I will remember the deeds of the LORD;yes, I will remember your wonders of old.I will ponder all your work,and meditate on your mighty deeds.Your way, O God, is holy.What god is great like our God?You are the God who works wonders;you have made known your might among the peoples.You with your arm redeemed your people,the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah Psalm 77:11-15 When we think of the Passover, one of the big pieces that usually comes to mind is the ten plagues God brought upon Egypt. While we describe them as plagues, God describes them differently when he […]
Tag Archives: Passover
Your Invitation to God’s “Holy Day” Celebrations
Happy new year! I hope you are having a good holiday season. I use the word “holiday” deliberately here, not to obscure the centrality of Christ in Christmas, but to focus on the literal definition of “holiday”: a “holy” day. Throughout the year, we have various celebratory days that are “set apart” (that’s what “holy” means). The rest of the days are common, or unholy, by contrast. There’s nothing wrong with these ordinary days; they’re just not special like the others. As we start a new calendar year, did you know that God has a calendar full of scheduled holy […]
Habakkuk: Traversing the Surging Sea
You trampled the sea with your horses,the surging of mighty waters. Habakkuk 3:15 Habakkuk has been describing God as a great warrior, riding into battle to save his people. We conclude this section of his prayer with imagery hinting back at the past when the nation of Israel saw God’s great redemption. Saved at the Sea When the people of Israel were enslaved in Egypt, God sent Moses and Aaron as his representatives to deliver an ultimatum to Pharaoh: “Let my people go!” When Pharaoh refused, God sent ten plagues upon Egypt before Pharaoh finally relented. The people left, wandering […]
Habakkuk: What do you do when Life is Bitter?
For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own. Habakkuk 1:6 God responds to Habakkuk’s complaint about the injustice around him by revealing that he is raising up the Chaldeans/Babylonians to execute justice. He goes on to describe what these invaders are like. The first words, bitter (מַר, mar) and hasty (מָהַר, mahar), form a nice alliteration. What does it mean to describe people as bitter? A Bitter Taste The word “bitter” derives from the verb marar (to be bitter or emotionally […]
Passover: Stay Inside
Passover began Wednesday night. Easter is coming on Sunday. This is traditionally a time for people to gather together and celebrate. That is not the case this year as we are told to stay home and practice “social distancing” to avoid spreading COVID-19. While this is disappointing, the marvels of modern technology allow us to bridge the gap. My brother and I hosted a virtual Seder to celebrate Passover with a few others joining us online. It’s a time to remember what God has done in the past with the hope of what he will do in the future. It […]
Sermon – Something Died so You can Live
Sermon from July 8, 2018
Samaritan Passover
Sacrifice as the Passover to the Lord your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the Lord will choose as a dwelling for his Name. Deuteronomy 16:2 After the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70, sacrifices ceased. Well, that’s not entirely true. The Samaritans continue to this day to do one annual sacrifice: the Passover lamb. They did not view Jerusalem as the place to gather but instead Mt. Gerazim about 30 miles north. They used to have a temple there, but it is long gone now. Their calendar doesn’t entirely match the Jewish […]
Blessed
Twice a year (at Passover and Sukkot) some prominent priests say the priestly blessing over the people at the Western Wall. A group of us went to witness it Monday morning. We got there early and found a good spot near the front. The entire plaza ended up being packed, with many watching from perches around. It began with the morning prayers (all in Hebrew) and ended with the blessing: “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: “‘“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his […]
Reclining
The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Friday evening we had a triclinium meal. A triclinium in the Greco-Roman world […]
Crumbs
The Lord’s Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord’s Festival of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. Leviticus 23:5-6 Passover is upon us. It’s an annual reminder of God’s salvation. God saved the people of Israel from bondage in Egypt. When Jesus came, he used that as an image of what he was doing spiritually, saving people from their sins. The most prominent command surrounding the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread is the removal of yeast/leavening from one’s […]