Today’s Reading: 1 Corinthians 5:6-8

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 18:5-27; Hebrews 12:1-24

For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival,

not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of

sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:7-8)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. On the night of the first Passover, each Israelite family gathered together in their homes. They ate a hurried meal of unleavened bread and roasted lamb. The blood of the lamb was painted on the doorpost of their homes. During the night the Angel of Death passed over all the homes in Egypt. In every home where there was no blood on the door, the firstborn was killed. But death passed over each home covered in the blood of the lamb. After this plague upon Egypt, enslaved Israel went free (Exodus 12).

God told Israel that they should continue to observe the Passover each year. For an entire week, they could have no leaven (yeast) in their homes. They could not have it or eat it. During the Passover week, leaven symbolized sin. By removing it, Israel was telling God and one another that they repented of their sin and trusted in God who had delivered them from slavery in Egypt.

In our reading for today Paul teaches us that the Church is Israel. We celebrate Passover continually. For us it is an eternal celebration, for Jesus Christ is the Passover Lamb who was sacrificed to deliver us from sin and death, and rose again to set us free. His blood causes death to pass over us forever. Each time we gather to have Holy Communion, we eat and drink the Body and Blood of Christ, our Passover Lamb, and rejoice that He has saved us.

What about the leaven? The Church is to live a continual life of repentance. Each time we commune, we humbly confess our sin, hear Jesus’ Absolution, and partake of His Body and Blood. He forgives us, gives us His life, and strengthens us in love. Paul doesn’t mean we literally cannot eat bread with yeast in it. But he does mean that we should not become people who do not care about sin, who live in the ways of the world. For we have been set free from slavery to sin and death by the blood of our Passover Lamb, Jesus. So eat Christ, drink Christ, and live in His freedom. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Then let us feast this Easter Day on Christ, the bread of heaven; The Word of grace has

purged away the old and evil leaven. Christ alone our souls will feed; He is our meat and

drink indeed; Faith lives upon no other! Alleluia! (Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands, LSB 458:7)