Marked with the Blood

~~~ Exodus 11:10—12:14 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ Matthew 12:1-8 ~~~

How shall I make a return to the LORD

for all the good he has done for me?

The common thread in the readings today is food.

Food is one of our basic needs as a human being.

We cannot exist for long without some type of food and water.

God instructed Moses to follow the prescription 

for the Passover celebration;

but he made one addition.

After choosing and preparing the whole lamb or goat for roasting,

the animal's blood was to be used to mark their doorways.

When God came to judge the town

those with the sacrificial blood were to be spared.

The blood of the slain animal was the sign of saving from harm.

God does keep to his plan and passes over those houses.

Without the whole sacrificial animal salvation would not be realized...

the inhabitants of the household would perish.

Later the body and blood of Jesus

would become the sacrificial offering.

The need for our body and soul to be fed would

now be more than just grains picked from a field.

The food which we use to nourish our body

 isn't sufficient to also nourish our soul.

It is the whole, unbroken body of our crucified Jesus,

which satisfies our hunger.

It is the pouring out of the Blood of Jesus

which satisfies our thirst.

In the upper room the night before Jesus was to die

he took bread and wine into his hands.

He offered these as himself.

He is the new sacrifice.

It is his Body and Blood which is given up for us...

He gives himself up for the atonement of our sins.

He feeds and blesses us in the middle of forgiving and saving us.

Or is it, In the middle of forgiving and saving us he feeds and blesses us?

These four things are brought to completion

in Jesus himself.

There is no longer the need or

 requirement to sacrifice the lambs and the goats.

Their blood will not save you now.

Only the Blood of Jesus Christ has the power to save.

When we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist

we are participating in our own salvation.

When we do not receive Holy Communion

it is equivalent to preparing the Passover meal

without placing the blood above your portal.

This the way to keep holy the Lord's day...

Come to the table...Be fed...

in flesh and blood.

May the Blood of Jesus keep you

 safe and free from all distress.

Blessed with the Sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the one who feeds us for eternal life.

~~~Peace~~~

Jesus Bridges the Old and the New

~~~ Holy Thursday ~~~

 

~~Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14~~Psalm 116~~1 Corinthians 11:23-26~~John 13:1-15~~

 

Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come
to pass from this world to the Father.
He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.

 

Jesus carefully begins his passion with the traditional Passover meal.

He had undoubtedly participated in this important

historical meal previously many times.

The feast of the Passover was to remember the saving from the Angel of Death.

 

The story of Passover is told in the Book of Exodus.

Moses is saved as an infant to later become the one chosen by God to lead

his people to freedom.

Pharaoh becoming increasingly threatened by the Hebrews

decreed that the first born males would be killed.

Only the females were to be allowed to live.

At the old age of 80, Moses boldly demands

 that Pharaoh release his people.

 

The ten great plagues descended upon the land

ending with the death of all the male children in the land.

The homes of the Hebrews were saved as a result

of their following the command of God.

They marked their doorways with the blood of a pure lamb;

thus their sons are spared. 

 

They shall take some of its blood
and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel
of every house in which they partake of the lamb.

 

The people quickly prepared the lamb ready to flee in a moments notice.

They had no time to allow yeast bread to rise.

To this day unleavened bread is an important part of Passover.

 

 

Jesus begins his Passion on this feast day.

It is fitting since he alone will be sacrificed

 to bring all of us out of bondage.

Jesus is the bridge between the old with the new.

He fulfills the covenant issued by his Father.

He does not forsake the people of God.

Just as he continues to save us today.

 

Jesus is always the one who connects the old and the new.

The word became flesh to fulfill the will of the Father...

to make all things complete.

 

On this night of Passover Jesus rises, humbles himself,

and washes the feet of his apostles.

He does not discriminate among the faithful, the one who betrays

or the one who will deny knowing him three times.

 

After kneeling down and washing their feet,

he tries one more time to help them understand who he is

and why he really came.

 

“Do you realize what I have done for you?
You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am.
If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet,
you ought to wash one another’s feet.
I have given you a model to follow,
so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”

 

How we treat others speaks so much more than our words ever can.

We may not be washing the feet of those we meet,

but we can treat them with loving care and dignity.

 

Lord, help me to strive daily to be more like you.

Begin first by transforming my heart.

Confronted by Truth

 

~~~ Isaiah 50:4-9a ~~~ Psalm 69 ~~~ Matthew 26:14-25 ~~~

 

'...Morning after morning
he opens my ear that I may hear...'

 

This is our call, to begin each day in prayer.

If we begin with the intention of listening for the voice of the Lord;

each day would unfold in a greater joy.

 

'...you who seek God, may your hearts revive!'

 

Our hearts would be in a constant state of revival

 if we would but keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.

I recently read some beautiful advice...

No matter what situation we find ourselves in

see only Jesus.

 

Before the night of Passover, Jesus it seems,

has already made arrangements to dine at a friend's.

There he can have a private quiet meal with his closest followers.

 

“Where do you want us to prepare
for you to eat the Passover?”

The apostles were concerned about making all of the necessary

for the feast day, but Jesus was one step ahead of them.

They were willing to complete the requirements for the Passover feast,

but it was taken care of for them by Jesus.

 

I find this to true in my life as well.

When I am anxious about some approaching responsibility;

God shows up ahead of time and gets everything in order.

 

 

Jesus is always willing to make one more attempt

at getting and keeping out attention.

 

Even if we are on the brink of making a serious mistake

Jesus makes time for us...

he invites us to dine with him...

he confronts us with the truth.

 

Jesus confronts Judas with the truth of his betrayal

during their intimate Passover meal together.

While the others present may not have understood what Jesus was saying;

Judas surely got the message.

Jesus allowed Judas to excuse himself from the group.

Jesus did not command him to leave the meal.

 

Jesus always confronts us with the truth.

I invite you to pause and reflect to day on this question.

 

Are you willing to hear what Jesus has to say to you?

If we begin each day listening to the Lord,

 the truth will not catch us by surprise.

Shepherd Sheep: Mutual Affection

~~~ Ezekiel 37: 21-28 ~~~ John 11: 45-56 ~~~

God, having assured us of his strength (rock, fortress) and power (lightning bolts, parted seas) yesterday,is now calling us to gather around him. Just as the sheep gather round the shepherd. The sheep know the shepherd's voice. They know by past experience that he will lead them safely through treacherous lands. The sheep know that he will protect them from the wolves at night. The sheep know that the shepherd will tend to their wounds from the Brier patches.

The sheep love the shepherd and the shepherd loves the sheep.

It is mutual.

This is exactly how God wants to take care of us in the same fashion as the shepherd. Our God shepherd wants to care for more than our physical needs. Our shepherd wants to care for the needs of our soul. Our shepherd wants to care for our salvation. He beckons to us to gather round him.

He now knows his time is getting very short. He retreats from the public interaction and flees to the desert. In the past the desert has been a place of temptation for Jesus. But now the desert is a place of respite before the feast of the Passover.

The high priests are getting restless and their unrest is mounting. They want to take action. They cannot stand what they perceive as competition. They fear Jesus is going to take over and that would be the end of life as they have grown accustomed to. 

It is too bad that the Jews of that time could not see Jesus for who he was...the Messiah. Many thought Jesus would not return to Jerusalem for the Passover.

But, it was so written that he would indeed return with a triumphant entry to Jerusalem.

The shepherd is gathering his sheep close to him.

Are you coming?

You do know the sound of his voice.

Listen carefully. He will tend to all your needs.