ⓒ 2007 WATV

On April 2 (the 14th day of the 1st month in the sacred calendar), the Sacred Assembly of the Passover—the first of the spring feasts—was held in all the Churches of God nationwide and worldwide. Since a large number of people had been born again as God’s children through the Jerusalem Preaching Festival, the members were so busy carrying out their mission of inviting the people to celebrate the Passover even until the feast day.

In the Old Testament times, the Israelites survived the plagues and were delivered from slavery in Egypt by putting the blood of the Passover lamb on the sides and tops of the doorframes of their houses. This shows that God’s people will be redeemed from sin through the blood of Jesus Christ, who is the reality of the Passover lamb. On the Passover, the day before He died on the cross, Christ established the “new covenant,” giving His disciples the bread and wine as His flesh and blood for the forgiveness of sins.

“Do this in remembrance of me.” Accord-ing to this earnest will of Jesus, Church of God celebrates the Passover every year, com-memorating the holy sacrifice of Christ.

ⓒ 2007 WATV

Before the Passover Communion, the members participated in the feet-washing ceremony. In the Old Testament times, the priests were to be purified by washing their hands and feet before doing their work at the Tent of Meeting. This was a shadow of what we do now; we should be purified by having our feet washed before participating in the flesh and blood of Jesus, represented as the heavenly Temple. Just as Jesus Himself washed His disciples’ feet before the Holy Supper of the Passover, the members washed one another’s feet to participate in the Passover Communion with their purified bodies and hearts.

At 7p.m. the Communion service began. Mother prayed that all Her children keeping God’s regulations throughout the whole world would receive the blessing of eternal life, and also prayed that they would participate in the Passover with enough faith, remembering the holy love of God who sacrificed Himself to give His children the feast of eternal life, which cannot be bartered for anything in the world.

ⓒ 2007 WATV

Chief Pastor Joo-Cheol Kim preached a sermon to remind the members that the Jews failed to be saved even though they had been keeping the Passover by slaughtering the lambs for a long time until Jesus came, and emphasized that no one should grasp only the literal meaning of the Passover. According to his sermon, the Jews were unable to be saved because they didn’t receive Jesus who was the reality of the Passover lamb. Likewise, if we do not understand the reality of the bread and wine of the Passover, it is meaningless to participate in the Holy Communion. Pastor Joo-Cheol Kim stated that as Adam declared Eve his wife to be “bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh,” the reality of the bread and wine of the Passover symbolizing the flesh and blood of Jesus is our Mother the heavenly Jerusalem, represented by Eve, so we can receive eternal life through our heavenly Mother. He emphasized that all the members should participate in the Passover by believing in Jerusalem Mother who is the substance of life, in order to receive the complete forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

The members kept in mind again that they would be able to attain eternal salvation by clearly understanding the heavenly Mother, represented by the bread and wine of the Passover, not just by eating the bread and drinking the wine. In addition, they truly understood the will of Father who said, “I follow Mother,” and committed themselves to display the glory of Jerusalem Mother throughout the whole world by revealing the true meaning and value of the Passover all the more.