Pastor’s Page
Spring Cleaning …
After a terribly long and cold winter where we’ve all been holed up inside, the last few days of relative warmth and sunshine have brought life to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. There are birds. There are grills firing up. And now, we can finally take down our Christmas lights!
Now is the time of Spring Cleaning. It happens every year as people haul out bags and bags of trash from the homes, garages and yards, in an attempt to de-clutter just a little bit. Spring cleaning has an extra-dose of reality for us at Resurrection this year as we attempt to “move-in” to our new facilities. As part of moving in, we have to determine what we’re going to keep, what we’re going to pitch, and what we’re going to keep only to pitch it later.
Believe it or not, this idea of Spring Cleaning is nothing new. Jews today, as they did in Jesus’ day, still clean their homes top to bottom every Spring. It all goes back to Exodus 12:19-20 where God tells Moses to tell the people, 19 For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. 20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.” This is the way the Israelites were to observe the festival of the Passover and their deliverance from Egypt. In keeping with this command, Orthodox Jews have cleaned their homes top to bottom every Spring ever since to get rid of any yeast in the house.
This Passover is the very feast that Jesus was celebrating on Maundy Thursday which we now know as “The Last Supper”. By remembering what God had done in the Exodus, God’s people were supposed to not only clean their homes, but also their lives. That’s what St. Paul is getting at in Galatians 5:9 when he says, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” The idea is that even a little bit of sin, spreads throughout the whole body and makes us unclean.
That same Passover observance on Maundy Thursday concluded with Jesus’ death on Good Friday where Jesus dies as the Passover lamb sacrificed for our sins. This April, clean house, inside and out. Physically and spiritually. And as you do, join us for worship as we remember the last week of Jesus’ life and the great sacrifice he made to cleanse us from our sins. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services are at 6:30 pm. Easter Sunrise Service is at 6:30 am with Easter Breakfast served by our Youth Group served at 7:30 am. Our Easter Festival Service with Holy Communion is at our regular worship time, 9:00 am.
Christ is Risen! Pastor Ascher
