I Will

I will be married to my beloved wife for thirty-eight years this year. Thirty-eight years ago in August I said a bunch of "I wills" and "I do's." I'm pretty sure it was the standard, "Will you have this woman to be your wife, to live together in holy matrimony? Will you love her, honor her, keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long you both shall live?"

I don't remember much of it, but I do remember that we added, "or until our Lord and Savior comes back." We knew that God hated divorce, so I am sure there were times in those thirty-seven plus years we were praying fervently for the last phrase to come to pass. 

To be honest, although I've tried, I am certain that I have not lived up to those vows like I desired. Life happens. Sin happens. Grace happens. And we're still here - together - no social distancing. 

Vows are more than contractual agreements between parties. They come out of a place of integrity and a place of relationship. They are sacred covenants. This is the essence of Passover and the great "I wills" of Exodus 6 which is celebrated tonight. It is here that the traditional four cups of the Seder Supper are derived.

 5 "Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.
 6 Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and (1) I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. (2) I will free you from being slaves to them, and (3 ) I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.
 7 (4) I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.'" (Exod. 6:5-8 NIV) [Note:  Verse 8 is technically a fifth "I will" but is not taken for some unknown reason in the Seder remembrance.]

The first cup is the cup of "sanctification."  It is a call to come apart or to come out from among "them" for a divine purpose. It is the recognition that we are all in bondage to sin. Egypt is a place of darkness not light. Come out and into the revealed light of God. 

The second cup is the cup of "deliverance." When one recognizes his/her need to come out of sin, the entanglements of this world can be quite difficult. Only the power of God can set you free from its slavery. 

The third cup is the cup of "redemption." This cup represents the fact that God must save us. He saved them by divine directive. It was by the blood of the lamb that the Hebrews were saved from the angel of death. It was the mighty hand of God that opened the sea and provided a way of escape for them. It was the mighty hand of God that closed the sea over the pursing Egyptians. God is our redeemer. He is our kinsman redeemer who buys us back for His divine purposes. This is the cup that Jesus gave to his disciples and said, "This is the new covenant that I am making in my blood." God, in the flesh, is redeeming mankind through his own hand. 

The fourth cup is the cup of praise. It is the cup of acceptance. God has accepted us through the sacrifice of his Son. We are his people and He is our God. It is also the cup of celebration that anticipates the coming fullness of the kingdom of God. What Jesus begins with his death, he will complete at his second coming. It is the cup that Jesus said, "I will never drink of it again until I drink it anew in the kingdom of God."  

There is a fifth cup. It is called the Elijah cup. It is left untouched as a reminder that Elijah will come as an unknown guest initiating the coming of the Messiah. 

The four cups are akin to marriage vows. "Jesus, will you have this  people, the Church to be your wife, to live together in holy matrimony? Will you love her, honor her, keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long you both shall live?" Jesus says, "I will." 

He has. Have we? On this night we remember his vows and ours. 

Blessed be the Name of the Lord and our Savior, the Lamb of God slain before the foundations of the world for our salvation. Maranatha!