Friday, April 14, 2017

Passover 2017


The spring feasts are upon us and oh, it has felt so good to prepare and get ready for them.  Some years, I just can't seem to get ready in time or don't get things around for extra lessons for the children, but this year I've been anticipating the celebrations!

We had our traditional family movie night where we watch the Passover Movie on YouTube and discuss what stuck out to us.  This year it moved my heart so much that the older Dad saw that Yeshua/Jesus was truly the Messiah.  I wonder if we are so used to the hum drum of going to church every week and doing the same old thing for our religious practices that we forget what He did for us and that He truly is the Saviour of the world.  That scene caused me to think on it more this year and whether my heart was swept away with awe and worship at the thought of what HE did.

The evening of Passover we went to City on a Hill in Sturgis for a service and worship.  We always enjoy going through the Seder and sharing with the children how everything from the Old Testament truly speaks of Him and the Scriptures He fulfilled.  It was a lovely time with other feast observers.



 How appropriate that Schwartz's had some lambs for us to enjoy too.  It truly puts it in perspective that He was the Lamb of God, slain for our sins.





 Benaiah was excited about something.

 We went through each plague with the children .  Here they have fly swatters to represent the fly plague.

 I was so blessed this year that I didn't have to leave with a little, noisy baby.  Hadassah did such a good job.  I look forward to more and more celebrations where I can actually sit in on the whole service.  :)

 The plague of darkness.  All the children were given glow sticks.

And after the afikomen was found, the children got to dig into these matzah houses.  They are always so much fun for the children to enjoy.

As we continue on celebrating during this week of Unleavened Bread, we are reminded that so much sin can hide in our hearts and that we need to sometimes dig deep, pull things out, look behind, and always double check to make sure it is all truly cleaned out of our bodies.  These are such great teaching moments for the children and reminders for us.  We never end this feast wishing we wouldn't have had to do all the work of cleaning out the leaven from our home, because we always see some kind of big growth in each of our hearts afterwards.  That's what feasts are about- seeing Jesus within them and letting them draw us nearer to Him and His Word, without adding in other pagan forms of worship.  It is pure, holy, and truly His plan in giving us times to celebrate His goodness and faithfulness to us, which he laid out so perfectly in Scripture.  I know we all sin, but I want to be found blameless and holy in the way I worship and celebrate what He has done for me.