Return

Originally scheduled for April 12

 
On the fourteenth day of the first month, the returned exiles kept the Passover. For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves.
(Ezr 6:19-20)
                It is one of the lesser-known stories of the Bible. It concerns the return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity. The tale is told over the reign of three emperors, Cyrus, Darius and Atraxerxes. No small amount of political intrigue went into this. When there is returning Jews set out the first time it was an act of courage to go without a military escort. While they were in the process of rebuilding Jerusalem and the Temple, with opposition, both military and political. They consistently sought God’s protection first, and He was with them.
 
When the time came to dedicate the renewed temple, one of the elements of the ceremony was the celebration of Passover. They did not invent some new ceremonies for this but relied upon the command of Moses from the time of the Exodus. They looked into an established ceremony to express their renewal as a nation. Passover is almost the identification of Israel, the nation. Purity, sacrifice and obedience are there in portrayed.
 
It’s a good example for the Christian today. We will use communion as they used Passover. It is the right ceremony used for Easter., even though it is used during the rest of the year.
·         First, it is a simple ceremony. It is not difficult to understand what it means or what is happening. The bread is his body, the cup, his blood.
·         Next, it requires that the Christian examine himself — a form of purification. It is a time for reflection and correction.
·         And of course, it delivers the right message — for in communion we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes again.
So, as you prepare for communion by examining yourself, continue in the same where the manner as you remember the death of your Lord, the sacrifice for your atonement and the life to come.