Passover Pesach

Blessed Passover and Pesach for all my readers who celebrate Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. In one sentence I have used four words or terms to describe this holiday season for Christians and Jews. Yesterday in a Passover service (Paskah in Malay) I preached a 45 min sermon and conducted the passover meal according to Luke 22:1-30. I explained why the Feast of Unleavened Bread is also called the Passover. In fact, Passover in the first day in the 7-day Feast of Unleavened Bread celebrations. I used 8 slides for the first 20 mins to lay the foundation of my sermon from the four books of the Law from Exodus to Deuteronomy. I mentioned the three great feasts and showed a verse in Ezekiel 45 where when the new temple is built the Feasts of Passover and Tabernacles are still mentioned and practised.
Then I explained the choice of a lamb, fat and healthy for the Passover meal taken on the 1st of Nisan but only slaughtered on the 14th of the first month. I showed the 10 Hebrew months from Nisan to Kislev and mentioned how Jesus ministered in the temple during Hanukkah in John 10 and explained a bit of history in 167-164 BC how the Jews rose up against their Greek rulers and cleansed the temple that was defiled. I returned to the Luke 22 passage and in about 20 mins explained why Jesus died. First, as fulfilment as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Second, as the Lukan passage shows, 4 times the word “kingdom” is used and my main theme is that the death of a Christ opens the way for us to enter God’s kingdom and enjoy all its blessings and bliss. I read from Isaiah 25:6 to explain the verse that Jesus said he would not drink from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom comes. I spoke about the messianic banquet and the large amount of good aged wine for those who are in the coming kingdom. I moved straight on into communion and as an ordained pastor I am authorised to conduct the sacraments and church ceremonies in any SIB church throughout Malaysia. Last week I conducted the baby dedication ceremony but on Passover I broke bread and drank from the cup in the name of the Lord. The congregation gathered at 9am but the service started at 9.20am with baptism for 6 candidates. I did not get to preach until 10.30am and I ended everything by 11.30am including the Lord’s Passover meal. The church was packed to the full with about 250 in attendance in the 2unit shoplot. Tomorrow I will return to preach in two Sunday services. He is risen. Christ is risen. Jesus is Lord!