(By Cynthia Wong, YWCA Ireland National Board)
It started with a newborn Hebrew boy,
Chosen by the Lord, protected by the midwives,
Favoured by the royal princess who adopted him with joy,
Moses is he who then secretly took a soldier’s life.
Caught on this act and consumed with shame,
He fled the scene and hid in the wilderness,
A sudden encounter with the bush of flame,
He met with the great I AM and was shortly speechless.
The Lord was filled with mercy and compassion,
He saw their turmoil; He felt their misery,
Moved by their cry of sorrow and oppression,
God declared ‘I will let my people go and end their slavery’.
With a promise of a new life and a new tomorrow,
Moses brought this demand to the ruthless King Pharaoh,
The Lord was with him as signs and wonders followed,
But the hard-hearted king would not let God’s people go.
On a quiet midnight the Lord passed by the land,
He struck down all firstborn of the Egyptian breed,
He spared all homes with the blood of a perfect lamb,
At last the distraught King yielded and the Israelite’s are freed.
Ten plagues later Passover was celebrated,
Captivity was history, the Lord led them to victory,
Choose an unblemished lamb and unleavened bread,
With bitter herbs and memories to mark this redemptive story.
After many Passovers and the birth of our Savior,
Through many told parables, sermons and prophecies,
There came the rigid Pharisees and Pontius the governor,
Where Jesus was beaten and sentenced for our penalties.
During the Last Supper, Jesus remembered the Passover,
Bread and wine were taken as the important element,
His body was broken and one to remember,
His blood was a sign of a new unbroken covenant.
The chain has broken and death was slain,
The risen King lives and the enemies were trembled,
Prophecies were fulfilled and love reigns again,
The tomb is now empty and troubled hearts are rekindled.
Behold Jesus, the unblemished Lamb of Heaven,
Who pardons our sin and reconciles us to the Father,
Through His blood that was shed, I have been forgiven,
So that guilt and shame no longer should I ponder.
Today I am grateful, today I am thankful,
For the everlasting life and eternal freedom,
No longer should I be sorrowful or shameful,
For now I am a co-heir of His royal kingdom.
Passover is more than a festival or history,
It leads to the Last Supper, the Cross and Rising Sunday,
It was a redemptive story, a road to victory,
It was real yesterday, it is relevant today.
(References : The Book of Exodus 1-12, Luke 22:7-20, 23, John 1:29, Phil 3:20, Romans 8:17, Rev 7:10, 17)