The Bobbe Easter Bunny
Last Sunday Sid and I spent Easter with my son, his wife, and our adorable grandbaby. My son’s wife is Christian so they observe both Jewish and Christian traditions. Of course Sid and I were immersed in Passover seders and observances. Yet the opportunity arose to spend this special day with our loved ones so we took it.
It was a whirlwind trip. We were really only there for 24 hours. But the time was so precious.
For me, I do miss having a way to worship as a Jew to celebrate the resurrection of our Messiah, so attending a church service with Erin was a special time for both of us. It was a day of love that could overcome geographical challenges (they live three hours away from our MA home, 5 hours from our ME home.) I knew this had been a hectic time for my children to even think about celebrating holidays, Passover or Easter, so it was time for a little Grandma, and Grandpa, TLC. I am not an Easter maven, but I was pretty sure I knew what the Easter Bunny brings. So we arrived complete with Easter baskets of plastic eggs and a good amount of fuzzy bunnies, Peeps, and special surprises. A good time was had by all.
So why share this in my Messianic Jewish Shabbat encouragement. . .
I think it’s easy at this time of year to get caught up in our differences, and even judge others’ actions regarding how these beautiful spring holidays are celebrated. Lots of judgmental boxing in of people, their traditions and levels of observance, their choices of celebrations, Jewish to Jewish, Christian to Christian, even Jewish to Christian and visa versa. Yes, I am familiar with all the criticisms about commercialization, loss of religious focus, not to mention theological differences. But my model is Yeshua whose last supper was the Passover seder, a time before all the confusion. And even though all was not right with His world either, He showed us how to live by loving.
So when a Jewish bobbe tries to be an Easter bunny, it’s not for many of the reasons others may traditionally do so. It is for the reason that brings us all together, the one that Yeshua showed in His actions and in His words to be the most important of all – it is for love. For when our actions are motivated by love, the differences melt away. We see each other, their needs, above our own. We are able to focus on bringing happiness to another, to sharing His heart. And mystically, when we do so, we are blessed with feeling His love in even greater measure than that which we give.
I hope this new season of beginnings, through your acts of love, brings you closer to Him and, in doing so, closer to those whom you touch, and, in doing so, closer to Him. Welcome to His circle of love.
Shabbat shalom.
Diane