This is the day!
by Colleen Fitzpatrick
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This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord – a lasting ordinance (Exodus 12:14).
Read Exodus 12:1–14
These are indeed very precise instructions. Can you imagine what it must have been like for the Israelites, being told so exactly what to do? These days, some of us really don’t like being told what to do, and it is not uncommon for authority to be questioned. Do you always pay your fare on public transport? How many people ignore traffic rules and use their mobile phones while driving? Are there some tricky tax options that you have found to reduce what you have to pay each year?
The instructions given for the Passover continue to be remembered and celebrated within the Jewish tradition to this day. Our celebration of holy communion comes from Jesus’ celebration of the Passover with his disciples on the night he was betrayed.
This celebration is one of the two sacraments through which we receive the gift of God’s grace through earthly, tangible elements: baptism through water and holy communion through the bread and the wine. These sacraments bring us comfort and a uniquely intimate relationship with God; these gifts are just for you and for me. Through the Lord’s supper, we have the assurance of the remission of our sins. They are taken away – completely cancelled each time we participate in that sacrament.
The term ‘ordinance’ that is used here means that it is a permanent institution, and we are carrying forward that tradition each time we celebrate the Lord’s supper, even though we do not need to fulfil all of the Passover instructions anymore.
God of yesterday, today and tomorrow, thank you for all the times that you have led us from troubled times to a safe place. Thank you for continually keeping us mindful of the past as we receive the sacraments. Thank you for the comfort we receive each time we gather together at your table. Amen.
Colleen Fitzpatrick is retired and lives in Adelaide. She enjoys reading and writing. She particularly likes listening to people’s stories and learning from them about who they are and what they do. She loves nature and the beauty of God’s creation.
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