A Meal on the Move

 

Thursday, March 25, 2021

“In honor of the Lord your God, celebrate the Passover each year in the early spring, in the month of Abib, for that was the month in which the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.  Your Passover sacrifice may be from either the flock or the herd, and it must be sacrificed to the Lord your God at the designated place of worship—the place he chooses for his name to be honored.  Eat it with bread made without yeast.  For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast, as when you escaped from Egypt in such a hurry.  Eat this bread—the bread of suffering—so that as long as you live you will remember the day you departed from Egypt.  Deuteronomy 16:1-3

Passover is this Saturday.  It is the celebration of Israel’s liberation from Egyptian bondage.  

It is also called the meal of haste, because the Israelites had to prepare and eat it in a hurry.  Even the bread was made without giving it a chance to rise. 

But there is a more important symbol than unleavened bread; it is remembering what is important.  Leaving bondage to enter freedom was the main thing.  Eating is a necessity, but freedom is like breath to the lungs, and life to the soul.  Eating the meal on the move was a solemn reminder that, when you are leaving something behind, you’re moving on to what’s ahead.

The meal on the move is not a strange thing in our culture; who hasn’t been through the drive-up at a fast food place?  Unfortunately we do that too much.  (Of course we’re paying more than just the cashier for this “privilege” – over the last 30 years children ages 6-19 moving into the obese category have more than trippled.)[1]

But there is much more than just having a meal.  This “feast” is detailed in Scripture telling us volumes about the meaning of Passover and us.

The place

The meal is to be eaten at the place God chose; it brings family together.

The “why”

The meal honors God for every freedom and joy we can possibly know.

The “when”

It is celebrated on the anniversary of release from Egyptian bondage.

The “what”

The meal consists of an animal from the family’s flock, bread, bitter herbs, and more – all with meaning tied to suffering and redemption.

The “worship”

This meal is solemn remembrance, a necessary reminder of why our souls give thanks to God.

The “memory of suffering and promise of redemption”

For Israel, they were to celebrate for 7 days, a subtle reminder of creation’s time, necessary bondage, purification, and much more, all pointing towards the Father’s redeeming/saving hand.

This may be a meal on the move, but it isn’t a mindless drive-thru 1800 calories; this is food for the soul.

In our faith tradition, dinner on the grounds may be much more cultural fast food, than Passover.  Not many Christian churches celebrate the feast of unleavened bread.  We come close with our Lord’s Supper celebration.

For You Today

The next time your church celebrates communion of the Lord’s Supper, perhaps it would be a good preparation to re-read the Exodus account, and dig-in a little on the Passover’s details.  The release of our souls from the bondage of sin is what the whole of Passover is about.  What’s not to celebrate?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com    Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

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[1] Do Fast Food Restaurants Contribute to Obesity.  Article National Bureau of Economic Research 2021