Introduction: Read Exodus12v31to41 and Exodus13v1to16.

This passage deals with three ways the Israelites were expected to commemorate the Exodus: An annual re-enactment of the Passover meal, a yearly participation in the seven day Feast of Unleaven Bread and consecration of the first born. I think it is possible to identify six themes that are of some relevance today.

(1) Reminders.

The observance of the ceremonies commemorating the Exodus were a reminder that the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt with his mighty hand. 13v9. Moses said: "It will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the LORD brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand." 13v16.

In Britain a wedding ring is worn on the finger as a sign that you are in a special relationship with another and as a reminder of the vows made at your wedding.

In India, a vermilion mark in the parting of the hair just above the forehead is worn by married women as commitment to long-life and well-being of their husbands.

God wanted the annual participation in the Passover meal and the consecration of the firstborn to be like the wedding ring and vermillion mark and as act as reminders of his deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. It was important that God's people remembered what they owed him. It is very doubtful that they would ever have become a distinct people but for their deliverance from slavery.

Jesus realised that it was vital for his followers to be regularly reminded of what they owe him. So, we meet together to proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 1Cor11v26. It is a ritual that keeps the sacrifice of Jesus and the grace of God central to the Christian Faith. It is a time of deep gratitude for all that God has done for us in Christ - the new covenant in his blood by which all who believe in Jesus receive eternal life.

There are many other ways we are reminded of things we should not forget. In this country we have memorials to our war dead and annual services of remembrance for those who perished in battle.

Many people visit the grave of a loved one to remind themselves and to thank God for a cherished husband, wife, mother or father. Sometimes it is good to remember the godly example set us by our parents and grandparents.

(2) Repetition.

God said of the Feast of Unleavened Bread: "You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year." 13v10.

Repetition is a very important way of learning and remembering. I know my tables perfectly. Nine times nine, eight times seven, six times eight, three times nine - I would never make a mistake. I know my tables better than I know anything else. How did I learn them? I learned them in primary school by chanting them over and over again in a sing-song voice. Everyone of my generation can recall doing it!

Peter Enns has some perceptive thoughts on this subject. I hope he will forgive me for quoting from his commentary on Exodus:

I am reminded here of a graduate school experience that has made a lasting impression on me. I was amazed to see that my Jewish professors had the Pentateuch memorized completely in Hebrew, as well as large portions of the rest of the Old Testament. When asked about a particular passage, one of my professors would pause momentarily, look up at the ceiling, and then recite the passage from memory. If finally asked him how he could memorize so much of the Hebrew Bible. The reason was that from his childhood he had chanted the Torah in the synagogue.

We have all seen young Muslim children rocking back and forth reciting the Koran. The words never leave them.

Today in the West rote learning is not in vogue. Non-conformists, like the Baptists, underestimate the importance of repetition. Advertisers don't fall into the same trap. The little jingles they use to advertise their wares are repeated ad nauseam. Peter Emms reckons that many Christians in the United State are better able to repeat these worldly advertising jingles than recite the 10 commandments or a psalm. The sad fact is that about the only Scripture most Baptists can repeat accurately is the Lord's Prayer. The Church of England order of service does lend itself to learning the creed and certain set prayers.

Every teacher knows that pupils need frequent reminders before they acquire good work habits and the knowledge necessary to progress in a subject. A preacher should not be reluctant to repeat himself. Christians quickly forget what they have been told. The apostle Peter taught his listeners to add to their faith - goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverence, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. He went on to write: So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body ..... . 2Pet1v12to15.

(3) Retelling.

The different ways of commemorating the Exodus encouraged parents to retell the story to their children. "In days to come when your son asks you, 'What does this mean?' say to him, 'With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.'" 13v14.

As each child participated in the Passover meal and the Feast of Unleaven Bread they were made to feel it was part of their story; they, too, belonged to the people of God.

It is important to observe the Christian festivals. This is something certain religious denominations fail to do. My own church usually fails to celebrate Pentecost or Ascension. The Church of England on the other hand is very good about observing the festivals and this gives the vicar the opportunity to explain their significance to children in church or school.

Increasing numbers of children are growing up unaware of their Christian heritage. About the only festival that conveys something of the Christian message is Christmas. Sadly many parents put more emphasis on Father Christmas than they do the baby Jesus. I think Christian parents should avoid all mention of Father Christmas. When children find out he is a made up figure the temptation is for them to put Jesus in the same category.

The wonderful FACTS commemorated in the Christian festivals need to be told and retold to our children otherwise they may never realise what God has done for them in Christ Jesus. The traditional carols tell the story of Christ's advent but they are being replaced in the media and supermarkets by, 'Jingle Bells,' and the like. A few years ago parents in our village would bring their children to our annual carol service; nowadays there is not a child in sight.

(4) Redemption

The practice of giving first born male livestock and children to the LORD was an acknowledgment of God's claim to them. The male first born of the Hebrews and their livestock were spared when the angel of death passed over them in Egypt.

In the early history of the Israelites following the exodus first born male sheep, goats and cattle were given as a sacrifice to God. However, the first born of donkeys and humans could be redeemed - bought back - by sacrificing a lamb in their place.

Matters changed somewhat when the Levites and their livestock took the place of the first born of the LORD. See Nu3v11to13 and 40to51. By the time of Jesus devout parents still redeemed their first born son. See Luke2v22to24.

This strange and rather confusing ritual affirms that those whom God spares belong in a special way to him. The Hebrew first born were only spared after the death of a lamb whose blood was daubed on the door posts.

At the Lord's Supper Christians celebrate their salvation. We are spared judgment through the death of our Passover Lamb. Paul told the Corinthians: You are not your own; you were bought at a price. 1Cor6v19and20. This should motivate me to offer up a sacrifice of praise on the mean altar of my heart.

(5) Re-affirmation.

Participation in the Passover ceremonies was a way for individuals to affirm that they were members of God's people. A slave or foreign settler in Israel could participate only if circumcised - a rite by which they could identify with God's people and share in the covenant he made with Abraham. The casual non-Jewish visitor could not take part in the Passover ritual and nor for that matter could a Jew by birth who had not been circumcised.

The Passover meal was a family occasion - a community feast. Nobody was allowed to take their roast lamb, herbs and unleavened bread and eat it in private.

It is possible to draw some lessons from this:

(a) The Lord's supper or communion is not a private affair either. It is something all believers in the local church should participate in together. The meal is a way of affirming our common dependence upon the sacrificial work of Jesus and the grace of God. By eating and drinking together we celebrate the fact that we all belong to God's family - that we are kindred - brothers and sisters in Christ. It is a serious matter not to participate or to exclude someone from participating because this involves casting judgment on the reality of the belief of others.

(b) Only God's people were permitted to observe the Passover. A person qualified as one of God's elect not by racial descent from Abraham but by circumcision. Some would argue that baptism, in one form or another, is the sign that a person belongs to God's family. Anyone who has not been baptised should be excluded from participating in the Lord's Supper. But we must be careful. John tells us in his gospel: Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. Jn1v12. It is belief rather than ritual, however important, that qualifies a man or a woman for God's family and the Lord's Table.

(6) Rehearsal

There is no doubt that the Passover was a kind of dress rehearsal for the far greater event many years later when Christ our Passover Lamb was slain for us - for sinners everywhere under condemnation of death. See1Cor5v7and8.

The lamb sacrificed at Passover had to be male, without blemish and no bone of it could be broken. Jesus, our Passover Lamb, was the Son of God, without sin and no bone of his was broken.

The people of God showed their commitment to the lamb by eating ALL of it. We are invited to feast upon Jesus; to commit ourselves body, soul and spirit to him for in him alone is salvation, reconciliation to God and the hope of eternal life.