2-15-2016

Good Morning All!!       

Exodus 12:7; “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.

    When we were kids, we used to play a variety of games but they all had the same basic concept; it was to be safe at home.  It may have been where we hid out and others searched for us while we worked our way home to safety.  It may have been a game where we tried to keep our home safe and as long as we were in it we were safe while we tried to capture the opponent’s home.  There were many variations but it was the same basic game, be home or get home where it was safe. 

    In our text, this was where the Israelites were safe, in their home.  This event first occurred when the first Passover happened.  God was going to execute the most punishing of all the plagues, the first born is about to be killed.  The first born of the livestock and the people will cease to exist after this night.  Think about how many people that would have been, think of your family; it would be your oldest child, it might even be you or your spouse.  It might be your dog or your horse or your cow.  As the enormity of this event came to light; imagine the crying, the wailing and the incredible sorrow. 

   Inside the home, inside the home that was coated and covered by the blood of the lamb, all is safe.  In the street would have been chaos; people not knowing what was happening or why, not sure who or what was next.  There was pandemonium, fear, despair but inside the home, it was safe.  It was safe because of God’s mercy upon the house that was covered by the blood of the lamb.

    This is what God provides for us, a safe home.  We often call it the Church.  We should find safety in the Church.  While the Church is made up of sinners who will fail, it is also the dwelling place of the Spirit of God.  It is where God offers us safety; it is where God has given us home where we are safe.  We have comfort in his home we are safe from the all of the chaos and pandemonium going on outside.  In our home, we have peace.  We can cling to God’s Word and to the cross for our hope.  Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love or his gracious protection.  We are under the protection of the blood of the Lamb, shed on the cross, to redeem us and to bring us back to his home. 

    This is where we find our “safe spot.”  This is where we best stay connected; through the hearing of the Word, the hearing of forgiveness, the nourishing of the soul and body by the Holy Supper, the sharing in prayers, the consolation of the brothers and the peace of the Spirit’s dwelling.

Father of all mercy, you give us a safe home in a dangerous world.  Keep us in your arms.  Be with those who are fearful and are lost.  Bring them safely home.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret