Calvin Synod Herald, 2013 (114. évfolyam, 3-12. szám)
2013-03-01 / 3-4. szám
4 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD reserved for Elijah, for it is said that Elijah would announce the coming of the Messiah. Before the taking of the cup, the youngest child would get up and go to the door, calling out Eli, Eh, and wait to see if Elijah comes. Then the youngest takes their seat and the meal continues. There are 4 cups taken in the meal. The first is the Cup of Sanctification or the Cup of Promises. With the taking of each cup they remember the promises of Adonai. The first promise they recall is the promise of deliverance from the bondage of Egypt. When they drink of this cup they go through a ceremonial washing of the hands. It is to represent rebirth and renewal. IN THE PRESENT: WE do not take of a cup of sanctification, we sanctify ourselves by being immersed in Christ. By our baptism we receive sanctification It is our dedication to Christ. We do so when we recognize the Body of Christ and when we become part of the Body of Christ through our Baptism. IN THE FUTURE: When we are caught up with Him, and remain with him forever, we become his bride. And thus we are sanctified, dedicated to him forever and ever. The next part of the meat is extraordinary when seen through the New Testament eyes. This is called the Yachats. They take the middle of the three Matzoh and break it in two. The smaller piece is replaced between the other two, the larger piece is wrapped in a napkin and set aside in another room for 3 days. This is called “afikomen” which means desert. In the home this takes the place of the sharing of the Pascal Lamb which is done at the Temple. In this part they recognize all who are oppressed and hungry, when we take of it we remember those who are among us, sinners in need of redemption, or those who have already been redeemed. We take remembering the suffering Jesus did on our behalf. In the Future we will take of this as a celebration of all those who have washed their robes in the blood of the lamb, made whole and clean. We remember the Lamb who was slain for our redemption and we remember that God keeps his promises. The taking of the cup of the covenant: This is where they remember the promise to Joseph, and the preparation to receiving the Law at Mount Sinai. In Jesus' day: This is the cup of the New Covenant, a blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Today: We call this the cup of the New Covenant, a contract between God and his people. We remember the blood shed by Jesus on the cross. In the Future: It will be a cup of blessing, shared among all who have responded to the call of the Gospel. We can choose to live in the past, or in the present, or we can choose to live for the Iliture. A time is coming and has now come, a day for which we have been waiting for. It is the day of decision for us, where will we stand when the Wedding feast of the Lamb is being given? Today we have a choice, we can give ourselves to Him or we can choose to put it off, but, you may end up on the outside, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, because you waited too long. S.T. Christ Died for Our Sins Text: “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ” Romans 5:6 It is a matter of history to say Jesus of Nazareth was hung on a Roman cross: • A passage from the Jewish Talmud reads, “In the eve of the Passover, Jesus of Nazareth was hung.” • Josephus, the Jewish historian of the time, wrote, “that there arose a man named Jesus, a wise man and doer of marvelous deeds, whom Pilate condemned to the cross.” • A Roman historian, Tacitus, wrote, “Christus underwent the death penalty in the reign of Tiberius, by sentences of the procreator Pontius Pilate.” That Jesus of Nazareth died on a Roman cross is historical fact. We must turn to the editorial page to find the interpretation of this history-Christ died for our sins. Let us use a comparison: One day in Montgomery, Alabama, an African American seamstress, Rosa Parks, coming home from a hard day’s work, refused to make the customary move to the back of the bus. She said, “My feet are tired.” That very bus now resides at the Henry Ford Museum in Southfield, MI. It’s history. But if one were to say about that same incident something like this: One day on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama, a woman lighted a candle that still bums brightly, this is to describe the meaning, not just the fact. When we sing about the cross it is not just about the fact of his death on a cross, it is about the meaning: “Beneath the cross of Jesus, I fain would take my stand ..,” sang Elizabeth Cleophane. “When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the prince of glory died ...,” sang Isaac Watts. “In the cross of Christ I glory, towering o’er the wrecks of time . . .,” sang John Bowring. These are not factual reportings. These are words of faith, testimonies of belief, expressions of a deep faith. A man died on a cross. But who was this carpenter from Galilee? Was he the promised Messiah? Was he the Light that lightens everyone coming into the world? If you say, “yes,” why? Because you have been raised in the Christian tradition? But what if you had been bom a Buddhist, a Hindu, a Muslim or a Jew? All of these acknowledge that Jesus died. It remains a statement of faith, no matter our background, to say, “Christ died for our sins.” Someone may ask, “Why did Jesus die?” And certain facts may be used to answer: • He died because he made the hazardous decision to go to Jerusalem at Passover. His friends tried to deter him. His enemies were lying in wait. But he said, “We are going up to
