coming to the end of the sabbath in 12 minutes and many followers of Christ will walk into a building this morning that they call a "church" and tell each other that the demon-god Ostara wishes them blessings. they will come in to a perfumed room, with fine clothes and freshly washed skin and sit down to a "service" with well orchestrated music and important announcements about child care. an elder will rise and pray and "take up an offering" to pay for that very expensive building and then the "preacher" will take the lectern or pulpit.
they will preach a sermon that will probably relay an emotional connection to joining their social club and to visit the club the first day of the week. hopefully, some preachers will talk about the historical resurrection of the man Jesus Christ. hopefully, some preachers will talk about the metaphysical dimension of his sinless life and how that applies to the passover meal. hopefully, some preachers will be moved by the Spirit of God to tell something to their "congregation" about the need to have Jesus as their passover sacrifice.
but if they do not, then i will.
coming up on april 22, the feast of passover will begin. YHWH commanded moses make a sacrifice from a spotless lamb, to have his people eat a very plain meal of that lamb and some crackers and place some of the blood from the sacrifice on the lintel of their front door. later that night, the Angel of Death went over every house in Egypt and slaughtered the first born male of that house. only the israelites who obeyed were spared.
that's the short story. the pharaoh lost his first born son. and, as a foreshadow of what would happen to Christ, YHWH lost his only begotten son on thursday of that same passover week. he died on thursday and was taken and buried. for three days and nights he was dead. gone. finished. and then with a spontaneous remission of being deceased, was resurrected. there is more historical proof of this than there is that shakespeare wrote his own works.
so now. i will sit at home. i will not visit your fine building or wear fine clothes. i will not subjugate my social standing to your whim. i will worship YHWH like he commanded. i will observe purim, which was three days ago, and i will observe the passover, which is next month. i will not do this because i am a jew. i am NOT a jew. i will do this because once when i was four years old, i gave my life and my all to Jesus Christ, because it was a decision from my heart. i was baptized with water and the Spirit at ten, and have led a life dedicated to him. i do this because i desire to worship YHWH the way Jesus did and the way he commanded us to. does that make me perfect? ha! no.
sure i've messed up. many, many, many times. and those of you who know me can probably relay twelve stories each about what an egotistical backwards socially inept rebellious thieving perverted prick i was and am. but that does not sway me from coming to Christ every time i need and every time i sin and every time i mess up and asking him to once again become the covering for my sin and to help me become a more gentle and kind person.
for only he is the pure lamb of God. only he is the spotless sacrifice laid down for me almost 1980 years ago. he is the great creator and mover and shaker of my heart, and of this world, and of all creation. if i cannot call upon him, who was beaten and chastised and crucified for me, then who will i go to when i am in need of trouble. though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death i will fear no evil. for you see, the shadow of death... the angel of death maybe... passed over me. for on the lintel of the front door to my heart, was placed the very blood of the lamb. Jesus.
in the last book of the bible, the apocalypse of st. john, there is a letter written to a church. in this letter is spelled out an image of Jesus. he is outside of a house. he is on the front stoop. he is knocking on the door. the church is inside the house and they are not answering. if Jesus is knocking, should we not let him in?
don't let the angel pass over you without letting Jesus become your sacrifice.
seek the Lord while he may be found. before it is too late.
but if they do not, then i will.
coming up on april 22, the feast of passover will begin. YHWH commanded moses make a sacrifice from a spotless lamb, to have his people eat a very plain meal of that lamb and some crackers and place some of the blood from the sacrifice on the lintel of their front door. later that night, the Angel of Death went over every house in Egypt and slaughtered the first born male of that house. only the israelites who obeyed were spared.
that's the short story. the pharaoh lost his first born son. and, as a foreshadow of what would happen to Christ, YHWH lost his only begotten son on thursday of that same passover week. he died on thursday and was taken and buried. for three days and nights he was dead. gone. finished. and then with a spontaneous remission of being deceased, was resurrected. there is more historical proof of this than there is that shakespeare wrote his own works.
so now. i will sit at home. i will not visit your fine building or wear fine clothes. i will not subjugate my social standing to your whim. i will worship YHWH like he commanded. i will observe purim, which was three days ago, and i will observe the passover, which is next month. i will not do this because i am a jew. i am NOT a jew. i will do this because once when i was four years old, i gave my life and my all to Jesus Christ, because it was a decision from my heart. i was baptized with water and the Spirit at ten, and have led a life dedicated to him. i do this because i desire to worship YHWH the way Jesus did and the way he commanded us to. does that make me perfect? ha! no.
sure i've messed up. many, many, many times. and those of you who know me can probably relay twelve stories each about what an egotistical backwards socially inept rebellious thieving perverted prick i was and am. but that does not sway me from coming to Christ every time i need and every time i sin and every time i mess up and asking him to once again become the covering for my sin and to help me become a more gentle and kind person.
for only he is the pure lamb of God. only he is the spotless sacrifice laid down for me almost 1980 years ago. he is the great creator and mover and shaker of my heart, and of this world, and of all creation. if i cannot call upon him, who was beaten and chastised and crucified for me, then who will i go to when i am in need of trouble. though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death i will fear no evil. for you see, the shadow of death... the angel of death maybe... passed over me. for on the lintel of the front door to my heart, was placed the very blood of the lamb. Jesus.
in the last book of the bible, the apocalypse of st. john, there is a letter written to a church. in this letter is spelled out an image of Jesus. he is outside of a house. he is on the front stoop. he is knocking on the door. the church is inside the house and they are not answering. if Jesus is knocking, should we not let him in?
don't let the angel pass over you without letting Jesus become your sacrifice.
seek the Lord while he may be found. before it is too late.
