Last week, I was heading towards a discussion about the similarities and differences between orthodox Jews and orthodox Christians. As you may recall, this was based upon a discussion I had with a friend who was raised Orthodox Jew and now attends a Christian church. This is a tough topic. Almost as tough as explaining what being a Messianic Israelite is all about. But with Passover right around the corner, I am mentally rambling about spotting moons, abib barley, the rabbinic calendar, this way versus that way, etc. So hang on for the Jew vs Christian debate at a later time. We'll get to it, but I'm not there yet.
Keep in mind, these are **my** thoughts …. Just thoughts I have about what I have seen, read, heard, learned and so forth. Remember the blog about Unity? If we all are reading the same thing from the same book, why do we get different answers? Well, try this one on for size… if Scripture tells us to base our calendar of events upon spotting a new moon, how come there are a numerous ways to call a moon new/renewed? If we are told to make sure the barely is abib at the same time the moon is spotted, how can we gloss over it and follow some man-made calendar? I do not have quarrel with how anyone does anything as long as they are sure it is from their heart and they are doing the best they can with the heart they have and it, their heart, is Torah inspired. I do have a concern with the Passover Seder ... you know, the one that was in vogue when Yahshua said He would not drink the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom of YHVH comes. He made this more firm when He pointed out that the cup after the meal is the cup of the New Covenant, ratified by His blood, which is being poured out for ‘them’ (us). He said this after expressing delight to participate in the Passover Seder the night before He died. Yeah, it’s a lot of paraphrasing but I want to share thoughts rather than quote memorized text. In 1 Cor 10:21-22 we are told that we can’t enjoy a meal of the Master and a meal of demons. In other words, we can’t have it both ways. He does not want us to be lukewarm. This is a **covenantal** meal. When we participate and when the b’rakhah (blessing) is offered, we just said Yes We Will once again… as we did at Sinai.
For some, the Passover Seder is a ritual and entertainment. But the way I read it, since it is the Seder in which our Messiah took part, I want to take part as though He is with us at that moment. And I believe that if we let Him in, He IS right there. When someone ‘new’ has come to experience the Seder do we make sure that they understand what they are about to participate in? Better yet, do we know fully what we are participating in? Do we tell the ‘newbie’ to enjoy the meal but stay away from the elements of the covenant? And while we are at it, are we taking full advantage of a handy guide to conduct a Seder with all the trappings and trimmings of the ‘traditions of man’ which are soon forgotten? Or do we follow Scripture alone and keep traditions of man out of it? Do we ensure that the adults teach the children the truth of why we are doing the Seder that Yahshua did and how Yahshua fit into the picture, using His Word to express ourselves? Or do we make it a festive party with lots of wine to drink and dancing and laughter and maybe hide and seek something? Have we gotten to the place where ‘right is wrong and wrong is right’? Does the tradition become the focal point and no one remembers why it is done? How DOES someone who just came in the door make sense of what we are doing? Why do so many of us disagree on so many things yet just go along with the crowd and not research and find some smidgen of truth about the covenant we are making? For the record, I am personally in favor of spotting the moon and barley, reading from Scripture and having the foods that are written in the Word (lamb, matzah, and bitter herbs). Aside from being the way I understand the Word, I figure, if I follow Scripture, I won’t have to remember the symbolism of the tradition that fades over time. Another thing I think about at this time of the year; twice a year the Father directs us on how to regulate our calendar so that our ‘planting’ and harvesting will be on time and our commanded feast days will be observed properly. He keeps cadence by having us keep track of Rosh Chodesh. It gets to be a ‘monthly’ habit. When we do, counting the omer is no biggie…get the first day right and the rest follow along. Again, for me the heart speaks loud to the heavens above, and He hears our heart.
I guess for some it really doesn’t matter when or how we keep His Feasts, as long as we keep them. Try that with your spouse come wedding anniversary time! If you think that as long as we remember to say thanks to our spouse at some point in time, then we have shown our love. Between me and you ... I won't try that.
On the same thought: If my wife told me she got a deal of a life time .... She says she has been blessed with a pair of tickets for three fantastic relationship experiences. All we had to do is meet for dinner on the fourteenth day of the first month between sundown and darkness. Then we are to meet again for a festival a little more than seven weeks later. To top it off, we go on a week-long camp out after the second correction of the calendar as guided by YHVH in His word. I may have no idea what she is talking about, but she says she will be there with or without me. She confided that she knows exactly when and where. Don’t you think I would be scrambling to unravel the secret and make sure I arrived on time? To love someone is to be able to take them for their word. Unless I make an effort to learn what their words mean and what they are talking about, I am disingenuous.
Shalom and love…
Pinchas a/k/a Frankly Speaking
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