We’ve been noodling the holiness of these days, the beauty of the “synchronicity” of Holy Week for Christians with the 8 days of Passover for Jews this year, the unmistakable multitude of examples of God’s Presence. These have been days of sorrow – adversity, illness, global disequilibrium, death of Pope Francis  – as well as days of joy – reconciliations, inexplicable good doctor reports, signs of hope. For me these days culminated in Monday’s Bible study group gathering complete with special Passover food (including my matzah ball soup!)

We started with a review of the Passover story as told through the Maxwell House Haggadah and then showed where these sections were expanded upon in the Vine of David Messianic Jewish Haggadah. I loved sharing our Messianic Jewish interpretation of the Afikomen tradition and our understanding of the four glasses of wine. When we got to the third cup, the cup of redemption, the non Messianic Jewish attendees were particularly interested since for one of them their Seders had always ended at the meal before the third and fourth cups of wine. We discussed the deeper meanings of the cup of redemption in light of Yeshua’s words at His last Seder with us. We noodled what Yeshua’s Seder could have looked like and dug into some of the Rabbinical writings at the time which shed some light on that topic. Most of the Christians were unaware of the existence let alone contents of Talmudic writings.

Our Ukrainian Greek Orthodox member shared a special Paska bread and a butter sculpted in the shape of a lamb as is their tradition and spoke of their observances. The Catholic member described her observances during Holy Week. The Protestant members especially were fascinated by the stories behind the stories in the Messianic Jewish Haggadah. No matter each person’s religious beliefs, all were amazed and mystified by the thought of Yeshua eating a Passover meal commemorating the story of the Exodus, the telling of this seminal story of our people so deeply embedded in Jewish identity throughout millennia.

So it would only be logical that HaShem would continue to shower us with more as I received a YouTube interview with Dr. Jeremiah Johnston on the Shroud of Turin just released on Good Friday. (Thank you, Rabbi Rich!) It is long but worth every minute of it. So much science, historical context, archaeological evidence on a subject that indisputably substantiates the truth of the Resurrection. The acceleration of His promptings is becoming more evident daily, this accessible presentation being just one more piece of the spiritual trajectory occurring during these days.

Every day is just another day. We can choose what we do and look back on how we spent those hours each night as we go to bed. They can be days of just putting out the fires, dealing with all the craziness, being the hamster on the wheel. Some days, some weeks, perhaps some months are just like that. Out of control. Overwhelming. Pointless. Same old, same old. For that is a reality we can’t change if we let ourselves look at life that way

Or . . .

We can recognize that during these days every one of them can feel like that unless we close our eyes to our secular failings so we can instead see the bigger picture. We can slow down, breathe deeply, pray, and let Him in. Not only does God have our backs, including all of us globally, we do have control, choice, over our ability to lean into the struggles and connect with Him. When we do so we are reminded of His faithfulness. When we are reminded of His Presence we are also strengthened in our faith that there is a God. He’s always there just waiting for us to remember Him, to become reengaged in the best love story ever told – the reality that Our God, who not only formed us, fathers us, but also, walked with us and died for us is in relationship with us, in deep love with us.

It is a reality that not only can we embrace with faith, but also, with proof.  He proves His Presence by the daily miracles – our ability to breathe, healings, synchronicities, scientific evidence not explicable otherwise, tiny and enormous miracles such as the Shroud of Turin and its continuing revelation to us. As we remind ourselves of all of these spiritual truths, we emotionally become able to look at the same reality that just overwhelmed us, and become able to not feel overwhelmed. Rather, putting our lives’ struggles into that perspective, the true reality, allows us to do our part which is to build our faith.

As we build our faith, and share our faith in Him with others, thus surrounding ourselves with a communal support group, we become better able to have lives of hope rather than despair. Today was my last line dance class for this year with cousin Sandy at the cabana overlooking the beach. She asked that we begin it in prayer for healing for one of our line dancer’s doctor’s appointment today to plan treatment for her newly discovered cancer. We danced to Sandy’s selections of mostly worshipful songs of praise as the Ruach/ocean breeze/spirit playfully tousled our hair and danced with us throughout the class. She ended with all of us joining hands as we prayed again for healing for our friend. He is changing all of us.

Not only does our Creator seem to be revealing Himself more prominently, but the world in which we are living now seemingly is more challenging than it has been in our most recent memories. That is no coincidence. Perhaps the worse our world, the more He reveals Himself as we become more aware of the futility of our individual efforts. As we are in these end of days, which may be generations long, our Divine Lover is there for us more obviously in more ways to remind us that He is there for us. Always. Powerfully. Mercifully. With boundless Love.

I hope these days of Passover have drawn you in more powerfully than ever before, that the reality of His Presence did not just pass over you, but rather, that you are filled with Him. Even at this very moment, I hope you can reflect on what we all communally and individually have just experienced and can be reminded of the reality of God who redeemed us then from Egypt and continues to reach out His outstretched arm to each of us day after day now miraculously through Yeshua, His promised Messiah. Dayenu.

Shabbat shalom.

Diane