Day 25: Exodus 11-12; Matthew 18:21-35
"You must be dressed for travel, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand" (Exodus 12:11, CSB).
"Be ready! That for which you prayed in tearful desperation, what you thought God would never do because of the long delays and bitter hardships, is about to happen...now!" Normally for a family dinner on a special occasion, the sandals would be at the entrance of the house, the staffs of travelers tucked in the corner. Everyone was there and came with the notion that this would be an evening of laughter and long, memory-filled conversations across the generations...it would take time. You get the idea. Come in. Relax. Converse. Take your shoes off and make yourselves at home. Stay a while. NOT THIS NIGHT! THIS IS DIFFERENT! TONIGHT IS YOUR DELIVERANCE...IT'S PASSOVER. Feel the urgency? Sense the anticipation? Tomorrow everything changes! You will be free! Be ready!
Every account of the Christian Passover, Holy Communion (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:15-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26), references the second coming of Jesus or His coming Kingdom. There is that sense of urgency every time we share this holy feast. Be ready! That which you have long awaited is about to happen! "But," you say, "it's been 2000 years." Yes, but every day that dawns is one day closer, and any day may be the day (you know all the 'thief in the night' passages). For you and me, this is no threat, no ploy for emotional conversion. This is our hope! This is the consummation of God's glorious grace in Christ...our faith made sight. Somehow I believe that entering this feast the next time, today's reading will come to mind and you and I will have that sense of anticipation...the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world is here! The Lion Who is the Lamb is coming again!
"Be ready! That for which you prayed in tearful desperation, what you thought God would never do because of the long delays and bitter hardships, is about to happen...now!" Normally for a family dinner on a special occasion, the sandals would be at the entrance of the house, the staffs of travelers tucked in the corner. Everyone was there and came with the notion that this would be an evening of laughter and long, memory-filled conversations across the generations...it would take time. You get the idea. Come in. Relax. Converse. Take your shoes off and make yourselves at home. Stay a while. NOT THIS NIGHT! THIS IS DIFFERENT! TONIGHT IS YOUR DELIVERANCE...IT'S PASSOVER. Feel the urgency? Sense the anticipation? Tomorrow everything changes! You will be free! Be ready!
Every account of the Christian Passover, Holy Communion (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:15-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26), references the second coming of Jesus or His coming Kingdom. There is that sense of urgency every time we share this holy feast. Be ready! That which you have long awaited is about to happen! "But," you say, "it's been 2000 years." Yes, but every day that dawns is one day closer, and any day may be the day (you know all the 'thief in the night' passages). For you and me, this is no threat, no ploy for emotional conversion. This is our hope! This is the consummation of God's glorious grace in Christ...our faith made sight. Somehow I believe that entering this feast the next time, today's reading will come to mind and you and I will have that sense of anticipation...the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world is here! The Lion Who is the Lamb is coming again!
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash.
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