What is the Sign?

Ex 12:1-14, NIRV (emphasis mine)

The First Passover Sacrifice

12 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Egypt. ² He said, “From now on, this month will be your first month. Each of your years will begin with it. ³ Speak to the whole community of Israel. Tell them that on the tenth day of this month each man must get a lamb from his flock. A lamb should be chosen for each family and home. ⁴ Suppose there are not enough people in your family to eat a whole lamb. Then you must share some of it with your nearest neighbor. You must add up the total number of people there are. You must decide how much lamb is needed for each person. ⁵ The animals you choose must be males that are a year old. They must not have any flaws. You may choose either sheep or goats. ⁶ Take care of them until the 14th day of the month. Then the whole community of Israel must kill them when the sun goes down. ⁷ Take some of the blood. Put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where you eat the lambs. ⁸ That same night eat the meat cooked over a fire. Also eat bitter plants. And eat bread made without yeast. ⁹ Do not eat the meat when it is raw. Don’t boil it in water. Instead, cook it over a fire. Cook the head, legs and inside parts. ¹⁰ Do not leave any of it until morning. If some is left over until morning, burn it up. ¹¹ Eat the meat while your coat is tucked into your belt. Put your sandals on your feet. Take your walking stick in your hand. Eat the food quickly. It is the Lord’s Passover.

¹² “That same night I will pass through Egypt. I will strike down all those born first among the people and animals. And I will judge all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. ¹³ The blood on your houses will be a sign for you. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. No deadly plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

¹⁴ “Always remember this day. You and your children after you must celebrate this day as a feast to honor the Lord. You must do this for all time to come. It is a law that will last forever.

Verses marked NIRV are from the New International Reader's Version (NIRV) Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Objects:

Examples of signs, such as “EXIT,” “stop,” “restroom,” etc.

Word of the day:

Where

Message:

God saved the Hebrews from the terrible plague that came upon the land of Egypt. The firstborn male child in each family died. But God promised the Hebrews that their children would not die. Each family would eat a specially prepared lamb meal and put the blood from the animal on their doorposts. The houses with this special marker would be passed over. The sons in those homes would not die. This tenth plague was the plague that finally forced Pharaoh to let the Hebrew people go free.

Do you ever try to look for a sign of God’s presence and how can we be a sign of God’s presence? I invite you to look around this worship space. Do you see any signs? Can anyone name a sign that they might see? (Allow children to respond.) As we look around us in our daily lives, we see signs everywhere, don’t we? Stop signs. Exit signs. Restroom signs. When we see someone and we want to say hello, we may wave at them. Waving is a sign of greeting. Signs provide us with direction. They may tell us where we need to go. Do you think God gives us signs of God’s presence in our lives? (Allow children to respond.) Yes, God offers signs to remind us of God’s constant presence in our lives. Today’s word of the day is “where.” This week, I wonder where you might see God.

People from the Jewish culture celebrate the “Festival of Passover” each year. They eat the same foods and do some of the same things that Hebrew people did many years ago. The Festival is a way of remembering God’s saving action. But even those of us who do not celebrate Passover can read and remember how God’s people were saved. Remembering can help us to know, love, and trust God today and tomorrow. The Jewish people celebrated the Festival of Passover to remember and to remind themselves that when their houses were passed over, it was because their homes were where God was present.

Prayer:

God, thank you for rescuing your people from death and setting them free. Help me remember your saving actions from the past. Help me to look for your presence in my life now and in the future. Amen.