Doing This In Remembrance: Bible Study blog for July 10
Tonight, we journeyed through the book of Exodus and the story of the plagues and the institution first Passover.
We were struck by the very specific set of instructions God gives for the Passover. It is to be celebrated on a very specific day; with a very specific animal sacrifice; to be slaughtered on a very specific date; to be prepared and consumed in a very specific way; by people who are dressed in a very specific way. God says "you shall celebrate [the Passover] as a perpetual ordinance throughout your generations." As we continue through the Old Testament, we will see numerous other festivals that are instituted, to be celebrated in very specific ways. Many of the laws that God institutes (beyond the Ten Commandments) may sound unusual to us, but continue to be followed by our Jewish friends to this day.
God makes it very clear the purpose of these festivals: "when your children ask you, 'what do you mean by this observance,' you shall say 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he struck down the Egyptians but spared our houses.'" In other words, the Passover and its laws will be perpetual reminders of all that God has done, so that the people will give thanks-- and in their thanksgiving receive a trust in God for the future.
We will see how important this will be, because the Israelites will have very short memories of God's mighty acts of deliverance as they cross the Red Sea, with Pharaoh's army bearing down on them. Later on, in the wilderness, they will complain repeatedly to Moses that life was better in Egypt. They will erect a golden calf and worship it in a blatant violation of the first commandment.
As Christians, Jesus has given us ordinances that go beyond the love of God and neighbor: we have the ordinance of Holy Communion: "do this in remembrance of me." We have the ordnance of baptism: "in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." We have the ordinance of the Lord's Prayer, and the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations.
In our congregations, we have liturgies and traditions by which we worship God. Our Lutheran liturgy is very rigid-- and many of us may not understand why we do what we do. All congregations have long-standing traditions and practices that younger and new members of the community may find strange, and some may call outdated. But these have meaning, in that they connect us to Christ. We pass down our traditions, our practices, and our liturgy to new generations so that they may be blessed as we have. These connect us to the "God who was our help in ages past, and our hope for years to come."
The future will always look daunting, as we face down the giants that lurk in our lives. It is hard to see God when all we see is trouble. But remembering and giving thanks reveals God's goodness in the past, and helps us to trust God in the future. Traditions keep the knowledge of God's faithfulness alive-- and sometimes the best new thing is something old. God is always doing new things-- and looking to God's goodness in the past gives us faith and encouragement to see God leading us forward into the future.
Our next Bible study will be Thursday, July 24 at 7:00 p.m.
We were struck by the very specific set of instructions God gives for the Passover. It is to be celebrated on a very specific day; with a very specific animal sacrifice; to be slaughtered on a very specific date; to be prepared and consumed in a very specific way; by people who are dressed in a very specific way. God says "you shall celebrate [the Passover] as a perpetual ordinance throughout your generations." As we continue through the Old Testament, we will see numerous other festivals that are instituted, to be celebrated in very specific ways. Many of the laws that God institutes (beyond the Ten Commandments) may sound unusual to us, but continue to be followed by our Jewish friends to this day.
God makes it very clear the purpose of these festivals: "when your children ask you, 'what do you mean by this observance,' you shall say 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he struck down the Egyptians but spared our houses.'" In other words, the Passover and its laws will be perpetual reminders of all that God has done, so that the people will give thanks-- and in their thanksgiving receive a trust in God for the future.
We will see how important this will be, because the Israelites will have very short memories of God's mighty acts of deliverance as they cross the Red Sea, with Pharaoh's army bearing down on them. Later on, in the wilderness, they will complain repeatedly to Moses that life was better in Egypt. They will erect a golden calf and worship it in a blatant violation of the first commandment.
As Christians, Jesus has given us ordinances that go beyond the love of God and neighbor: we have the ordinance of Holy Communion: "do this in remembrance of me." We have the ordnance of baptism: "in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." We have the ordinance of the Lord's Prayer, and the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations.
In our congregations, we have liturgies and traditions by which we worship God. Our Lutheran liturgy is very rigid-- and many of us may not understand why we do what we do. All congregations have long-standing traditions and practices that younger and new members of the community may find strange, and some may call outdated. But these have meaning, in that they connect us to Christ. We pass down our traditions, our practices, and our liturgy to new generations so that they may be blessed as we have. These connect us to the "God who was our help in ages past, and our hope for years to come."
The future will always look daunting, as we face down the giants that lurk in our lives. It is hard to see God when all we see is trouble. But remembering and giving thanks reveals God's goodness in the past, and helps us to trust God in the future. Traditions keep the knowledge of God's faithfulness alive-- and sometimes the best new thing is something old. God is always doing new things-- and looking to God's goodness in the past gives us faith and encouragement to see God leading us forward into the future.
Our next Bible study will be Thursday, July 24 at 7:00 p.m.
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