“Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” “Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked. He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there.” They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.”
So They Prepared the Passover
On the night when all the Passover Lambs were to be sacrificed Jesus sends his disciples to get the Passover Meal ready. This will be Jesus' last meal, his Last Supper. But notice that it was his disciples that prepared the meal. Jesus may be our sacrificial lamb, but we are commissioned to prepare the meal. In preparing the meal we align ourselves to what Jesus is about to do, what Jesus has done.
As we get ready to meet this Sunday and celebrate the Lamb that was slain,
may we remember
that although God have provided the Lamb
we are called to prepare the Meal.
So, how do you Prepare?
1 | Prepare your heart.
Enter the Passover Meal with reverence.
“Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Master irreverently is like part of the crowd that jeered and spit on him at his death. Is that the kind of “remembrance” you want to be part of? Examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe.”
2 | Reconcile with Brothers and Sisters in Christ. (See, Matthew 5:23-24)
3 | Prepare the Actual Seder Plate with Gladness.
As you prepare the elements that will be on the Seder Plate, do so with gratitude. With each element, with each portion, pray and thank God for this Meal that helps us to re-enter the Story yet again. Consider it an honor to prepare the Meal for it was his disciples that prepared it.
4 | Prepare to give. There will be tithe and special freedom offering. (See, 2 Corinthians 9:7)
Prepare an offering to God that reflects your gratitude and thanksgiving for the freedom you've received.
All "Special Offering" from the Passover Meal will be given to our Recess efforts.
“Let me go over with you again exactly what goes on in the Lord’s Supper and why it is so centrally important. I received my instructions from the Master himself and passed them on to you. The Master, Jesus, on the night of his betrayal, took bread. Having given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, broken for you. Do this to remember me. After supper, he did the same thing with the cup: This cup is my blood, my new covenant with you. Each time you drink this cup, remember me. What you must solemnly realize is that every time you eat this bread and every time you drink this cup, you reenact in your words and actions the death of the Master. You will be drawn back to this meal again and again until the Master returns. You must never let familiarity breed contempt. Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Master irreverently is like part of the crowd that jeered and spit on him at his death. Is that the kind of “remembrance” you want to be part of? Examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe. If you give no thought (or worse, don’t care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you’re running the risk of serious consequences.”