[Concafe2011] Amazing God, blaze a path of righteousness before the
life and needs of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Exodus 12: 1 God said to Moses and Aaron
while still in Egypt, 2 "This month is to be the first month of the year
for you. 3 Address the whole community of Israel; tell them that on the
tenth of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one lamb
to a house. 4 If the family is too small for a lamb, then share it with
a close neighbor, depending on the number of persons involved. Be
mindful of how much each person will eat. 5 Your lamb must be a healthy
male, one year old; you can select it from either the sheep or the
goats. 6 Keep it penned until the fourteenth day of this month and then
slaughter it - the entire community of Israel will do this - at dusk. 7
Then take some of the blood and smear it on the two doorposts and the
lintel of the houses in which you will eat it. 8 You are to eat the
meat, roasted in the fire, that night, along with bread, made without
yeast, and bitter herbs. 9 Don't eat any of it raw or boiled in water;
make sure it's roasted - the whole animal, head, legs, and innards. 10
Don't leave any of it until morning; if there are leftovers, burn them
in the fire. 11 "And here is how you are to eat it: Be fully dressed
with your sandals on and your stick in your hand. Eat in a hurry; it's
the Passover to God. 12 "I will go through the land of Egypt on this
night and strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, whether
human or animal, and bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am God.
13 The blood will serve as a sign on the houses where you live. When I
see the blood I will pass over you - no disaster will touch you when I
strike the land of Egypt. 14 "This will be a memorial day for you; you
will celebrate it as a festival to God down through the generations, a
fixed festival celebration to be observed always. (The Message)
Which holiday is the most special to you? How do you celebrate it?
Which personal day is most special to you and how do you celebrate it?
You and I have many answers to these questions. Sometimes I would say
Christmas, other times I might say Easter. And yes, I might say
Thanksgiving. And the second part of the first question I would answer:
food! As for personal days, my anniversary is very special to me as
is the birthday of my family members, and I would have to answer, for
the second part of that question: food! There seems to be an age-old
pattern of celebration and one might argue it has to do with food!
Today's passage has to do with the setting of the Passover with Moses
and the people of Israel. God could not stress enough its purpose or
its meaning nor how important it would be to always remember the event
for all time. The instructions for that first event were specific and
quite graphic. Every believer in the Lord God would have to sacrifice a
lamb which met God's specifications. The blood of that lamb would be
placed on the doorposts and lintel of the house of each believer. This
would be a sign of faith and obedience for the angel of death as he
would pass over each house with that symbol on it. And the urgency of
this celebration was marked by how the people were to dress, ready to
leave! It is God saying, You asked for it, you got it! You're about to
receive your freedom and liberty from your oppressors but be ready to
leave in short notice.
God has acted on our behalf as well, in special holy days that we
observe in the church as well as personal days that mean something
special to us; our baptism, our confirmation, our marriage, the baptism
of our children, our times of goodbyes to loved ones who have passed on
to their reward, etc. May we never forget God's presence, love, and
involvement in our lives. May Jesus' peace be ours always as a reminder
that He was our Lamb who took away our sin and delivered us from
captivity of that sin.
PRAYER: Loving God, all days are special to You and may those days
special to me always remind me of Your presence and care for me. May I
never take Jesus' sacrifice for granted, for He paid the price of my
sinfulness and set me free. It is in His name that I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
PS Our prayers for Rev. Pamela Dykehouse of St. Luke's UMC here in Corpus Christi, who undergoes foot surgery this morning. We pray for a successful surgery and relief from pain that necessitated this procedure. To God be the glory!
