Passover Welcome
Daniel Martin
Spring is taking longer to show up. Somebody said that they are going
to take groundhogs to the court. (ja ja!)
Welcome to the online format of Workplace Wisdom. I am so happy to be
with you after a pause while we were rethinking this publication. Thanks to all
of you who signed up for the email format. It gives you the additional benefit
of being able to reply with questions,
suggestions, or to engage in a debate.
Passover is a special time for celebration for Jews and Christians. Jews
celebrate their nation’s biggest liberation event. Around 1450 BC, Jews were
slaves in Egypt and experienced a miraculous liberation guided by an important hero
called Moses who took them to Canaan, the Promised Land, which later was called
Israel. The word “Pass-over” comes from the phenomena they
experienced in Egypt when the plague of death “past-over” their houses
and their children were spared while every other household suffered death. This
was the last of ten plagues. It confused Pharaoh and he let all the slaves depart
from Egypt with their families, animals and provisions. They were able to cross
the Red Sea miraculously and wander through the desert until they arrived at
the Promised Land. This is called the Exodus. The second book of the Bible has
that name.
When Jews commemorate this foundational historical event, they have a
special meal which symbolizes the different aspects of this event. It helps
them remember that God had a purpose in mind with His people. It helps to see
life, and the future, with hope and purpose.
Christians celebrate pass-over with a new meaning. Jesus celebrated the
Jewish pass-over before he was arrested and he gave the meal a refreshing
meaning, including the remembrance of his own death that was about to happen.
When celebrating
Pass-over, Christians remember Jesus' death on the cross and his resurrection,
witnessed by more than 500 ocular witnesses and registered in writings to
posterity by 4 of them. Jesus’ resurrection is central to the Christian faith. An
empty tomb reminds us that we celebrate the victory of life over death. Popular
culture includes symbols of life like eggs (which are a promise of a new life),
or rabbits (which are known to reproduce life very quickly).
Like the Jewish Pass-over, Christians also celebrate a liberation event:
“Liberation from Sin”. Jesus’ death is a payment for our debt with God. Because
of Him, transformation is possible. We can be forgiven and reconciled with God.
If we really repent, we don’t need to carry the burden of guilt or continue
with a destructive behavior all of our life. We are able to decide a good path
for our life. We can see life and the future with hope. We can experience God’s
love for us and through us. We can find meaning and purpose in life.
Passover should remind us of the One who loves us more than anybody
else. He was ready to die so that we could experience real life.
Passover should remind us of the possibility of change, renewal and
victory. If death couldn’t stop Jesus, His power can help us overcome any
difficulties in life.
Passover should remind us that Jesus is alive and that he came to give
us real life. Sin brings death to our life. We should resurrect from sin and
experience an abundant life.
Passover should remind us that Jesus paid to enable us to have good
relationships: with God, with ourselves and with others.
Open your heart to God and accept all these gifts He brings to you
today.
Happy Passover!
I believe in Christ like I believe in the sun, not because I can see it, but by it I can see everything else. CSLewis
Do what God has put in your heart and trust Him to take care of your critics. Joel Osteen
“Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.” ― St. Augustine
Daniel Martin
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