Not daring to show a connection

For several sorts of Christians Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11).

Palm Sunday is the day that they celebrate Jesus in his humble glory riding a donkey into the city of David, as the crowds and children cry out,

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9; ESV).

 At that time lots of people gathered to shout and to welcome Jesus as their special guest. The Vip of his time got the crowds throwing palm branches on the path before him to celebrate him as their approaching King (Matthew 21:8), who came to bring lasting peace and gracious justice.

Peace and justice still did not come to the world. A few days later many of those welcoming that king could have also been in the crowd shouting to kill that Nazarene man. Glory often is just for a short time. Thankfulness is also not for a long time. We can wonder where all those people were at that moment Jesus was presented to the public as a big criminal. Jesus ad helped so many people. Jesus also had inspired so many and had shown to all around him that he was a man of peace and not of war.

Suddenly not many seemed to remember what he had done. Many also out of fear, even a close disciple as Peter did not dare to let others know that he knew Christ or was for that man.

Also today there are lots of people who not dare the outer world to show they have an interest in that Nazarene teacher or that they believe in the same God as that Jewish man worshipped. Jesus did not worship himself (what he would have done when he is God) but worshipped the God of Israel, Who is a Singular eternal all-knowing Spirit Being.

These coming days are again days that God requests to show faithfulness to Him and His commandments. One of those requirements is to come together and to remember the exodus from Egypt and the other is to remember Jesus commemorating that event and installing a new exodus, namely the exit of the curse of death. In the upper room in Jerusalem Jesus came together with his disciples and installed the New Covenant. He asked to remember that night and that is what we should do. It is also a sign of willingness to be under that New Covenant.

Though we may not mix with a lot of people and are requested to stay home, that should not hinder us to feel united even though it is via an internet connection.

I sincerely hope we shall be able to find many brethren and sisters uniting and sharing their Memorial Meeting with others around the world.

In case we have contact by internet, via Face Time or other means, do not hesitate to mention this coming Wednesday as a special day. Keep witnessing along the virtual way, now we can not do it with direct human contact.

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Find also to read:

1. Only once and with consequences
2. When Belonging to the escaped ones gathering in Jesus name
3. Dark times looking like death is around the corner – but Light given to us
5. In a time when we must remain in our place
6. First time since Nazi time no public gathering
7. No idea yet for 14 Nisan or April the 8th in 2020 Corona crisis time
8. Only a few days left before 14 Nisan
9. A meal as a mitzvah so that every generation would remember
10. A Passover for unity in God’s community
11. A virtual Seder this Wednesday, April 8 from 6.30 p.m.
12. To turn the world into a “vessel” receptive of God
13. The Application of the New Covenant 

Catholics facing a totally different Holy Week

For Pope Francis at the Vatican, and for Catholics worldwide from churches large and small, this will be an Easter like none other, like for real Christians this week shall be one of isolation whilst otherwise so busy with meeting and sharing the Good News.

The joyous message of Christ’s resurrection will be delivered to empty pews in the Christian world.
Bible students all over the world, who normally gather on 14 Nisan to have their Memorial Meal shall not be able to gather in this time of lockdown.
Also the Jews shall not be able to invite friends and poor people to their seder and shall have to celebrate the Passover meal on their own.

For the Catholics and many protestants, the world seems to come to a stand still, having no mass or worship services in public any more. Some protestant churches already spoke of a devil (Satan) making sure there would come an end to people serving and worshipping God.

Worries about the coronavirus outbreak have triggered widespread cancellations of Holy Week processions and in-person services. Many priests and pastors will preach on TV or online, tailoring sermons to account for the pandemic.
Many extended families will reunite via Face Time and Zoom rather than around a communal table laden with a Pesach Memorial Meal on Wednesday the 8th of April or an Easter feast on April 12.

Pope Francis, the first pontiff from Latin America, will be celebrating Mass for Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday and Easter in a near-empty St. Peter’s Basilica, instead of in the huge square outside filled with Catholic faithful.

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Find also to read:

1. Making deeper cuts than some terrorist attacks of the near past
2.  The unseen enemy
3. Coronavirus on March 11 declared a global pandemic on March 31 affecting more than 177 countries
4. Europe in Chaos for a Pandemic
5. No idea yet for 14 Nisan or April the 8th in 2020 Corona crisis time
6. Only a few days left before 14 Nisan
7. Even in Corona time You are called on to have the seder
8. A meal as a mitzvah so that every generation would remember
9. A night different from all other nights and days to remember
10. First time since Nazi time no public gathering
11. Hosting a Virtual Seder During a Pandemic
12. Love in the Time of Corona
13. Christian Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic

A Holy week in remembrance of the Blood of life

Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel, and said to them: “These are the words which the Lord has commanded, that you should do them” (Exodus 35:1)

English: Moses speaks to the children of Israel, as in Deuteronomy 31:1, illustration from "The Boys of the Bible" by Hartwell James, published by Henry Altemus Company, 1905 and 1916. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The people who believed in a Divine Creator came already together at regular times in the time of Moses and the time before him. Moses was warned by his father in law that he could not do things on his own.

“17 and Moses’ father-in-law said to him, the thing that you do [is] not good. 18 you will surely wear away, both you and this people that [is] with you. for this thing [is] too heavy for you; you are not able to perform it alone. 19 listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and god will be with you. you be for the people toward god, that you may bring the causes to god. 20 and you shall teach them ordinances and laws, and shall make them know the way in which they must walk, and the work that they must do. 21 and you shall look out of all the people able men, such as fear god, men of truth, hating unjust gain. and place [such] over them to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.” (Exodus 18:17-21 MKJV)

Today we also do find many people in church communities to be burned out, and the people right along with their supposed leaders. Today there are a lot of priests and church-leaders who are not really there for the people before God. They also are afraid or do not bring the many matters of concern to God. Though their job is to teach the common people the rules and instructions of God and to show them how to live, what to do. Many of those church-leaders do not fear God any-more or do not look up to men of integrity, men who are incorruptible — and do not appoint them as leaders over groups organized by the thousand, by the hundred, by fifty, and by ten. Many churches have gone far off track of what the bride Christ had offered.

Now we have been celebrating Chag Ha Aviv – Passover, our spring holiday – also named Chag HaMatzot the holiday of unleavened bread with so many other chosen people by God, we could and can take time to meet with many people who believe in the One and only One God of gods, Jehovah.

This 7 or 8 days of holy time coincides with what many Christians call the Holy Week. For us it is also a holy week.

As the Jews eat their “bread of procrastination” it is also for us a time to reflect on our faith. On 14 Nisan, Tuesday the 26th in the evening, after sundown, all over the world serious bible students came together to remember two special moments in history.

In Belgium people could follow the Memorial Meal in several languages (a.o. Dutch, French, German, English, Mandarin, Afrikaans, Congolese, Arabic, Albanian) and hear the readings from the Scriptures in their own language or a language they also know. Somehow they could find a language which could suit them and which they could follow so they should not have a had a language excuse.
There should also not have to be an excuse to delay the coming together, because we have 8 days time to come together to share the Good News with friends, colleagues, brethren and sisters in Christ.

As Rabbi Avi Katz Orlow wrote: "We all have ways we can grow; matzah is there to flatten us out and remind us that this growth might not fit neatly into our schedule." For him Jews are not destined to be the doormat of history. When the situation calls for it they need to be ready to risk their own safety and security to stand up for those who need our help.

Jews and Christians must be brave enough to end fights without going into fighting themselves. But even in those situations we need to know when to call it quits and move on. The armour we do have to put on is the armour of love, which was demonstrated by Jeshua (Jesus)

The Matzah has the focal point on freedom and on 14 Nisan we could say we have a remembrance of Liberation Day. First of all there where the Chosen People, Israel, the People of God, who were blessed by the Creator and shown the way to safeguard themselves for the destruction of the firstborns which came over the land of Egypt because the people of Egypt did not wanted to listen to the God of gods. Secondly there is the night Jesus prepared a meal with his disciples, washed their feet as a humble servant, broke unleavened bread and said thanks to the Most High Elohim. On that night he was going to be betrayed and brought to a judgement bringing death he let us know that we have something to look forward and that he was willing to serve as a mediator between God and men, being the Lam of God, bringing blood of life, the Blood of The Everlasting Covenant.

Through sharing meals we each can connect to the network of Jewish tables, Christian tables and share the connection which was made for the Gentiles by the Nazarene Jeshua, Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

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Please do find some of the readings of the service of 14 Nisan:

• In English:
  On the first day for matzah
  Servant for the truth of God
  The Anointed One and the first day of No Fermentation
  For the Will of Him who is greater than Jesus
• In Dutch:
  Op de eerste dag voor matzah
  Dienstknecht voor velen terwille van de waarheid van God
  De Gezalfde en de eerste dag van de feestperiode van Ongezuurde Broden
  Voor de Wil van Hem die groter is dan Jezus
• In French:
  Le premier jour de matsa
  
  Le fils de David et le premier jour des pains sans levain
  
  Serviteur pour pour prouver la véracité de DieuPour la Volonté de Celui qui est plus grand que Jésus
  
• In German:
  Diener um der Wahrheit willen Gottes
  Der Gesalbte und der erste Tag des Festes der ungesäuerten Brote
  Am ersten Tag für Mazza
  Für den Willen dessen, der größer ist als Jesus

Please do also find to read about the Last Supper:

1. Deliverance and establishement of a theocracy
2. 14 Nisan a day to remember #1 Inception
3. 14 Nisan a day to remember #2 Time of Jesus
4. 14 Nisan a day to remember #3 Before the Passover-feast
5. 14 Nisan a day to remember #4 A Lamb slain
6. 14 Nisan a day to remember #5 The Day to celebrate
7. Around the feast of Unleavened Bread
8. High Holidays not only for Israel
9. Festival of Freedom and persecutions

Vindt ook om te lezen rond het Laatste Avondmaal:

In het Nederlands:

1. De Gezalfde en de eerste dag van de feestperiode van Ongezuurde Broden
2. Voorbereidingstijd tot een herinneringsmoment
3. Zalving van Christus als profetische repetitie van de begrafenisrituelen
4. 1 -15 Nisan
5. 14 Nisan, de avond om Christus Zijn predikingswerk te herinneren
6. 14 Nisan een dag om te herinneren #1 Oorsprong
7. 14 Nisan een dag om te herinneren #2 In Jezus tijd
8. 14 Nisan een dag om te herinneren #3 Voor het Overgangsfeest
9. 14 Nisan een dag om te herinneren #4 Een Gedood Lam
10. 14 Nisan een dag om te herinneren #5 De te vieren dag
11. Jezus Laatste Avondmaal
12. Jezus aanbod op het laatste avondmaal
13. Teken van het Verbond
14. Jezus moest sterven
15. Een Messias om te Sterven
16. Lam van God #3c Christus stierf als onschuldig Lam NT teksten
17. Een Groots Geschenk om te herinneren
18. Een Feestmaal en doodsherinnering
19. Geen Wegvluchter
20. Slavernij, Ongedesemd Brood en Feesten

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  Find also:
  
  Timely Growth  + For the Love of Meetings 
  
  
  
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