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More than 540,000 have died from COVID-19.

Most of us know someone who has died. For 12 months, we have lived under the cloud of this plague. But our experience is nothing compared to what happened in Egypt. “At midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead.” (Exodus 12:29-30)

How haunting to hear that great cry go up across the land as death touched every house. The scourge of death seemed inescapable.

But it wasn’t. God instructed his people to kill the Passover lamb and put its blood over the door of their homes. The blood of the Passover lamb offered them the ultimate refuge. Listen as God describes it in Exodus 12:13. “The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.” The angel of death passed over all those who were covered in the blood of the Passover lamb.

Thousands of years later, Jesus died on a cross outside of Jerusalem. As the blood of the Passover Lamb ran down the cross from the wounds in his hands, his feet and his side it too was accompanied by weeping. But that weeping would soon turn to shouts of joy as Jesus’ disciples celebrated their Lord’s Passover. Jesus passed over from death to life. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Jesus’ Passover is our Passover. His precious blood ran down that cross to offer us refuge just like the Israelites found refuge under the blood of the Passover lamb. Those who believe Jesus lived and died for them are covered in the blood of this Passover Lamb. Listen as this is described to John in Revelation 7:14. “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

The blood of the Passover Lamb offers us the ultimate refuge. “But if we walk in the light, as [Jesus] is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) Under the blood of Christ all our sins are forgiven so that we too can pass over from the doghouse to the big house, from guilt to freedom and from death to life. Under the refuge of Jesus’ blood we live as God’s beloved children.

REV. MATTHEW SORENSON is the pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church. He can be reached at pastor@ stjohnsfarmville.org.