Exodus 12:1-14
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: 2 This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 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. 4 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. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. 7 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. 8 They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. 10 You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 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. 12 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. 13 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.
14 This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.
Matthew 18:15-20
15 “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16 But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
Pastor’s Discipleship Letter. September 6, 2020
Reflections on Exodus 12: 1 – 14 for worship on September 6, 2020
Exodus 12:1- 14
(Read the passage.)
We ground our faith in acts of God in history. We understand worship as essential.
Worship is more than singing songs, saying prayers, and hearing a sermon. Worship moves us to re-enter and re-create the memories that make us who we are. We give ourselves to the power of that memory, we become part of the people who have lived that memory for generations. Acts of worship allow children to participate in a meaningful way, understand what the celebration means and why it calls us to action.
The Passover marks the founding of the people Israel as those God liberates from slavery in Egypt. The passage records the original event and gives future generations the model for recalling and celebrating the event. There is a meal with roasted lamb, bitter herbs, and unleavened bread. Among the poor, lamb is shared. The meal is eaten being ready to flee at any moment.
The angel of death would “pass over” the houses marked with the lamb’s blood. This marks the people as those protected by God. This is why early Jewish Christians spoke of Jesus’ saving power as “the blood of the lamb.”
Reflections:
How is Israel to keep alive the memory of God’s saving act in Exodus and Passover?
What do we Christians do in the way of worship / celebration to celebrate the memory of God’s acts?
What elements of worship (singing, praying, scripture, etc.) are most important to you? Which of these worship elements are you able to do at home?
Does the worship video help you deepen your ability to worship God? Does the worship video help you keep alive the memory of God’s acts?
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