The intention of my last post was to inspire you to begin to reflect on the season of Passover that we are now entering.  Passover was and is celebrated by the Jews to this day, but the event itself was not a pleasant joyous event.  It was a night of anticipation, fear, and wonder.  The Passover celebration is about the deliverance that resulted from their obedience to God’s Word.  Their deliverance set them free from slavery and the world, but also from sin and judgment.  This is what Passover celebration is all about.

Now if we follow the continuing story we will find that they were not freed from the ability to sin or the judgment to follow.  But they were free to live in obedience to God and follow Him.  The institution by God for His people to celebrate this event and the deliverance it brought was not only to keep it in remembrance, but it was also to point us ahead to what Christ would do for us on the Cross.

It was not God’s intention to bring His people out into the wilderness to die, but this is what happened to many of them.  It can happen to us today.  If we fail to remember who we are and where we came from we will die in the wilderness just like many of them did.  This is why the celebration of Passover can be so helpful, for it helps us focuses our attention on our Salvation, who is Christ the Lord.  It was not intended to just be a time to bring us back once a year to the truth, but was intended to be a reminder to keep us walking in the truth.  It is because of neglect that it is for most people a needed reminder of how far we as a people have strayed from God’s truth.

So if we are to take a reality check and examine Christianity today in America, and our personal relationship with God, then I think we will realize that this year’s Passover needs to be a time of bringing us back into proper relationship with God.  One of the reasons for this is because the most neglected part of Passover has been the preparation leading up to the celebration.  If we look at the pattern laid out for us in the Scripture we see the removal of leaven from their homes was crucial.  Those who did not cleanse their abodes of leaven were cut off from their people.  It is no secret that leaven typified sin in the Scripture.

As we consider our celebration of Passover on this side of the cross, the truth remains the same.  What was commanded to Moses was reiterated by the Apostle Paul.  “clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are [in fact] unleavened. for Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1Co 5:7-8 NAS95)

Modern times have for the most part reduced the feast in the Church to that portion of the feast in which Christ took the bread and the cup, revealed its significance, and commanded that we do this in remembrance of Him until he comes again.  I do not think it is wrong that this has been the center of our focus as we remember His body that was broken for us and His blood that was shed for us.  But I have seen a disturbing trend as much of the Church has neglected to practice that time of preparation that is so essential for our salvation.

“Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink [this] cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of [that] bread, and drink of [that] cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.” (1Co 11:27-29 AV)

Often this part of the instruction is either not read or glossed over in an attempt to allow more people to partake of that which is holy.  If we neglect the time of preparation, of examination and cleansing, then participation becomes detrimental instead of advantageous.  If this is an area we have neglected then we may find there is a need for a real house cleaning.  When there is we should get to it and not neglect that which is so important.  It may also be a reminder that we should not have allowed sin to accumulate.  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1Jo 1:9 AV)

Let us not neglect this time of preparation as we anticipate the celebration of Passover.  Let us first examine ourselves and then let us eat that we may have our part with Him, our Savior, our Redeemer, Christ the Lord.  For this is Just the beginning as we anticipate the celebration of His Resurrection.  Because He lives we shall also live.  Our salvation, just like the salvation of the children of Israel, depends upon our obedience to our Lord.  Let us not forget the voice of preparation,  “THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!’”” (Mt 3:3 NAS95)