My thoughts and reflections on the Easter period comes from my questioning of the Eucharist. This is where Christian's remember Jesus by taking wine or grape juice often in a little shot glass and tearing of a piece bread to eat. The bread symbolises Jesus' body and the wine his blood shed on the cross. Jesus told his disciples at the Last Supper to remember Him in this way which is recorded by the Gospel writer Luke:
"And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembarance of me". And in the same way He took the cup and after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood which is poured out for you". (Luke 19:20)
There is something very powerful about the act of the Eucharist but I have always wondered why this celebration is no longer a meal as described in the bible. After watching a 'Jews for Jesus' video I learned so much more about what Jesus was saying to his disciples through the LastSupper, which was at a Passover Meal.
Have we as Western Christian's lost so much of Jesus' message because we have forgotten the Jewish roots of our faith?
I've always had the feeling in church that the Eucharist was a time of personal reflection and commitment of the Christian faith. The reality is the Eucharist should be about togetherness, community, fellowship and unity, which is why it is often referred to as 'communion'. This is only really demonstrated when we understand what Jesus was doing at the Passover Meal.
Coffee Cup Uproar
This is why I was so deeply troubled by the Easter period and I think it ties in strongly with Amy's experience at Christmas. I remember at the time the uproar when a major coffee chain changed their 'Christmas Cups' to 'Holidays Cups'. A Former Pastor Josh Feuderstein said "Do you realize that Starbucks wanted to take Christ and Christmas off of their brand new holiday cups? That's why they're just plain red".
All this over a coffee cup?
Who Put 'Christ' into Christmas?
There is no doubting the Easter and Christmas periods are special times, even holy. They are a time when we come together and celebrate with our families. It is a wonderful display of family values shaped by Christianity. The reality is that althought Christianity has had its infleunces on these festivals it is not where they were rooted. The question is who put 'Christ' into Christmas.
My conviction is that I will not ban Easter or Christmas in our household. We will cherish them as a great family occasion, we will feast and celebrate and exchange presents and chocolates. We will also happily share stories of Jesus birth and resurrection and attend church services. However maybe I am happy to say happy holidays because the roots of our faith are not in Easter or Christmas they are in the Passover.
So this week we will as a family celebrate Passover and I want to share how we get on. We will probably make a lot of mistakes and get things wrong but its not about being legalistic. It is about unlocking more of what Jesus came to do and to teach us. I say this not to offend but to help others understand more about the richness and authenticity of our faith.
The House of Prayer
Before we moved to Dorset in the summer I wrote down this verse whilst we were looking for somewhere to live. I felt at the time it was more than just about our housing situation.
"Even those I will bring to My holt mountain And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples." (Isaiah 56:7)
And so this week we celebrate the Messiah has come so that Jewish and Gentiles (non-Christian's) may know the love of God. This is only by grace as the only sacrifice acceptable to the altar of God was the sacrifice made by Jesus. So now we too can sit at the table and find unity in the Lord's house of prayer.
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