take me into all of your life

i am the future

A sermon on the Passover meal as prescribed in Exodus 12:

In this very first Passover we get a full helping of salvation. 

Before we strap on our bibs, though, we do well to heed the finer points of this recipe. Because, like any other meal worth having, attention to the particulars will only enrich the dining experience.

Which is the first thing about redemption, it’s real. Your salvation is not a concept, doctrine, or abstract idea. It’s the Lamb! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, Jesus Christ himself!
Your salvation is not a some-thing OUT there somewhere. Your salvation is a some-one. Jesus Christ, the word of God, very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart. (Deut. 30:14)

…Seeing as that’s the case, let’s get to the specifics. The What, How, and When of salvation.

Now we’ve been trained to think the What is most important. And it is significant. But since salvation is real, the How and When are just as important, too. In fact, they’re the main ingredients of the What of salvation! And to demonstrate this, we’re going to start with the What and work our way backward. And it’s only going to get more appetizing as we go along…

The What of the Passover is the Lamb. The Lamb that’s slaughtered so we might live. 

In the Passover Lamb, you consume deliverance itself! In the Lamb, you’re given no mere idea. You’re given salvation! Salvation so near, you can take it upon your lips, down your throat, and into YOUR very body! 

The salvation Jesus has for you is real. It’s concrete and tangible. So tangible you can hold onto him. Even eat his flesh and drink his blood.

…To savor this, allow me to serve up the How of Passover. 

How the Lamb is to be prepared, and even How the Lamb is to be consumed.

The Lamb is to be roasted, with no leftovers. 

No leftovers because Lamb is not food for another tomorrow like today. No, the Lamb is a whole new existence altogether! A new life free and clear of this old one! 

In the Lamb, you are not fed for tomorrow. You are given a totally new one!

This is why you eat the meal with your loins girded, sandals on your feet, and staff in your hand! You eat ready to go! Ready to depart this old joint and have your coat checked in a finer establishment as the guest of honor.

Girding your loins is just hiking your robe. Remember, that’s what the father of the prodigal son does when he sees his boy coming. He girds his loins so he can run out and meet him. 

Passover is the farewell banquet to your old life.

…And all this leave-taking brings us to the When of Passover. 

Passover marks the beginning of months. The first month of the year. Passover is the meal of new life! In it, Jesus picks up the tab on your old one and hands his new life over to you!

In Passover, you bid adieu to your old life and hello to the new one God gives to you, gratis!

But there’s more to chew on! Check your egg timer. Don’t miss the fact that the Passover spread is ordered while God’s people are still IN Egypt! Deliverance is celebrated before the deed has been done. So sure is salvation!

The Lamb is consumed alongside the proverbial black fly in your white chardonnay! The new life you’re given in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, is handed over to you in the thick of it! 

Salvation doesn’t sidestep life. It happens in the middle of it!

…When it comes to deliverance, we always think we have to be the ones to get ourselves there. Or at the very least, get our lives ready for it. But the When of Passover exposes that notion to be half baked at best! 

Your deliverance comes in the midst of everything that’s got you in a stew. Which we all have plenty of right about now. Don’t we?

Well, that just means you’re totally prepared for deliverance!

You don’t have to try and figure out how to improve your fare. That’s just cooking with the old leftovers of life, anyway! And in the Passover Lamb, you've been given to feast of salvation! The spread of new life. A whole new existence with a fresh set of utensils and all the ingredients of salvation, too!

All you need to be ready for this blowout is the wreck your kitchen or any other part of your life is already in. Jesus will do the rest! 

He comes in your baptism, communion, and these words and takes your mess upon himself, and cleanses it by his blood. He comes as the timer dings and gives you the kingdom he’s prepared from the foundation of the world!

So put on your traveling clothes and get ready to go because Jesus comes to you with nothing less than new life! The life that truly is life. Life hidden in the death of the Lamb. And raised up in his resurrection!

In fact, he goes one further! He becomes your walking clothes and covers you with his righteousness! He becomes the staff you can lean on when the going gets tough. He becomes the sandals on your feet guiding you into the way of peace!

And he does it all, right now. In the thick of it. As the like spoils. And before you do a rotten thing to save any of it! 

It’s all yours. Go ahead. Eat to your heart’s content. There’s plenty at the banquet of the Lamb.