Passover begins this evening.
It is one of the most significant Jewish Holidays, commemorating when the angels of God “passed over” the Hebrews as the firstborn children and animals of the Egyptians were killed—all because Pharoah would not set the Hebrews free as God commanded.
With this final plague on Egypt, Pharoah agreed to free the Hebrews so they might begin their journey to the promised land.
God instructed the Jews to commemorate the first Passover, when they had marked their houses with blood, alerting the angels to “pass over” their homes.
Christians draw parallels in their faith,
This week, I was listening to a minister on the radio who noted that in the days after His resurrection, Jesus did not appear to Pilate to tell him that he had been wrong in ordering His crucifixion.
Jesus did not appear to the Jewish leaders and chastise them for not believing and demanding His death.
He did not appear to the Roman soldiers who nailed Him on the cross.
Why?
Today, I was drinking in the beautiful hymns of Psalm Sunday. They are majestic, powerful, and inspirational!
Among my very favorites is All Glory, Laud and Honor. When I close my eyes and listen to the lyrics, I can feel all the emotions I imagine those present at Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The hope. The joy. The expectation.
As Christians, we carry the hope, joy, and expectation at our Lord’s second coming. Feel this excitement. Play this song and sing along. It is a wonderful way to enter into the spirit of Holy Week.
What are some of your favorite Holy Week Hymns/ song?
My mother is Irish—which makes me Irish as well!
One of my favorite blessings is The Irish Blessing, which is a favorite benediction of my forefathers—and so appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day!
It is a great blessing for everyone—even if you aren’t Irish!
Often, when those who do not believe in the God, we serve look at our lives, they question the very existence of God.
“If this God truly loves His people, why does He allow them the same pains and sufferings as those who don’t believe?”
Christians, too, have asked this question.
I have asked it myself.
But when I do,
I love praise songs and contemporary hymns. I enjoy the beat, the spirit, and the ease with which they can be sung.
But I find it sad that so few churches today incorporate traditional hymns into their worship services.
The traditional hymns were written when there were no computers, television, or radio. It was a time when men and women focused on faith, family, friends, and the work of their hands. They read many books and met regularly in churches, gathering houses, pubs, and each other’s homes to discuss thoughts, ideas, and faith.
There is a stark difference between how the world evaluates us and how God judges us.
The world evaluates us based on physical appearance, wealth, status, jobs, cars, homes, and worldliness.
Isn’t it interesting that none of these things is part of God’s formula for judging us?
It is quite the opposite.
Things in this world seem unstable, crazy, and spinning out of control.
I don’t know where you live in this world, but I bet at times this year, you have felt the same way.
When I look around and everything seems in freefall, I take a deep breath and remember that:
- I didn’t make the universe.
- I can’t fix this mess.
- I don’t understand how things got so messy.
- I don’t know that path back to order and sanity.
But, there is Someone who does
In 2018, my husband and I—on our own—took a trip to Israel.
I had always wanted to see the places of the Bible—Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Masada, Nazareth—and we did. We saw so many of those cities.
But what impressed me most was Galilee.
Going to Jerusalem is like visiting New York –busy, wall-to-wall people, tons of buses. Did I enjoy it? Yes—but it was a fast blur of heat, people, and historic sites.
Galilee, on the other hand, is soothing. It is slow-paced. It invites you to sit by the sea, take in Peter’s home, and see where Jesus preached his first message.
Drink—relax—reflect.
That is Galilee.
