TRADITION!!

Ok, so when you read the title of this post, some of you pictured:



And that's okay if you did. Because it actually fits in with this post.

What do you think of when you hear "Judaism" or that someone is "Jewish?"


Well, I've been thinking about this lately. I'm reading through the Bible in a year (that's the goal, anyway), and I've been reading the story of the Jewish people in Exodus. And I am fascinated!

Here's the deal: I love culture. Hence the fact that I lived in Europe for a semester, I've been to Peru, France, Mexico, Wales, Scotland....you get the picture. I love how certain people groups have a distinct culture. The Greeks, for example. When I lived in Cape Girardeau for several years, my best friend was Greek. Her family heritage was very strong, and her parents had even been married in the Greek Orthodox church. They had become Christians and had a real relationship with Christ since then, but they still retained their Greek heritage and culture. Taylor's mom would make baklava, the dessert made with yummy filo dough, and lentil soup. They called their grandparents Yaya and Papou, and Taylor and I even did our major 5th grade project on Greece. Basically, imagine this:

....and that was their family. I was always so fascinated by their culture, and wished so badly that we as Americans...well....HAD one.

Sure, we've got baseball, some folk songs and our greatest legacy:


Please don't get me wrong, I LOVE my country! I'll even throw in the flag for good measure.

Yay USA!!!!

But I just look at people like the Greeks and the Jews, and I get it. I understand why their family and tradition is so important to them.

With all of this in mind, I began to research the Jewish culture and heritage. I am going to Israel in June, and this got me thinking (especially around Easter): Why can't Christians celebrate the tradition of Passover? We share a heritage with them, "God's chosen people." Although the changes took place when they did not accept Christ as the Messiah, they have deep Biblical roots. In talking with my parents about this, my mom reminded me that her father used to do a Jewish passover service when he was pastoring their church in Arkansas. He gave value to this tradition of remembrance.

So Kurt and I have decided that as a family we are going to celebrate Passover. We aren't sure how in-depth we will go with the meal preparation, etc., because a lot of it has to do with the law that we, as Christians, no longer live under. But here's the exciting part: I was doing internet research on this, and through the "Chrysalis" blog (it's in my left-hand column), I found a whole section on having a Christian Seder (Passover meal)!!!! It was like God just handed me this resource that I was searching for. [By the way, the Chrysalis blog made reference to another website, www.christianseder.com] My dad is going to help me pick out one of these:

(a Seder plate)
while we're in Israel and anything else that would make it meaningful and authentic. My goal is to give my family a tradition that honors God's people and their story. Let's bring back some tradition!

Mazel Tov, kids!