhelmed - especially overwhelmed by that which we cannot fully understand. Speak tenderly to our hearts and draw us near to yourself, we pray. Amen. 

Thursday: “Consecrate” - Exodus 13: 1-2

To consecrate is to set apart for a holy purpose for God. In Exodus, God tells Moses to set aside the firstborn for God. For us, today, we consecrate the bread the cup when we celebrate Communion. We take the ordinary things of the earth and see them as symbols, telling a holy story for a holy purpose. 

When Jesus celebrate the Passover long ago, it began the last 24 hours of Jesus life that tell the story of a God of boundless love, whose love could not be confined. In fact, it is a love so profound that Jesus, God’s son, was sent to lay down his life for all humanity. And this is what we now celebrate each and every time we come to the communion table, that God’s love is big enough to deliver us from sin and death. We come together and remember who we are defined through Jesus’ sacrifice. We remember who we were, who we are, and who we will be. And we come together to celebrate it as a community, not alone. 

This is what the bread and the cup are set apart to remind us - whose we are and who we belong to because of the love of Christ. 

What does the celebration of Holy Communion mean to you? 

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for the holy meal we celebrate together. We thank you for taking ordinary things and giving them an extraordinary meaning. Thank you, O Lord, for your grace, your mercy, and your love. Amen. 

Friday: “Tell” - Exodus 13: 3-8

For this entire year together we have been exploring scripture from the Narrative Lectionary. We have been re-hearing and re-learning the stories of the Old and New Testaments. Why? Because we need to know both our story and the story of scripture and how they come together in order to go forth and tell. 

For the people of Israel, coming together once a year at the Passover table was a reminder of the amazing story of how God brought them out of a land of oppression to a place of freedom. It’s a story of deliverance, grace, mercy, hope, and salvation. And why did they celebrate? So they could continue to tell the story to their children and their children’s children. 

We, too, have a story to tell. A story of deliverance, grace, mercy, hope, and salvation. A story of a Savior who gave everything for us. A story we are called to remember and to tell. What story are you telling?

How do you tell your story of faith? What is important for you to include?

Prayer: Lord, we love to tell the story. Your story and how it transformed our story. Let us proclaim it far and wide, dear Lord, for the sake of your Kingdom. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “The Golden Calf” - Exodus 32:1-14