“‘这血要在你们所住的房屋上作记号，我一见这血，就越过你们去。’” - 出 12:13
过节时一件令人开心的事，就是我们都会享用某些通常在其他时候吃不到的特别食物。
有哪些食物或饮品是你在特别的日子才享用得到的呢？
当耶稣赐予衪的门徒那个我们称之为主餐的晚餐时，他们实际上正在庆祝逾越节。
许多世纪之前，以色列民曾在埃及地为奴。然而，藉着一系列大能的神迹，主拯救了他们。在神带领他们离开埃及的那一天，以色列民预备了一只羊羔作为祭物，他们按照神的吩咐，把羊羔的血涂在门框和门楣上。随后神便叫死亡之灾临到埃及，把每家头生的人畜都击杀了。不过，灾殃将会“越过”所有门框和门楣涂了血的家，那些家庭头生的人畜都不会受到伤害。
此后的每一年，神的子民都会守逾越节晚餐，耶稣和衪的门徒也照例如此行。然而，在这个特别的逾越节，情况却有不同。神再一次拯救了衪的子民，这一次，祂预备了耶稣来拯救他们脱离罪、死亡、和凶恶。在这个逾越节，耶稣取代了羊羔，而衪也是唯一被杀的头生儿子。在今天，身为耶稣的门徒，我们也有衪的血作为记号，好叫我们能逾越死亡并在衪里面得生命。
祷告
主啊，感谢你拯救我们脱离罪、死亡、和凶恶。求你帮助我们为你而活。阿们。
出埃及记 12:1-13
1耶和华在埃及地晓谕摩西、亚伦说：
2“你们要以本月为正月，为一年之首。
3你们吩咐以色列全会众说：本月初十日，各人要按着父家取羊羔，一家一只。
4若是一家的人太少，吃不了一只羊羔，本人就要和他隔壁的邻舍共取一只。你们预备羊羔，要按着人数和饭量计算。
5要无残疾、一岁的公羊羔，你们或从绵羊里取，或从山羊里取，都可以。
6要留到本月十四日，在黄昏的时候，以色列全会众把羊羔宰了。
7各家要取点血，涂在吃羊羔的房屋左右的门框上和门楣上。
8当夜要吃羊羔的肉，用火烤了，与无酵饼和苦菜同吃。
9不可吃生的，断不可吃水煮的，要带着头、腿、五脏，用火烤了吃。
10不可剩下一点留到早晨，若留到早晨，要用火烧了。
11你们吃羊羔当腰间束带，脚上穿鞋，手中拿杖，赶紧地吃。这是耶和华的逾越节。
12因为那夜我要巡行埃及地，把埃及地一切头生的，无论是人是牲畜，都击杀了，又要败坏埃及一切的神。我是耶和华。
13这血要在你们所住的房屋上做记号，我一见这血，就越过你们去，我击杀埃及地头生的时候，灾殃必不临到你们身上灭你们。
A Holiday Meal
"The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you." - Exodus 12:13
One of the fun things about celebrating holidays is that we often enjoy special foods that we might not have at other times of the year.
What are some foods or drinks that you enjoy on special days?
When Jesus first gave his disciples the special meal that we call the Lord's Supper, they were actually already celebrating a holiday called Passover.
Hundreds of years earlier the Israelites had been slaves in Egypt. But the Lord rescued them through a number of powerful acts. On the day that God led them out of Egypt, the Israelites prepared a lamb as a sacrifice, and they spread the lamb's blood on the doorframes of their houses as God had told them to. Then God allowed a plague of death to pass through Egypt, taking the firstborn of every household, but the plague "passed over" all the homes where the doorframes were covered with blood, and the firstborn in those families were spared.
Every year after that, God's people celebrated a special Passover meal, and Jesus and his friends did the same. But on this particular Passover, things were different. God was again rescuing his people, and this time he was preparing Jesus to rescue them from sin, death, and evil. On this Passover, Jesus took the place of the lamb, once and for all, and he was the only firstborn who died. And today we, his followers, are marked by his blood so that we can escape death and have life in him.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for rescuing us from sin, death, and evil. Help us to live for you. Amen.
