The Ultimate Gift

SO…….today is Good Friday….also the first evening of Passover. ….For Christians, Good Friday represents the day that our Savior was crucified on the cross. God sent His willing Son to our world to become the only sacrifice able to pay for all of our sins. No other sacrifice could pay for our sins and make us worthy to be in God's presence….God wants His children to be in relationship with Him so Christ gave His life to pay that debt and allow us direct access to our Father. This Ultimate Sacrifice occurred during Passover. Christ died on Friday, then was resurrected on Sunday. He did what NO ONE would ever be able to do. We celebrate Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection each year on Easter.




"As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."    ~ Matthew 26:2 


"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again." "Then they remembered his words."    ~ Luke 24:5b-8 


Passover is a celebration of God rescuing the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt. This year, it is celebrated today, April 6th until next Saturday, April 14th. Passover is a reminder that God will save us if only we do as He asks and accept His gift of freedom. 

“Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down….. And when your children ask you, 'What does this ceremony mean to you?' then tell them, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.”      ~ Exodus 12:22-23, 26-27 

Though one would think that, since Passover and Easter are so connected, that they would be celebrated together. However, due to whatever reason, they are not celebrated during the same time period every year. The timing only comes together periodically. This year, Passover begins on Good Friday. 


Today was also my last Friday of work before my surgery. I have one more day to work and then will be fully preparing my body and mind. Interestingly enough, a job that has been maddenly busy for the past few weeks, has all of a sudden slowed down to a crawl for the past 2 days. I spent yesterday preparing my office and work load for the fact that I’ll be out for at least 2mos. Today I was able to complete an Advanced Directive and my Will. It was very odd to see a document stating that it is my Last Will and Testament. Lest you believe I’m becoming negative and morbid, I’m not at all. I’m a single mother of a 16yr old daughter and 21yr old son. My legal next of kin would be considered my 21yr old son. I feel that I would be doing my children a grave dis-service if I did not prepare for difficult medical decisions in advance. Do I think that something is going to go wrong? No. I feel that preparation is the best way to protect my loved ones from being stuck in a position of having to make decisions in regards to my life. 


What does all of this have to do with Good Friday and Passover? I simply find the timing interesting. In Egypt, God told the Israelites to place the blood of a sacrificial lamb on their door frames. Those who did not do so lost their first born when the Angel of Death passed through. The homes of those who had been obedient were passed over. 


When Christ was willing to do what His Father asked of Him, He became the sacrifice for all of God’s children who are willing to do accept the gift. My life is currently at a place where things like God’s grace, gift of salvation, and acceptance of God’s will tend to be more highlighted than at other times in my life. I really have no idea what my future holds. I know what plans I had for my life. I know that I have always planned to live until I’m in my 90s as the majority of the women in my family have done. I know that I love being a mother to my children and would love to be with them through their adult lives. I know that I love being a social worker. It’s not just what I do. It often defines a lot about who I am. What I don’t know is what the doctor will find during this surgery to kill the cancer that has decided to live in my abdominal cavity. I don’t know how my body will respond to the day-long surgery that will occur in just a few days. I don’t know what this future will look like at the end of Passover. Will the Angel of Death pass-over because God has decided to leave me here to live a while longer? 

"A person's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed." ~ Job 14:5


"Show me, Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure. "Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be. "But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.” ~ Psalm 39: 4-7 


Just on a side note, my daughter was born on Good Friday. This year, her birthday fell on the Thursday before Good Friday and Passover. She turned 16yrs old yesterday.