Archive Poster : January 2014
According to Sam Kekovich, if you don't eat lamb on Australia Day you're un-Australian! That's right, un-Australian. Which is a mighty big call. Sam's annual tongue in cheek charge on behalf of the Meat and Livestock Association has been delivered dead-pan via TV and social media since 2005. Do you care? Well if you do, there's good news for carnivores. Those little lambies are dumb and delicious. If you can afford lamb then removing the stain of being un-Australian isn't much of a hardship.
Just throw a roast in the oven or a chop on the barbie and crank up the heat. It's pretty hard to wreck lamb. Whilst beef can get tough and dry, lamb is quite fatty and forgiving.
In fact, speaking of forgiveness, lamb has been helping people get their citizenship right for years. Not Australian citizenship - one that's far more important - membership to Heaven! And even those who prefer wheat grass souffle with glazed eggplant might be interested.
A long time ago the practice of the Jewish people was to sacrifice a lamb as a kind of symbol of a payment that God would one day make when he finally did away with the sin of the world. The shedding of an animal's blood was a reminder that sin costs life. It taught people the gravity of their actions and enabled them to approach God without guilt. But it could never actually deal with sin.
When Jesus did come amongst us, a great prophet of the time, John the Baptist, saw him and said this:
"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"
At last the stain of sin that all people round the world had struggled with could be removed. And that's what happened. Jesus, the sacrificial lamb willingly bore the sin of all people. But what a terrible cost for this lamb - the price of our sin was Jesus's life. This lamb was the costliest of all.
But it was worth it. Never again would sacrifice be needed. Jesus's death paid the price for everyone for all time.
So ignore Sam Kekovich and don't stress about being un-Australian. On Australia day, on any day, celebrate LAMB! Love lamb! Love the lamb "who takes away the sin of the world!"
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for sending Jesus to take away my sin. Please help me to trust in him.
Bible verse: The next day he (John, the Baptist) saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29
