‘Then came the day of Unleavened Bread,
on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ‘

[The voice of A DISCIPLE:]

We gathered in an upstairs room to keep Pesach.
As a child I was always excited by this special night
when we remembered how our ancestors came out unscathed,
- how they avoided losing their firstborn children…

Every year, we’d gather round the table for the Passover meal
and sitting in the candlelight, we’d recount why this night was different;
remembering our ancestors’ story
- our story.

And more than remembering:
- re-living…

Our ancestors had lived in slavery in a foreign land
- a land where they didn’t speak our mother-tongue
living in a sort of apartheid,
forced to work for their rulers…

On that night long ago in Egypt
our forefathers took a perfect, unblemished lamb - a ‘talya’ -
killed it and marked their doorposts with its blood.

This lamb was to sustain them on their journey
as they set out for the promised land.
The Angel of Death,
who caused the Egyptians such anguish in the cold morning light,
saw the mark of the blood on our doors and passed over,
leaving our firstborn safe where they slept.

The lamb’s blood set us apart, kept us safe and allowed us to follow God.
This was the story that we recounted,
remembering each year how we were spared,
how, in killing the talya, the young lamb, we were set free from slavery,
set free from death…

On that night in the upstairs room
I gathered with my friends to keep Pesach and to remember:
to eat the Passover lamb;
to share the unleavened bread;
to taste bitter herbs that remind us of slavery,
and the salt tears of our ancestors…

But that night at supper Jesus told us a new story:
He slipped himself into bread and wine.
He gave us a table to gather around;
a way to remember what he does for us…
And he gave us food to nourish us on our journey:
- a way to slip into our hearts and live inside us…

The Father’s love for us is so deep,
so passionate,
that he freely gave up his own firstborn son,
his ‘talya’
his perfect, unblemished lamb.
For us.

To set us free.

Jesus knew that he was to be the Final Passover Lamb.
After his sacrifice the next day,
there would be no more need for sacrifices at the Temple.
Jesus’ blood would mark more than simple doorposts:
with it he would wash us clean of our sins,
bring us back to the Father.

How can we not sing 'All hail the Lamb!' in the face of such a gift?

[The Aramaic word for male lamb is ‘talya’. The word was also used to mean ‘child’]

[Accompanying music:

- Song of Complaint from The Passion of the Christ 1:35

- Intimacy from Nordic Nights 4:58]

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