January 17th - Reflection

Exodus 12:1-13, 21-28 (NRSV)
The passover lamb

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 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. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. .


Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go, select lambs for your families, and slaughter the passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood in the basin. None of you shall go outside the door of your house until morning. For the Lord will pass through to strike down the Egyptians; when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over that door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you down. You shall observe this rite as a perpetual ordinance for you and your children. When you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this observance. And when your children ask you, 'What do you mean by this observance?' you shall say, 'It is the passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he struck down the Egyptians but spared our houses.'" And the people bowed down and worshiped.

The Israelites went and did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron.

Reflection
It's a new beginning. God is marking a first here. The old has passed and this is a new beginning. A new beginning marked by the blood of sacrifice. A new beginning with a feast. A feast held in a hurry. We are about to go. To go somewhere led by God. Where, we are not sure. We are going led by a promise that God will take care of us and lead us to a promised land. But tonight, it's about a new beginning.

The door we will pass through has been marked by the blood of the Lamb. We will be leaving and following God through this door. A door marked by this sacrificial Lamb's blood. In a hurry and well fed we move and are led by God.

As we follow Jesus this day, we cross through a door marked by his blood. Jesus gave his blood for our sin. As we pass through this door marked by Jesus' blood we enter the kingdom. A kingdom that Jesus has conquered, yet a kingdom in which Jesus will return in final glory. We enter a kingdom with a message to give. Jesus gave his blood for our sin. Jesus walks with us through the wildernesses of this kingdom, leading us to the promised land of resurrection and eternal life. But first we walk with Jesus. Walk with Jesus knowing that his blood was shed on that door. We feast with Jesus, knowing that he has paid the price. We walk in this kingdom towards that promised land, connecting one disciple at a time to Jesus.

Thanks be to God!

Prayer
Lord, you have provided all that I need for this journey. Be with me as we walk through this world. As I cross that threshold and see the blood on the lintel, may I be reminded of your sacrifice for my sin. May I walk humbly yet boldly with you as we meet the people and the circumstances in store for us this day. Lead me in my actions and my words. --- Amen