Passover Seder

Last night our small group held a Passover Seder. Why would a group of Christian women celebrate this Jewish holiday? The New Testament makes clear that Christ is the true Passover Lamb (compare Exodus 12:21 with 1 Corinthians 5:7) and Christ celebrating Passover with his disciples instituted 'the Lord's Supper'.  

After the meal. He took the Afikomen (the middle piece of Matzah broken in two and laid aside or hidden earlier) and gave thanks (Matthew 26:26): "Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, the Creator Who brings forth bread from the earth", according to the Jewish Haggadah. Then He broke the Afikomen bread and passed round the third cup of wine, called the Cup of Blessing or the Cup of Redemption. Jesus said "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you" (Luke 22:20).

As we went through the Hagaddah (the Order of Service) it became clear that Passover is more than a festival, it is a teaching experience to call us to who we are as the children of God and especially poignant is the realization that the Passover Seder is not only the story of the redemption of the Israelites from slavery under Pharaoh, but our redemption in Christ Jesus.

At the heart of the Seder is the Passover story. It is traditionally read as a parent telling the exodus story to children, following the Biblical command, "When your children ask in time to come . . . then you shall tell them" (Ex 14:14; Deut 6:20-21). The four questions, actually five with the first general question introducing the four more detailed ones, are usually asked by the youngest child present that can read. Since we did not have children present, the youngest member of our group, Jeanine read the same four questions that have been asked from one generation to the next…..

Why is night different than any other nights during the year?

• Why is it that on all other nights during the year we eat either bread or matzoh, but on this night we eat only matzoh?

Although the traditional answers were read, I think in coming years we might consider answering differently…..

“Because tonight we remember our Lord and Savior Jesus, by whose stripes we are healed.”

Why is it that on all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs, but on this night we eat only bitter herbs?

“To remember the bitterness of slavery, not only the cruel slavery of the Israelites in Egypt but the bitterness of our bondage to sin.”

• Why is it that on all other nights we do not dip our herbs even once, but on this night we dip them twice?

“The first dip, green vegetables in salt water, symbolizes the replacing of tears with gratefulness, and the second dip, Moror in Charoses, symbolizes sweetening the burden of bitterness and suffering to lessen its pain. Christ bore that pain for us.”

• Why is it that on all other nights we eat either sitting or reclining, but on this night we eat in a reclining position?

“In the Jewish tradition, reclining while eating was a symbol of a freed slave. Today, we can recline because our Passover Lamb has given us freedom!”

And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. Luke 22:15

This yearly Passover tradition for our small group is a wonderful picture of Christ’s atonement for and deliverance from, the bondage of our sin. This is something we should celebrate and be thankful for daily!

Praying Scripture -- With a song!

Last week our study Breaking Free took us through Obstacles standing in our way of living an abundant life in Christ.  Day 4 took us through the obstacle of prayerlessness.  Paul was convinced that certain blessings from God came through prayer alone.

Beth Moore reminds us that God's presence is a house of prayer.  This week's study convicted me to not only step up my prayer life but to add to it the praying of scripture.  How does this look?  I honestly didn't know.  I memorize scripture and certainly call on those verses but how do I incorporate God's word,  those beloved verses, into my prayers?   To find answers I researched and found many interesting sites all with excellent suggestions for praying scripture. 

One of my favorites is to pray scripture with a song.  Choose a verse and sing it!  This is not a novel concept musicians have been doing it for centuries.  Most of our hymns and many contemporary Christian artists weave scripture into their music.  Throughout the Bible we are encouraged to sing to the Lord~

Ephesians 5:19 "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord"

Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

So the next time you pray - try singing scripture; it will be music to God's ears. May the words written of us be ... she prayed....

Every morning when I wake up

It has been 30 days since I started counting my gifts on a daily basis.  This little act of daring to live fully right where I am has become part of my morning routine.  Writing in my journal each day and reflecting on how God has blessed me is a two-fold joy -- it brings me into a closer relationship with our Father and it dispels those dark, gloomy clouds of worry that are always lurking in the deep corners of my mind.

Waking up each day with the anticipation of sending out today's Joy Dare prompt to our small group, writing in my journal, spending quiet, reflective time with the Lord, all of these prepare my heart for whatever life flings at me during the day.  There's a Facebook page; "I love it when I wake up in the morning and Barack Obama is President!"  

This is a much better thought upon waking, "I love it when I wake up in the morning secure in the knowledge that God will be with me throughout the day."

One Thousand Gifts

I am reading Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts, A dare to live fully right where you are.  The book can be hard to read, she writes in long, poetic prose, which is difficult to maneuver.  I found it's a book best read over a period time, a book read in little spurts then set aside. However, I found her invitation to embrace everyday blessings and chronicle God's gifts, to express eucharisteo (with grace, thanksgiving, joy) regardless of circumstances is spot-on.

So, I am taking her Joy Dare, a dare to capture 3 gifts each day .  Blessings that I journal with a word or words, a photo, or a song.  Blessings that might be overlooked in my hustle, bustle, walking around life.  The Joy Dare is a reminder to stop, take a deep breath and look at our world with eyes trained on Him and hearts overflowing with thanksgiving. Those little moments in time can come and go in the blink of an eye and so often are forgotten as we rush to complete the next task.

I am only a couple of weeks into the Joy Dare but already I am more content, more peaceful.  Nothing has changed, I still have the everyday, walking around,  little messes in my ordinary life, but each day I keep my eyes and my heart open for those 3 nuggets of God's glory, 3 gifts that make me realize just how blessed I am.  So at the end of day as I journal these gifts, I realize I am not only capturing them for myself but I am leaving my loved ones the written legacy of a life lived with eucharisteo!

The Great Physician

Anyone who has gone on a mission trip knows that it is not a vacation or a cross-cultural experience. It is a trip with a specific mission. According to Scripture, the mission isn't necessarily feeding or clothing the poor, or healing the sick. It's about sharing the Gospel.

That concept can be hard for medical professionals on a mission trip.So often people come with medical problems that cannot be helped by the team – they need managed care, or care that requires hospitalization. However, what I, and I believe others have learned from our mission trip experience is that we can give each person who comes to the clinic comfort, hope and show them the love of Christ and hopefully plant seeds…seeds that will bloom and grow into a relationship with Christ.

Giving medical care to people who have none is rewarding but to bring the Good News to someone who has never heard it or is searching for hope is our true mission and the one that captures our hearts.

We can take comfort in knowing we have a Great Physician who heals us! His cures are radical but the illness never returns. We are not healed for a short time but for eternity. He makes us new. There is nothing we can struggle with that He can’t cure– no sin so large that His Grace won’t cover.

2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"

While we ran 4 clinics in 4 different areas in the region of Guerra, treated over 800 patients, dispensed 3,000 plus prescriptions, gave away thousands of vitamins, and sent people home each day with food for their families it all pales in comparison to the healing properties of sharing the love of Christ Jesus with the people of Dominican Republic.

 

God's Children

Friday, January 20, 2012
After a long hard week of daily medical clinics and prayer time with the beautiful Dominican people, we visited an orphanage. This was a special orphanage, all the children are HIV positive but year after year we have had the privilege of watching them grow and in most cases, thrive. The children love to play games, balloons, bubbles or just kicking a soccer ball.  They want to be loved and hugged – maybe just a bit more than most children as they are isolated and forgotten.  Due to lack of education, the Dominican people are afraid of them so they have little contact with anyone outside of their compound. They do get medical care from the government with doctor visits on a regular basis.  They are schooled at the orphanage.  As some of the children that we first met  6 years ago have grown to teens (Praise God), an additional home was secured just a block away.  Several of our team went to that compound to play basketball but not before a few of the boys came down to greet us!

We painted nails, played duck, duck, goose, spun around with bubble wands, and laughed at attempts to hula hoop.  Handing out hugs, toys and love was the highlight of our trip. Quickly our time with these precious children came to an end.  As we gathered in a circle to pray for health and safety, our hearts were busting with love, although we did not want to leave them, we left knowing that we will see them again.

God Bless them everyone!  Marie Wertz

Let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  1 John 4: 7-8

“For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua1:9

As I sit here in the Santo Domingo airport alone waiting for my flight back to NYC; I realize what an impact this week has made. The Dominican people were impacted by the good news of the Gospel, through the avenue of medical care. We conducted clinics this week in four different villages. As usual, we went to a different village each day. The last two days were particularly powerful for the team. On Thursday, we went to a somewhat dangerous neighborhood in Santo Domingo to run clinic. We had the local police serving as security. The location made “crowd control” extremely difficult. Despite the challenges, we were able to treat 210 patients that day.

On Friday we ran clinic in the new clinic building on the Word of Life property. The clinic is very nice, and was a welcome change from the poorer working conditions of the previous days. The clinic is located in a farming area, and the people are very friendly. Friday was particularly powerful for me because a number of my patients prayed to receive Christ. Being the “resident Episcopalian” of the team, evangelism is not something I’m all that comfortable with. I had several “holy moments” on Friday, where I was reminded Christ is ever present.

Saturday was a special day. We headed to the AIDS orphanage that we go to each year. It was good to see the children growing up, despite their medical problems. Those children serve as reminders to me that we can overcome challenges and live a good life. Now, I will sit and wait for my plane home to NYC, where snow awaits…

Peace,
Josh Weaver, EMT