Passover...
I decided to write something about Passover and how we will be celebrating this year. It has been on my mind to share with you our plans and how YOU can be a part.
I Corinthians 11:23-26
For what I received from the Lord is just what I passed on to you — that the Lord Yeshua, on the night he was betrayed, took bread; and after he had made the b’rakhah (blessing) he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this as a memorial to me”; likewise also the cup after the meal, saying, “This cup is the New Covenant effected by my blood; do this, as often as you drink it, as a memorial to me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord, until he comes. (CJB)
We celebrate Passover in Remembrance of Him. We recognize that the "last supper" was not truly a "Passover Dinner," but a pre-celebration of what was going to come. The official name of this meal is, "seudah maphsehket." As we gather with family and friends, we always follow the order God established and recognize the elements of the meal. It is a joyful, and reflective, time remembering ALL God has done for each of us. Giving thanks for how He has delivered us from our personal Egypt and the bondage we were in.
Passover (which is this Friday night) this year for our family will be with 6 or 7 people who have never experienced a Seder dinner. One couple, who we had for a Shabbat dinner several weeks ago, will be getting married here in Cyprus on the 25th. She is from St. Lucias island in the Caribbean and he is from Sweden. They are believers and look forward to sharing with us and learning more about the root of their faith.
Another 3, and maybe 4 (if the mom’s boyfriend comes), is a family with a mom from Mexico and Catholic background. There are two children, a boy who is 18 and a girl who is 16. (Their father is from Germany and also lives here in Cyprus.) They look forward to experiencing something new and learning how Jesus is connected in this family dinner that has been celebrated for thousands of years.
We also have a friend from Texas who has been here since September. He has also never participated in a Passover. He is a believer and looks forward to understanding why Easter never made sense to him. This dinner will connect the dots.
We are excited to open our home and share this important meal that Todd and I have been celebrating since 2001. Dynamics, and circumstances, have been different every year. Sometimes it has been just our family. Other times we have had them with 100 people present. We always do our best to care for those God brings into our home.
Our deepest desire is that we listen to the Holy Spirit and present Jesus in the way Scriptures intend for Him to be revealed. Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection is part of so many details in the Passover dinner. Hidden in plain sight is what we like to say. He is there in so many pieces and symbols.
We would love to have you partner with us in this celebration. Any donation you give will allow our evening to be even more special for those HE is bringing together. Some of them will bring a dish, but since this is their first Passover, we will be supplying most of the food. Our budget gets stretched when larger meals happen, but we know God will supply.
It is easy to donate. The picture below links to our homepage, which has a "donate now" button connected to PayPal. Any amount will be a blessing. It could supply the apples for the charoset salad, or the grape juice and wine for the 4 cups we drink. We also have to find matzah (hopefully the local Chabad center has some!).
Thank you for your consideration and thank you for partnering and praying with us. May the Holy Spirit guide us all as we enter this week of new understanding of WHO Jesus is for us. May HIS love complete us all and compel us to move forward stronger in the coming year.
Love and blessings,
Rose
All donations are tax deductible through TBG. Click the picture below to take you to the TBG homepage and from there you can "Give Online."
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