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As I write on Thursday afternoon of Holy week, there\u2019s a cool spring breeze gently rocking the white azalea and dogwood blossoms at the end of our driveway. The powder blue, cloudless sky beautifully contrasts the tender tree buds, bursting alive from winter\u2019s hold. Other than the sound of a wren chirping in the red tips to my right and the occasional gust of wind swaying the trees, the day is quiet. This seems fitting on this Maundy Thursday when the Lord Jesus celebrated the Passover feast with His disciples the night before He was crucified.<\/p>\n
Our friends Jeremey and Karen, who have Messianic Jewish backgrounds, led us through a Seder feast a few days ago. It marked the beginning of the Jewish Passover holiday. Performed from a Christian perspective, the Seder gave a richer appreciation of how the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery foreshadowed our deliverance from the power of the evil one by the death of Jesus the Messiah.<\/p>\n
How intricately Sovereign God set His story of redemption in motion. How beautifully woven the details He employs to invoke our senses into the experience of His deliverance.<\/p>\n
We placed an eight-foot table for the ten adults in our living room. The adjacent breakfast room table was designated as the kid\u2019s table. There were nine children ranging from a few months to thirteen years old. Though having so many kids added a bit of noise and confusion, hearing their questions and watching them take it all in was a highlight of the evening.<\/p>\n
After all, telling of the Passover story was meant as a reminder of God\u2019s faithfulness throughout the generations. God commanded the Jewish people to celebrate the Lord\u2019s Passover.[1] And the Lord Jesus gave us the Lord\u2019s supper to commemorate His fulfillment of the Passover sacrifice forever. My wife and I were pleased that among the celebrants were two of our children and three of our grandchildren.<\/p>\n
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A Seder plate, presented to Karen on her thirteenth birthday, was used to serve the elements of the Passover story. It had pictures of the different plagues inflicted upon the Egyptians leading up to the night of Passover, the slaying of their first born.<\/p>\n
Among the items on our plate were:<\/p>\n
Parsley<\/strong> \u2013 New Growth, also used as the hyssop for painting blood (juice) on the door posts (fashioned in Matzah bread).<\/p>\n Dandelion<\/strong> \u2013 Bitter Herbs, bitterness of sin, of slavery and the cup Jesus drank for us.[2]<\/p>\n \u00a0Charoset<\/strong> (paste of fruit and nuts) \u2013 Hope\/Sweetness, mortar for the bricks in Egypt, Hope for us because of Christ\u2019s victory in the midst of sin.<\/p>\n Lamb<\/strong> (small lamb bone) \u2013 Purity, lamb without blemish, Jesus the Lamb of God.<\/p>\n Matzah<\/strong> (unleavened bread, striped with puncture holes) \u2013 Without sin, baked quickly as they left in haste, Jesus\u2019 body, pierced and striped. \u00a0<\/p>\n Salt Water<\/strong> \u2013 Tears of Israel under slavery.<\/p>\n My son in law thought what was on the platter was all we\u2019d have to eat for the evening. With gusto he painted the juice on the Matzah with the parsley and munched the bread. He cut his hunger with dandelion “sandwiches”.\u00a0 It delighted him when, after the Seder, we brought out roasted lamb, potatoes, green-beans and salad.<\/p>\n After our meal, we celebrated the Lord\u2019s supper. Our celebration of the Jewish Passover we had just experienced brought new richness to the sacrament Jesus gave us.<\/p>\n As a gift for the evening, we gave each family a wooden dove in scripted with \u201cShalom.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019ve always thought the word meant \u201cpeace,\u201d but I\u2019m learning it’s deeper meaning. \u201cShalom\u201d is to be in a state of complete satisfaction, to be finished, to be perfected.<\/p>\n On the cross, when Jesus said, \u201c<\/em>It is finished<\/em>,<\/em>\u201d<\/em><\/span>[3]<\/strong><\/em> our complete peace was purchased. His life completed our forgiveness, our value, and our eternal right standing with God. Though our lives may contain sickness, pain, and brokenness, the peace Jesus died for does not change. Ever.<\/p>\n Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.\u00a0Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful (John 14:27<\/strong> NASB). <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Dear Lord, I\u2019m appreciating more than ever the significance of Your redemption story. Ranging from Your words to the serpent in the garden, through the deliverance of your people from slavery, to the giving up of your Son on our behalf, You have desired to redeem us from the power of sin. You’ve provided a way for us to be able to commune with You forever. We are complete in You. You have given us a deep peace which can not be altered by anything in the world. The \u201cpeace\u201d of \u00a0\u201cShalom\u201d flows from our completeness in You. It is finished! <\/em><\/p>\n [1] Leviticus 23<\/p>\n [2] Exodus 12, Leviticus 23<\/p>\n [3] John 19:30<\/p>\n Other posts in our series<\/span> In The Moments<\/strong>:<\/span><\/p>\n As Sea Gulls Fly<\/a><\/p>\n The Gift of Presence<\/a><\/p>\n Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God\u2019s nearness in the midst of life\u2019s adventures.<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Subscribe to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em> <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Nonfiction books by the Author:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Because joy is rooted in God and is eternal, it doesn\u2019t ebb and flow with the waves of circumstances. In fact, as we grow in our understanding of joy, we can even experience it more acutely when life is hard. Why? Because God uses trials to conform us into the image of Christ. With this awareness, which gives us glimpses of God\u2019s greater purposes, we rejoice because of His masterful work to free us from needing anything but Him.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n For these reasons, and many others, joy in the Lord is commanded in scripture. It\u2019s not just a good idea, it\u2019s vital to our journey as human beings.\u00a0Rhythms of Joy<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Novels by the Author:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for?\u00a0\u00a0Beyond Time<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n By finding two undelivered letters in an old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains<\/a><\/p>\nShalom<\/h3>\n
Prayer<\/h3>\n
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