Hi, my name is Shawn and I have been an elder at Riverside for a few years since City Chapel and Riverside merged. I am a test engineer at Clark Testing, but my real claim to fame is I am the husband of Susan who does the announcements.
The passage you are going to read today is Exodus 11–12:42 which describes the final plague in Egypt and the Passover. At this time the Jewish people were slaves in Egypt, and God had a plan to deliver them. Pharaoh had hardened his heart to the previous plagues, so one final plague was brought. This might not seem to connect with the Advent season, but I love the final verse in our reading. “Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come.”
Sit for a minute and imagine the situation in Egypt at that time. Slaves in a foreign land. A special meal together. An odd command to spread blood over the doorway. A night (with no electricity) with death, wailing, and fear.
Similar to the Jews at this time, we are in a land not our own. Philippians 3:20 says, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” It is easy to get complacent here and think things are pretty good, we are not in quite the same situation as the Jews in Egypt. But are we just fooling ourselves, lukewarm like the Laodicean church?
Two questions for the day:
- How have you settled for life in Egypt?
- How can you eagerly await Jesus today?
And one final thought. Exodus says the Lord kept vigil that night. What a great picture of the Lord caring and watching over us as we wait.