In Remembrance of Me

   This Sunday is Palm Sunday and the next one is Easter. I am amazed at God's precision in the way He planned the events in the Jewish calendar to coincide with the life of Jesus. Passover was instituted centuries before Jesus was born but it was full of symbolism. The lamb, the foods, and the four cups of wine all pointed to the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. Jesus died at the time of the Passover and rose on Easter. The Jews still observe Passover while Christians observe Easter. One points to death of Christ while the other celebrates eternal life.

   We will observe communion on Easter morning. Jesus instituted communion while eating the Passover meal with His disciples just before His death. In the Seder (Passover meal), three pieces of bread are placed in a bag that has three chambers, one piece into each chamber of the bag (three in one). The bread placed in the first chamber is never touched, never used, never seen. It represents the Father. The third bread is used to eat the meal and represents the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

 The second bread is broken in half at the beginning of the Seder; half of it is placed back in the bag, and the other half is wrapped in a linen cloth and hidden until the end of the main course when it is found by a child. The Jews say the three breads represent Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but they can’t explain why they break Isaac in half. We can. It represents the Son whose body was broken, buried, and resurrected. When the hidden half is found, it is broken into pieces, distributed and eaten by everyone. It was at this point, Jesus said: “Take and eat; this is My body” (Luke 22:19). The bread we eat at communion is in memory of His broken, buried, and resurrected body.

   The four cups of wine drunk at various times during the Passover each have a special significance. They represent four promises God made to Israel in Exodus 6:6-7, but each also has a spiritual application to us today.

1.    The first cup of wine is called the cup of sanctification

It is to commemorate the promise: “I will bring you out.”

2.      The second cup is called the cup of plagues

It reflects the plagues that came upon Egypt – and relates to the second promise: “I will free you from being slaves.”

3.      The third cup is called the cup of redemption

God said: “I will redeem you.”

4.      The fourth cup is called the cup of completion

God said: “I will take you as my own people.”

   Luke’s account of the Last Supper draws attention to the first and third cups. The Passover meal starts with the first cup of wine – the cup of sanctification: “I will bring you out.” Jesus drank this cup of wine with the disciples and promised them that the next time He drank the fruit of the vine with them would be in the kingdom. God brings us out of Egypt – out of the world, spiritual slavery to sin, and the fear of death.   

   The third cup of wine is the cup of redemption. Jesus took the third cup—the cup of redemption—and used that one as a symbol of the New Covenant in His blood. "Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you" (Luke 22:20). That Jesus used the third cup to institute communion was not by chance. That He was crucified during Passover week and died at the time of the evening sacrifice was according to divine plan and to underscore the fact that Jesus was the promised Savior.

     When Jesus instituted communion, He said, "This do in remembrance of Me." The next time you take communion, think about the broken bread of the Son that was hidden and retrieved and the cup of redemption. Thank God for His amazing plan of salvation and the cup of redemption He provided in His Son.

This link will take you to an excellent presentation of Christ in the Passover

Christ in the Passover with David Brickner - Jews for Jesus - YouTube

Sympathy Cards

   Spring is coming and with it comes spring cleaning. When I was young and we had a family at home, I gave the whole house a thorough cleaning every spring and fall. But as the children married and the size of the family shrank, so did my strength and the amount of dirt that accumulated. I modified my cleaning schedule to get over the house once a year, doing one room or portion per month and finishing in December. I skip the coldest winter months of January and February and begin again in March.

   So this is March and time to start the cleaning schedule for 2023. It begins with my office. Since all my winter projects (quilting, scrapbooking and crocheting) are finished, I had time to go through all the desk drawers and boxes of stuff in the closets. I threw out half of my box of research notes on the Powl family, some files in the desk and other things. If I didn't remember what it was, nobody else would either. On the top shelf of the one closet was a box of just shy of 450 cards we got after Steve died. They sat there for 29 years and were never touched. I decided they have served their purpose and can go too.

   Before pitching them, we sat down and went through them. I was amazed where all the cards came from. There were cards from relatives, friends, business places, and people we didn't know. A lot of the relatives are no longer living and also some of our friends. 

   I made some observations as I went through the cards. First, I should send more cards. Second, when I choose a card to send to someone, I try to pick one with an appropriate message. But when those cards came, I only read the name of the sender and a short message if they had written one in the card. We got as many as sixty cards a day and my mind was too full and tired to read every word. One lady who meant well sent a four-page letter on how to handle grief. I didn't know her and never read it. The best ones were those that shared a memory of Steve. What you write in a card is more important than what is pre-printed in it. Write a note but make it short and sweet.

   The cards that I did read every word came months and years later. One dear lady has sent us a note on Steve's birthday and the anniversary of his death every year for 29 years. The cards and notes that come later mean more than those that come in bunches right away. Three or four months after a death is a low spot when it feels like everyone has forgotten and you are stuck with the grief. That is when a card or note is really appreciated. But if you want to do that, it has to be intentional. If you don't put it on your schedule, you probably won't remember to send it.

  It seems a shame to pitch all those cards that people spent so much time and money on. But if I put the box back on the shelf they will sit there again as long as we live here and eventually will come to the same end. I might as well dispose of them myself and spare our children the trouble when they have to empty this house. If it makes you feel better, I did save a handful that were especially meaningful and/or from special people. It was touching to go through the cards and be reminded that so many people cared.