Lent – Remembrance & Celebration
For the Jew, Passover is an annual time of remembrance that God had brought the Israelites out of Egypt where they had become slaves. They were living there because God had taken a series of events that began with the act of Joseph’s brothers selling him to slave traders and had placed a Jew in charge of all the resources of Egypt during a time of extreme famine. Joseph’s position had literally saved his people from death. As time passed, the Egyptian leaders had forgotten the God of Joseph and the Israelites were now part of the slave work force. Their place of salvation had become their worst nightmare.
God heard their cry for deliverance and sent Moses as an answer to their prayers. God once again used a series of events to work through Moses to bring them freedom and to a land that God promised would belong to them. Passover, which included the Seder Meal, was started as a time to remember and celebrate what God had done for them.
It was at the end of this Seder Meal that Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to His disciples and said, “Take, eat, this is my body broken for you.” In the same manner He took the cup of wine, blessed it, and gave it to His disciples and said, “This is the new covenant in my blood.” 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 has Jesus saying, “Do this in remembrance of me.” verse 26 goes on to say, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”
Lent is the Passover for the Christian. God made us and placed us in this world to live in peace and harmony with Him and with each other. Sin ruined that relationship and the “wages of sin” became humanity’s worst nightmare.
God heard our cry for deliverance and sent Jesus, His only Son, as the answer. Through a series of events recorded in the Gospels, God worked through Jesus to bring us to freedom and a right relationship with Him. Lent and Communion was started as a time to remember and celebrate what God has done for us.
Revelation 19:6b-7a says, “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory!”
Pastor David
