The Sacred Assembly of the Passover 2012

ⓒ 2012 WATV

April 5 was a precious, special day for the members of the Church of God. It was the fourteenth day of the first month in the sacred calendar—the Passover which is the first of the seven feasts in three times recorded in the Bible. From this day, the spring feasts 2012—the feats of life—were held simultaneously at the Churches of God in 2,200 regions of 150 countries.

The history of the feasts traces back to about 3,500 years ago. When there was loud wailing throughout Egypt after a plague swept the land, a group of people sang a song of praise to God. It was the song for the emancipation of the Israelites from 400 years of slavery in Egypt. But their joy was short-lived because the Egyptian army chased after them when they left Egypt. The Red Sea lay before them. When they were faced with the barrier of the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian army behind them, God divided the Red Sea with His power. Filled with fear, the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, and at daybreak the water went back to its place and the Egyptian army who had been pursuing them was buried in water. Being completely free, the Israelites marched towards the land of promise.

God appointed the evening of the 14th day of the first month in the sacred calendar, when the Israelites escaped the plague through the blood of the lamb, as the Passover (meaning that plagues pass over), and the following day—the 15th day of the same month—as the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which commemorates the suffering of the Israelites. And God appointed the day after the Sabbath following the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when the Israelites landed from the Red Sea, as the Day of Firstfruits on which the priest was to wave a sheaf of the first grain to be accepted by God, and He commanded His people to celebrate it for the generations to come.

ⓒ 2012 WATV

ⓒ 2012 WATV

The feasts also served as prophecies of the things that Christ would fulfill while on this earth. Jesus established the new covenant with bread and wine representing His flesh and blood and promised eternal life to human beings. Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of the Feast of Unleavened Bread by going through the harsh suffering from the night when He was arrested until He died on the cross the next day. And He fulfilled the prophecy of the Day of Firstfruits by destroying the power of death and being resurrected early on Sunday morning as the “firstfruits of those who had fallen asleep.”

Every feast of God, including the Passover, is now being celebrated by 1,690,000 members of the Church of God throughout the world as a memorial day of the Redeemer and a day of sacred assembly, which has the promise of salvation.

On the evening of April 5 (the fourteenth day of the first month in the sacred calendar), over 3,000 members of the Church of God participated in the Sacred Assembly of the Passover at the New Jerusalem Temple in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province. During the service for the feet-washing ceremony that started at 6 p.m., General Pastor Joo-Cheol Kim stated, “To participate in the holy flesh and blood of Christ, we must conduct the feet-washing ceremony according to the example of Christ Himself,” quoting the Biblical verses which show that the priests washed their hands and feet before entering the sanctuary in the Old Testament times.

The feet-washing ceremony is also a ceremony that shows the love of Heavenly Father and Mother who have personally set the example of humbling Themselves and serving others for Their children. Following the example of Christ, the members participated in the feet-washing ceremony and gave thanks to Elohim for Their profound love contained in it.

At the service for the Holy Supper of the Passover, Mother prayed for all Her children who were celebrating the Passover throughout the world. She gave thanks to Heavenly Father for establishing the Passover to give life to His children who were living a painful life with the sin deserving of death, and She also prayed that everyone who celebrated the Passover would escape all disasters and receive the promise of eternal life. Then She complimented Her children for preaching the truth of life diligently and asked them to preach the Passover to more people so that they would all be protected from disasters and share the blessings of heaven together.

General Pastor Joo-Cheol Kim explained the meaning of the Passover bread and wine in his sermon. Jesus Christ was the reality of the tree of life which human beings had lost due to their sins. The Passover is the day on which God’s people receive the promise of salvation by eating and drinking the bread and wine of the Passover, which represent Jesus’ flesh and blood. The Passover is the covenant that God has made with human beings, so that they can eat from the tree of life which they once lost. Pastor Joo-Cheol Kim gave thanks to God for the fact that the members of the Church of God were chosen and called by God to receive such great blessings, and he also gave glory to God for giving His children eternal life through the Passover—the everlasting covenant.

Through the ceremony of the Holy Supper, the members ate the bread representing Christ’s holy body and drank the wine symbolizing His precious blood. They participated in the promised salvation by becoming one body with Christ and pledged themselves to make more of an effort to preach the truth of life and to put love into practice, reminding themselves of Christ’s sacrifice and love contained in the new covenant.

The Sacred Assembly of the Feast of Unleavened Bread 2012

ⓒ 2012 WATV

On April 6(the fifteenth day of the first month in the sacred calendar), the members of the Church of God kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread with contrite hearts; they participated in Christ’s suffering by fasting from midnight on the Passover till three o’clock the next afternoon—the hour when Jesus breathed His last on the cross (Mk 2:20). Mother gave thanks in prayer to Father for having willingly subjected Himself to all kinds of sacrifice to save His children both at His first coming and His second coming. She also prayed that the love of Father would be alive and working in the hearts of Her children so that they could serve one another with humble minds and preach the light of love to the world.

General Pastor Joo-Cheol Kim said, “The suffering for the gospel is ‘good suffering’ which is necessary for us, who are incomplete, to be born again so that we can become complete. Through trials, we come to realize the value of the glory and blessings we will receive later.” He added, “What is important is not the suffering itself but our mind and attitude—how willing we are to accept the suffering.” Then he repeatedly emphasized on the suffering that Christ had gone through for our sins. Additionally, he urged the members, saying, “Let’s always think of God who even endured the extreme suffering with joy, only desiring His children’s salvation. Following in His footsteps, let’s have faith great enough to overcome any hardships with gratitude” (Ro 8:16-18; 1 Pe 2:19-25; 2 Ti 4:1-5; 1 Pe 5:10; 1 Pe 4:1-2).

The members engraved in their hearts Christ’s sacrifice contained in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and they offered the prayers of repentance and thanksgiving to God, tracing the footsteps of Heavenly Father who had walked the thorny path of the gospel for 37 years and of Heavenly Mother who is still walking the path of sacrifice for Her children.

The Sacred Assembly of the Resurrection Day 2012

ⓒ 2012 WATV

On Sunday, April 8, the Sacred Assembly of the Resurrection Day was held. Mother gave thanks to Father for giving His children a living hope for resurrection by showing them the example of being resurrected. She also prayed that all Her children would participate in the glory of resurrection and transfiguration. Additionally, She expressed Her desire that those who were lacking in faith would achieve a resurrection of faith and that the people who were in despair would open their spiritual eyes so that they could realize God’s love clearly and have the hope of resurrection.

General Pastor Joo-Cheol Kim explained the prophecy of the Day of Firstfruits in the Old Testament and its fulfillment in the New Testament. Then he testified, “On the day when Jesus was resurrected, He appeared to the two disciples who were going to Emmaus; He took bread, blessed it and gave it to them, and their spiritual eyes were opened. According to Jesus’ example, we should keep the Resurrection Day by breaking bread based on the Bible, so that our spiritual eyes can be opened and we will rise to live” (Lk 24:13-34). Additionally, he referred to the Biblical scene where the two disciples, who were disheartened over the death of Jesus, became filled with joy and excitement after the breaking of the bread and returned to Jerusalem. And he also urged the members, saying, “On this Day of Resurrection, let us strengthen our faith in Heavenly Mother who is the reality of Jerusalem (Gal 4:26) and follow the guidance of Mother till the end, so we can participate in the glory of resurrection.”

After the worship service, the members broke bread together. They realized the grace of Elohim fully and hoped that the passionate faith of the saints of the early Church 2,000 years ago would be revived in this age. They also shared the bread of the Resurrection Day with their families and neighbors as well, and desired all people to open their spiritual eyes and foster the eternal heavenly hope.