The Power of Remembering

I had a new experience last night...my first Passover Seder.  As a Gentile, I haven't turned down too many invitations to experience the special meal that commemorates God's delivery of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.  However, in the last couple of years I've begun to see the value of following the Jewish calendar a little closer.  Then a member of our body invited me to his home to celebrate Passover with his family. He explained that he had been in fellowship with several Messianic Jewish congregations when he lived in New York, and the Passover Seder dinner had become a common part of their families celebration.

  

Fred Romano's testimony is quite dramatic.  As a drug-addicted hair stylist, Fred found himself cutting Billy Graham's hair. He had no idea who he was, but enjoyed the reaction of his co-workers when Rev. Graham left the salon.  That night he checked out his work as he watched Graham's crusade on television. Hearing the gospel, he cried out to Jesus saying, "I don't know if you exist, but if you do, please come into my heart!"

Fred addressed our body Sunday morning, sharing his testimony and laying out how the Passover pointed to Christ. He told of how God sees the blood of Jesus when he looks at us, passing over us without judgment or condemnation for our sins. The congregation was invited back to experience the Seder meal in which each element is a reminder of certain aspects of the Israelites deliverance experience.

Although our version of the Seder meal pointed to Yeshua (Jesus' true Hebrew name) as the Passover Lamb and was slightly different than that celebrated by the Jews, two realities made the evening very special. First, knowing that Jews and Messianic Christians all over the world were walking through a similar experience yesterday connected us to a larger family.  But the greater impact came from realizing that for over 3500 years people have been following this tradition in order to obediently remember the goodness of God and His power to deliver his people from bondage.  Watching how my three sons followed along the Hagadah (the Seder readings),  and were connecting the dots with stories they had learned, made me realize how valuable these holidays and festivals have been all these generations for passing along the truths God desires us to remember.  He wants to be known by every generation, and He knows that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds.

A little more transformation and renewal happens whenever we bring back to mind the love and faithfulness of our God.  I'm grateful for the chance to worship, to celebrate and learn with my family, and to be included in a God-ordained reminder of the way he continues to set slaves free.

Thanks, Fred.