Passovers

The Passover story is a familiar one. Each year those who observe Passover relive the story by stepping outside of time and entering into the experiences of the Hebrews as they prepared for their wilderness journey. They spread the blood of a lamb on their doorposts to signal the angel of death to pass over their homes. They eat their Passover meal ready to flee from the Egyptians. They prepare to move from the bondage of slavery to the promised land, from death into new life. They wait to be reborn.

In this great week, we wait to be reborn with the Hebrews. As Jesus says to us, “Do this in remembrance of me,” we observe the Passover in the same way. We step beyond time and join the Hebrews in preparation and expectation of the journey. The blood of the Lamb signals the angel of death to pass over us. We eat with our shoes on and our supplies ready for the journey. We are anxious to flee from sin and bondage. We look forward to the promised land.

As we recreate the Passover journey, we dwell in the assurance that we have become a new creation. As the angel passes over us, we are no longer under the curse of death. We have been forgiven and freed. We have been made whole. We have been graced with the Holy Spirit. Our forgiveness from God is complete and perfect. We stand before God with our sins wiped away and our souls washed clean. We are the ones whose robes are washed white in the blood of the lamb. We are forgiven.

Now it is our turn to create “passovers” for others. We have had our Passover from God, but our lives of full of situations where passover is needful. As we have been forgiven so we must forgive. We can join with others in the journey that brings promise and fulfillment to our relationships. We can wipe away sins by forgiving them and building trust once again. We can bring grace and fullness to relationships that have long been neglected or avoided. We can experience the freedom that comes with the forgiveness we receive from others and offer that forgiveness to others that can open the door to freedom. Through the gift of life-giving forgiveness, relationships that were once dead can be born again. Lives can be changed and healed. The Passover of God brings with it an invitation to the promised land. The passovers we offer to each other contain the same invitation to the freedom of a new land. It is time to enter into it.