Rev Sera Rumble first preached this sermon on Sunday 10th September 2023 on Exodus 12:1-14

Introduction:

‘I’m really glad I’m not preaching on the First Passover.' This was Andrew's comment to me as we looked ahead at our 'Walking with Moses' series. 

Now, I’m sure Andrew would have spoken brilliantly on this. However, it’s a good point that this is an immense passage with deep theology, rich traditions, powerful connections with the Cross, and sticky questions about God.

But it doesn’t all need to be tackled today – join a Small Group if you want to explore it all (we did just that a few months ago in our Small Group series of Wine, Water and Wind)

The Task of a Preacher:

The task of a preacher is to listen; to the Bible passage, to the world and the lives of people to whom we speak, to the whispers and nudges of God, and so to hone down all that COULD be said, into what NEEDS to be said at the moment.

And in doing that with this passage, this passage text has felt quite sacred, I have felt almost breathless or speechless in awe of what is being told.

I kept coming back to a line of a song, that I haven’t listened to for ages. It’s this: 'Take a moment to remember Who God is & Who I am'. And it's this line sums up the focus for my talk today.

A Question for You:

When & how do you take a moment to remember who God is & who you are?

What reminds me of the deep true character of God? What reminds you of who you truly are? – is there an image in your house, a habit you have, conversations you have. Is it coming to worship that does it? Are there other things?

Because the general plod or rollercoaster of life shouts very loudly things about God’s identity and our identity that are incomplete, inaccurate, distorted and or the wrong priority. 

And we need to take a moment to remember:

• God is not as powerless, uncaring, irrelevant, and made in our image, another consumer option to take or leave whenever you want.
• Your value is not based on your health, your relationships, your productivity or your sense of control on life.

 And so as we walk with Moses, and learn of growing as friends and followers of Jesus, I’d invite you to hear the invitation ‘take a moment to remember who God is and who you are.’

From the Burning Bush to the Passover:

 Andrew started us on the journey with Moses last week, using the description of him and us, as being a 'works in progress', as we respond to God’s call & anointing on our lives.

Since then life has got a lot more complicated for Moses. His life as a shepherd would not have been easy, but I think it would have been simpler. Walking back into Egypt as a friend and follower of God was walking into a swirling cacophony of slavery & oppression, of family reunion and identity crisis, of noise and complexity of people… and into all of this he brought a power struggle with Pharoah that results in disruption and chaos of the plagues.

Don’t expect life to be simple as a friend and follower of Jesus.

 And from this build up and growing tension and chaos, God says it’s time for a new beginning, it’s time to remember who God and who you are.

4 Markers to Help Remember

God proposes 4 markers of this new beginning & I want to touch on each briefly:

• A lamb
• Blood
• A door
• Travelling equipment

 The lamb 

A lot of time is given to this in Exodus and there are 2 things matter here:

Its character – 1 year old, male, (sheep or goat), no bones broken, without defect & the right size to feed the household. Something is to die in every household on the night God passes through Egypt, and if it’s not to be the firstborn, it is to a perfect, unblemished lamb. The unadulterated, holy presence of God cannot be experienced humanity without someone or something absorbing the impact. Remember who God is!

Its treatment takes time and involved the whole community. The lamb is to be chosen & singled out, tended for 4 days, then the whole community must at the same time slaughter, roasted, fairly distributed so every single person has enough nourishment, and any remains must be burned. Imagine the noise & smell that would have pervaded. Something was afoot. And notice the intentionality of making sure there was exactly enough for everyone. Young, old, everyone mattered. Remember the value of who you.

  The Blood

After the slaughter, some blood from the lamb needed to painted on the door of the household. The site of blood is a powerful thing. Blood is normally hidden isn’t it. To see blood generally rings alarm bells. God promised that when he saw the blood, he would passover the house, and no destructive plague (death) would visit that house. 

Remember who God is – the holder of all things, including life and death, and under control of no one – not even the seemingly success stories of the gods of Egypt. in his own words vs 12 ‘I will bring judgement on all the gods of Egypt, I Am the Lord.’

Notice it’s seeing the blood that matters to God. Not their status, their birth right, their identity as Israelites, not how hard they worked today, not how good or bad they’ve been, not their age, not their power, not their popularity. It’s the blood. How humbling and how equalising. 

Remember who you are – saved but not by your own works or means.

The Door: 

The blood was to be smeared on the door as a sign that life had been laid down. Then the people were to stay inside, behind the door as a way a claiming the protection given by the blood. No excursions out to be the one who saw what’s going on and can report back. Stay behind the door and trust God to do what he said. It was a way of claiming the benefit offered by the blood. Remember who you are- you have choice and choose whether to participate.

The Travelling Clothes: 

'You are to eat with cloak  tucked in to your belt, sandals on your feet, staff in hand'. vs 11. In other words, 'be ready to leave'. Because this is a new beginning, because after the Passover you walk away from Egypt and being slaves, you are free, and the journey begins here. 

Freedom does not mean the same as perfection, or easy life, or wholeness or completion, or being nice and problem free. But freedom is the starting point.

Remember who God is – he is the giver of freedom and one who invites you on a journey to the promised land, he is the keeper of promises. Remember who you are – no longer slaves, no longer defined with an identity that is based on your usefulness, no longer serving someone who doesn’t care about you.

Onwards from the First Passover

The lamb, the blood, the door, the travelling clothes were part of the First Passover. And it was to be celebrated as God commanded each so year, so that people could remember who God is and who they are.

And then there was the Second Passover with Jesus. He became the lamb, and his blood absorbed for all of us the impact of being in the presence of God.

And so now we have the bread, the wine, the table and I wonder what represents the travelling clothes – for we are on a journey.

Take A Moment...

So take a moment to remember who God is & who you are. Take that moment regularly.

Remember who God is – God is uncomfortable, and God is in authority. God is judge. And God is liberator. And he keeps his promises. And God counts the cost and pays the cost. 

Remember who you are - You are valuable & you matter. You are free from being slaves to all that the wrong gods tell you you are. And you are on a journey

So, let us be a people who take time to remember and who let it shape our journey.