Agnus Dei

Exodus 12:1-20

The instruction to Moses and Aaron that starts the chapter signals that the new life for Israel is to be marked by a new calendar. The calendar begins with present event of deliverance.

There are then detailed instructions for the preparation and consumption of the meal on that night: a perfect animal, roasted whole, eaten in haste in an attitude of readiness for departure.

I get a sense of that one night before the plague being kind of melded together with subsequent memory and the ongoing observance of Passover. Verses 14-20 actually pass, in the middle of this action-packed narrative, from that ‘first’ Passover night to the remembrance observance of later years. The setting of instruction for remembrance alongside instruction for present action could be a bit confusing. I find it just underscores the importance of memory of the acts of God for a spiritual community. Passover, and the deliverance it led to, became the basic reference point for all other experience of Israel.

On this day in Christian memory, the disciples had a ‘that night’ experience with Jesus. There were preparations for that meal – their Passover meal, which took on a whole new meaning for the church. Our remembrance of that event is brought together with ways of remembering it. In so doing, we are brought to our knees at the realization of the sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God (agnus dei), and that we partake of him in such a manner as to be ready to flee – not from anything – but into our Egypt, the world in which we bear witness to the God who offers deliverance not just for a people, but for all.

Prayer:
Jesus, Lamb of God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of our sins, have mercy on us.
Jesus, redeemer of the world, grant us peace.
- An ancient prayer