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Easter: celebrate with family

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By Arvin Kaufman

“Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples’” (Matthew 26:28).

This Easter period, also known as Passover time, finds us in a new world. At present, many of us are inside our houses with instructions not to go outside as the world battles the deadly Coronavirus.

Celebrating from home

Whilst we have previously looked forward to Easter celebrations at Church and thereafter time with family, it now appears the entire celebration will be inside our houses because church gatherings have been suspended worldwide.

The house which once was mainly a place of shelter and meals now becomes our place of worship.

This is a great opportunity for families to worship together, share in the Word and learn more about the Scripture.

Before we despair (in fact we must never despair because there is a reason to celebrate), let us be reminded that the night Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper would have looked like a night of sorrow, for He knew His hour had come – to be betrayed and killed.

At this point, Jesus was going through a troubling time. In light of this, however, Jesus expresses an eagerness to institute the Lord’s Supper, to give His disciples this new spiritual worship. Jesus said to His disciples: “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:14).

The time had come for Him to be the Sacrificial Lamb on the table that would forever reconcile man back to God.

This meal would be the first for many to mark the beginning of the new Covenant – and thereafter to be celebrated in remembrance of that Covenant.

So while the disciples prepared for the celebration of the Passover meal (which was in remembrance of how the destructive plague had passed over the Israelites without touching them), Jesus was longing and looking forward to instituting the new covering with His body and His blood for the forgiveness of our sins.

This is the reason to celebrate especially now with death passing around us through Coronavirus crisis and to celebrate all the way into eternity. Jesus purchased us with His blood. “Do this in remembrance of me…” (Matthew 22:19).

For many, the custom has been to break bread, or take communion in church building led by a minister and on special occasions. Now locked inside our homes under quarantine, we may be wondering what the right or wrong way of going about this is, how often and what materials we should use for the body and blood.

Holy Communion in early Church

Thankfully, we have an illustration from scripture by the early Church that we can follow as an example.

Acts 2:46-47 reads: “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favour with all the people.”

At the onset of the Church, we see the believers breaking bread from house to house.

We also see gladness, joyfulness and praise! The very initiation of the Lord’s Supper happened in a house with Jesus and His disciples.

So yes, we too can break bread in our houses, and worship God with songs of praise in our homes. If they did it daily, we too can do it daily. Jesus said “do this in remembrance of me”.

Setting ourselves apart

Wouldn’t it be glorious if we could remember Him daily and set our family heart postures in a position of continual celebration as we rejoice that Jesus suffered so we do not have to?

Daily we should mark our hearts with the blood of the true and unblemished Lamb – Jesus Christ.

This acts as a symbol that we believe and receive Christ’s sacrifice as beneficiaries to the new Covenant sealed in His blood.

If the blood of a lamb placed on the doorposts of the houses of the Israelites protected them from the angel of death, how much more will the blood of Jesus do when applied to our hearts by faith and expressed through the partaking of the daily communion?

“Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:13).

This Easter season as we are locked away in our homes with our families, let us break bread and celebrate with joyful hearts in praise and worship to God for this precious gift.

The blood of His Son – Jesus Christ; a proclamation of our victory, inheritance, acceptance justification, access, and eternal redemption.

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