Exodus 12:3-5: ³ Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. ⁴ If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. ⁵ Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.

Prayer Focus: In the next several verses, God details the instructions for preparing the Passover ritual, specifically providing information on the lamb and how it should be obtained and used. God instructs smaller households to join with their neighbors in obtaining a lamb, so that everyone in the community may have access to a portion of a lamb.

These instructions from God remind us that God did not intend Passover to be a private meal. Instead, God’s people are encouraged to work together to ensure that the entire community is fed by the meal. They are instructed to divide the lamb carefully in proportion to the number of people who will eat it, ensuring that everyone will share in God’s provision. These instructions are not just practical, but they serve to unite all households of Israel around a shared purpose and identity. Today, I pray that we each may find opportunities to be reconciled with one another through our shared identity as God’s people, remembering that God does not intend for us to exist apart from the community. May we remember our call to ensure that all people have access to the food and resources that God has given us.