6th September 2026

Exodus 12 marks a decisive moment in Israel’s story. After centuries of slavery, God was about to deliver his people from Egypt. At the heart of that deliverance was the Passover lamb. Each household was to take a lamb, sacrifice it, and place its blood on their doorposts. When the Lord passed through Egypt bringing judgment on their gods (v.12), he would ‘pass over’ the homes marked by the blood (v.13).

For Christians, the Passover points beyond this event itself to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who brings salvation (John 1:29). This salvation is not simply about God finding a way to punish someone else instead of us. Rather, it reveals the extraordinary depth of God’s own self-giving love. The Father sent the Son, the Son willingly entered our humanity and gave himself for us, and the Holy Spirit enables us to participate in Christ’s life.

The Passover therefore finds its fulfilment in Jesus, who does not save us from a distance – he comes to us and shares our humanity. In Christ, God enters into the depths of our fallen and enslaved existence to bring us into freedom and communion with the Father.

There is also something significant about the Passover meal: Israel was not simply told to believe that deliverance was coming; they were invited to eat the meal together and remember what God had done (Exodus 12:3-11, 26-27). Salvation created a people. They were no longer individual slaves hoping for freedom; they were a community being gathered by God’s gracious action. This anticipates the church, which gathers around Christ and participates in his life. The Lord’s Supper particularly reminds us that our salvation is not something we achieve through our own religious effort. It is a gift already accomplished for us in Jesus. We come to the table not because we have made ourselves worthy, but because Christ has made us his own.

The Passover also reminds us that God’s grace leads somewhere. Israel was leaving Egypt behind and beginning a new life. Likewise, grace does not merely forgive our past: it calls us into a new way of living as people who belong to Christ. Perhaps, then, the most important message of Exodus 12 is not simply to make sure you are behind the right door, but rather to trust the God who delivers. The God who acted to free Israel from slavery is the God who has acted decisively in Jesus Christ to free humanity from the slavery of sin, death and Satan (Hebrews 2:14-15), and to reconcile us to himself (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

We can therefore face our fears, failures and uncertainties with confidence. Our security ultimately does not rest upon ourselves: the strength of our faith, the perfection of our obedience, or our ability to hold everything together. Our security rests in Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb. Whatever circumstances we face in life, we can be assured that God has come to us in Christ; Christ has given himself for us, and the Holy Spirit draws us into the freedom and life we have in him.

Local congregation:
Grace Communion West Hampstead 
Sidings Community Centre
150 Brassey Road
West Hampstead
London
NW6 2BA

Meeting time:
Sunday 12.30 pm

Local congregational contact:
Gordon Brown
gordon.brown@gracecom.church

Word of Life contact:  
wordoflife@gracecom.church