preparing for teh end

Good afternoon all,
Sorry to get this out so late. I woke up at 8 for an 8:30 meeting. Jesus and his disciples are near Jerusalem for the Passover. This holiday remembers God's liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt. The King of Egypt refused to let Israel go so God sent plagues against Egypt to humble the king. The Passover itself involved marking the doors of all the Israelite homes in Egypt with blood on the doorposts. When the final plague, the death of every first-born male struck, the angel of death killed each Egyptian first son, but passed over the houses marked with blood. Since that night more than 3000 years ago Jews have keep the Passover feast. The lamb talked about in the passage commemorates the lamb used to mark the houses. It was (and is) eaten along with other symbolically important foods including unleavened bread.

Jesus instructs his disciples to get an upper room ready so they can celebrate the Passover together. That dinner becomes what Christians know as the Last Supper. Like God freed Israel from slavery in Egypt, in Christ God frees us from selfishness and all the other ways the power of sin can keep us in slavery now. The blood of the passover lamb kept the Israelites safe from the angel of death; Christ's blood on the cross keeps us safe from Satan's grasp. The bread and wine at the passover table becomes the new covenant of love sealed by Jesus' blood, which we remember each time we come to the communion table. As Paul writes, "As often as we eat this bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes again."

May you remember God's love poured out for you today,
Sam

Luke 22: 1-13

Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near. 2The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people. 3Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; 4he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them. 5They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money. 6So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present.

7Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us that we may eat it.” 9They asked him, “Where do you want us to make preparations for it?” 10“Listen,” he said to them, “when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him into the house he enters 11and say to the owner of the house, ‘The teacher asks you, “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ 12He will show you a large room upstairs, already furnished. Make preparations for us there.” 13So they went and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.