Brenda Rishea -- Faith Story

The Connection between Lent and Passover

By Brenda Rishea, March 31, 2019. Given at Cochrane United Church, St. John’s, NL

Thank you for inviting me here today. It’s wonderful that you are interested in other faiths so that you can make your season of Lent more meaningful. I hope you will find it fascinating today as I delve into the roots of your faith, which is Judaism. 

Is there a connection between Lent and Passover? Does anybody here think so? I’m going to show you, but first, I guess you want to know a bit about Judaism before I begin. I was raised Orthodox Jewish in Montreal, Quebec, where the majority of the Jewish community is Orthodox. This is one of several streams of Judaism that is more observant than some of the others. In Christianity, there are many denominations, of which some are liberal, conservative, orthodox, and more. The same thing occurs in Judaism, only there are not nearly as many sects as there are in Christianity. Among other things, to be “modern orthodox” means understanding the Bible in a literal sense but also take into account rabbinical interpretations and writings of our sages. The Orthodox are also strict about the dietary laws of what are considered kosher foods, and keeping dairy and meat dishes separate (Deut. 14:3-21). 

Being Jewish is not generally a matter of choice. Unlike Christianity, whereby one must choose to follow Jesus in order to be saved, Jews are born Jewish and can choose to followor not to follow a particular stream of Judaism, yet still be considered as “Jewish”. According to Orthodox and Conservative Judaism, one is considered fully Jewish if they were born to both parents who are Jewish; or, to a Jewish mother, (based on the fact that a woman always knows how many children she has, but a man does not); or has undergone a conversion according to Jewish regulations AND is not a member of another religion. If a person’s father was Jewish but not their mother, they are considered half-Jewish. 

Reform Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism, which adhere to a liberal theology, accept both matrilineal and patrilineal descent. It gets even more complicated than what I am telling you today, but to simplify things, I am keeping this part brief. Just remember, as the saying goes, “When you have 2 Jews, you have 3 arguments”. Enough said!

Judaism is more than just a religion. It’s a matter of ancestry and culture. In other words, it’s a way of life. One could be totally secular, yet still be a Jew. I, for one, gave up on the Orthodox interpretation of Judaism and I prefer to read the Scriptures for myself, asking God’s Holy Spirit, the Ruach haKodesh, to guide me in understanding and not to rely on the writings and commentaries of the Rabbis and sages. Being brought up Orthodox meant that we had to follow the 613 commandments – wait, what did I just say? Did you think there were only 10 commandments? The 10 commandments are just the first 10 of 613!  The 613 are called the Torah, the written law, and then on top of that, there’s the oral law, called the Talmud. And each and every commandment has multiple rabbinic interpretations that get really bogged down in details. Then there’s the Gematria, the Mishnah, the Shulchan Aruch, the Targum, the Midrash… it goes on and on. I get a headache trying to figure them all out. One thing for sure in Orthodox Judaism was that we had nothing to do with Jesus, and that we had nothing in common with Christianity. But is that really so?

Many people are surprised to learn that Jesus is a Jew. Since the New Testament is written in Greek, You know Him by the Greek version of his name, which is Jesus, but did you know that His name in Hebrew is Yeshua?  It means “salvation”. Joshua is a variant of the same name. I hope you don’t mind if I call Him Yeshua. How Jewish is He? Well, he was born to a Jewish mother. I just explained to you that it means that one is automatically a Jew. 

He was circumcised on the 8thday according to Jewish law (Lev. 12:13 On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised) and we read that in Luke 2:21 (On the eighthday, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus). 

He had a redemption ceremony (Ex. 13:12. Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal) and we read about it in Luke 2:22 (When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lordas it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”). He lived His life as an observant Jew.

The genealogies that are listed in the books of Matthew and Luke clearly show that He is descended from a line of Jews. 

Yeshua also celebrated the Jewish holidays. For example, John 10:22 says -Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. Hands up who knows what festival that was? Hanukkah, right! And how about this one? John 7 (2 and 10) But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near…he went also, not publicly, but in secret. What is that holiday called? Sukkot. He most certainly celebrated Passover, one of the most important holidays in the Jewish calendar. Look at Matthew 26:18 -He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” Mark 14:16. I won’t take the time to go to John 2:23, but Yeshua observing Passover is mentioned there as well.Even when he was a child, it says in Luke 2:41 -Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. And of course He represented the Passover lamb which was to be slain for the redemption of our sins. 

This brings us to the subject of Lent. Atfirst glance, Passover and Lent seem to have little in common. We find the parallels, however, when we look at them more broadly. Passover is that feast which commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. This freedom occurred after the Almighty spared the first-born sons of all humans and animals when the blood of a slain Passover lamb was applied to the doorposts and lintels of our houses. You know the story. You’ve probably all seen the movie, The 10 Commandments, right? Lent culminates with the crucifixion and resurrection of Yeshua, the sacrificial Lamb of God who took away the sins of the whole world. 

The traditional Passover meal is called a Seder. We have to eat unleavened bread, called matzo, during the 7-day period. Yet traditional Jews do not see the symbolism and fulfillment of Passover through Yeshua. They are spiritually blind. This is thesamefeast and the samemeal at which Yeshua the Messiah took the cup (which symbolized the blood of the lamb) and said “This is the New Covenant established in my blood.” (Luke 22:20) and broke the matzo, the unleavened bread, calling it his body (Luke 22:19 And he took bread, gave thanks and brokeit, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”).Both Lent and Passover are a time for meditation on the one, true God and reflection on our sins, His ultimate sacrifice, and what we do about it in our personal lives.

For Jews observing Passover, the preparation is just as important as the meal itself. We prepare our houses by getting rid of all leaven. It is forbidden during the week of Passover to eat any foods made with leaven, for leaven, according to the Bible, represents sin. We prepare by studying the Exodus story and retell it from generation to generation to recall how God worked miracles on our behalf. We prepare through self-examination. 

Lent prepares Christians for Easter, or Resurrection Day, as I prefer to call it. Observers of Lent prepare by “fasting”, which entails giving up certain foods or desserts, or habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol, using profanity, or video games, and so on. It’s a way to clean up our act, so to speak. Many Christians don’t fast anymore, but the Bible doesn’t say, “if you fast”; it says “when you fast”. It’s a command. Jewish fasts, on the other hand, involve a total abstention from all food and water, so Lent is a little easier to bear than a Jewish fast. Lent also involves praying and giving of alms, as does Passover. Both observances prepare our bodies and our souls in a spiritual checkup for the coming big event. 

Numbers are important in the Bible. Why are there 40 days of Lent? The number 40 can sometimes represent a period of probation, trial, and chastisement, so it’s appropriate that Lent lasts for 40 days, based on the amount of days Yeshua spent fasting in the desert after his baptism by his cousin, John, whose Hebrew name, by the way, was Yochanan. After the exodus from Egypt, the Israelites spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness. The rain that caused the flood in Noah’s day fell for 40 days and nights. Moses spent 40 days and nights fasting on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone upon which were written the 10 commandments (Ex. 34:28; Deut. 9:9, 18). After the Israelites sinned against God by worshipping the golden calf, Moses fasted another 40 days and nights to beg for God’s forgiveness (Deut. 9:17). If someone committed a crime, and was sentenced to a beating, the limit was 40 lashes. The 12 spies sent by Joshua to check out the Promised Land took 40 days to do their reconnaissance work (Num. 13:25). It was 40 years from the crucifixion of Jesus to the destruction of Jerusalem by Roman hands. I could go on and on with more reference verses, but I think you can see that a time period of 40 years often means probation, trial, and chastisement. 

The time of year for Lent and Passover is significant: both take place in spring, which is a time for hope, rebirth and renewal. Like a baby in the womb that takes time to grow, so 40 days is an appropriate and symbolic time period for Lent. Passover represents freedom from physical slavery, and culminates in the symbolic resurrection of the Israelites through the birth of this new nation, a new land, with a new set of laws. Lent is that period of preparation, climaxing in the resurrection of Yeshua that epic Sunday morning, representing our freedom from spiritual slavery, caused by sin and the power of sin. 

God wants us to celebrate His feasts so that we don’t forget what He did for us. The Torah, or the Old Testament, isn’t just rules and regulations to spoil your fun in life. The flesh is a mess and that’s why Yeshua had to pay the penalty for our sins, which is death, but also for the power of sin. Fasting during Lent is a symbolic way of identifying with Him on that cross when He suffered, bled and died for us. He gave His life for us- can we give a small part of our life back to Him? The heart of God is for us to have a pleasant, beautiful life, a blessed life. That life comes with a desire to be obedient to God. 

As Jews prepare for Passover, and as Christians prepare for the Good News of the Resurrection by observing Lent, let us appreciate the saving grace in both faith traditions. For both are blessed by God, in ways we cannot fully fathom. The survival of the Jewish people, as a prophetic and priestly community dispersed throughout the world, is an amazing miracle. Without the Jews, there would have been no Yeshua. Without Yeshua, there would be no church. The global witness of the Church, as a vessel of sacrificial service to humanity, is a manifestation of God’s mercy, love and forgiveness. Yeshua is the union that binds Judaism to Christianity. In true fellowship, we rejoice in our similarities and celebrate our differences in love.

I’ll leave you with this question. How can we use this time of Lent and Passover to inspire us to send more light into the world? 

I will conclude my time with you by singing a traditional Hebrew song that comes from  this wonderful verse from Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

Join hands and sing along!

Thank you all for being here!

Risking Faith, Daring Hope

The theme for General Council this year is “Risking Faith, Daring Hope.” I think it is a theme we need for the church as we look to the future. For the past decade and maybe more, churches everywhere are stuck in that place of lament – I’ve heard them and so have you. The lament is that longing for that time long since passed. “I remember the church was full every Sunday and there were 200 hundred children in Sunday school.” The place of church in the community has shifted. We are no longer the institution leading the way – advising government leaders or setting the cultural norms. I don’t really notice the change because the church the shaped my path of faith  was a small church with a small Sunday school.  

            We need to move forward. The time to lament is over. Now it is the time for Risking Faith and Daring Hope. It is a time to be bold and have courage to live into a new way of being God’s people in the world. We have excellent examples in our gospel reading. Jairus, the synagogue leader and unnamed woman who dared to touch the hem of Jesus rob. Each in their own way risked their faith and dared to hope. 

            The story begins with Jairus. His daughter is sick and he is desperate to help her. He’s heard about Jesus, how teaches with authority and how he heals the sick. It says in the gospel that Jairus begged Jesus repeatedly, not a polite once but repeatedly saying, “"My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live."(Mark 5:23) Jairus was wealthy and probably could have looked for help elsewhere. He could have turned to the local doctor or healer. Instead he risked everything and came to Jesus begging him to help his daughter.

            Jesus sets out with Jairus but so does the large crowd. They are pressing in on Jesus from every side. In the crowd that day there was a woman who had been bleeding/ hemorrhaging for twelve years. She’d seen every doctor and every healer. She’d tried everything to make the bleeding stop. Nothing worked and she’d spent everything she had in search of a cure. Life was lonely for this woman. In Jesus’ day a woman who was bleeding was unclean. She was alone and isolated form the community. She couldn’t touch anyone for fear of making them unclean. For twelve long, lonely years she searched for hope, for a cure … for anything that would make it possible to be part of the community. 

            She’d heard about Jesus –whispers at first, then amazing stories of new life. She didn’t want much. She knew if she could just touch him her ordeal would be over. She dared, she hoped and without a thought about the taboo she joined the crowds pressing in on Jesus, reached out her hand and brushed the hem of his robe. She said to herself, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” (Mark 5:29) And she was. The minute her hand touched his robe she could feel it stop and so could Jesus. Time stood still as Jesus turned and looked at the crowd and he said, “Who touched my clothes?” (Mark 5:30) No one could believe what Jesus was saying because there were so many people gathered and pressing in on him. The disciples wondered why Jesus didn’t keep going to Jairus’ house. 

            With fear and trembling she came forward, fell down at Jesus feet and told him her story, her truth. Jesus could have been outraged that this woman made him unclean. Jesus could have ignored the feel of power draining out of him and kept on walking toward Jairus’ house. Instead he stopped. He drew attention to the woman and her plight. He listened to her whole truth – to her pain and to her fear. At the end of the story Jesus says to her, “"Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." (Mark 5:34)

            The next moment a messenger arrives with bad news for Jairus, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?" (Mark 5:35) But Jesus, whose is the hope giver says to Jairus, “Do not fear, only believe." (Mark 5:36) When Jesus arrives at Jairus’ house, he leaves the crowds behind and goes to the place where the girl is laid. Hetakes her by the hand and says, "Talitha cum," which means, "Little girl, get up!" (Mark 5:41) And she does. 

            Three people healed. They took a risk and dared to hope. It is the kind of message we need as a church both locally, regionally and nationally. The world has changed and the church must change along with it. The time we spend longing for the good old glory days of the church and lamenting the loses are keeping us trapped in the fear. There is no future in fear. We can’t move forward when our eyes are focused in the rear-view mirror. The church can’t remain frozen in time. Now is the time of risking and hoping. A friend posted a beautiful picture of mountains with the words, “Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.” 

            There are so many reasons to hope. Jesus message of compassion, caring, justice seeking, world changing love is what our world needs right now. Whether we are big or whether we are small, we are called to share the message of love today. Increasingly, there are people who are suffering from loneliness or isolation and or fear and our church communities cab provide a healing balm. We are called to following in Jesus way of caring and compassion. We are invited to reach out and give hope to the most vulnerable in our community – the people who find themselves lost, or on the margins or hurting. Our churches can be beacons of hope. 

Hope is what made it possible for Jairus to ask Jesus repeatedly to save his daughter. “Come touch my daughter that she might live.”  Hope is what made it possible for the woman in in Gospel reading to reach out and touch the hem of Jesus robe – even though she was taking a huge risk.

            As a church community we could have walked the path of fear. We could have closed our doors or sold our building to a developer. Instead we chose hope and risk. We hoped to help people, we hoped for a future, we hoped to find new ways to follow Jesus and we took risk. We dreamed big and we started something new. Would you believe that it was almost four years since we voted on the new vision to set up Cochrane Centre? Look at what risk and hope have accomplished here. Grounded in our faith, we dared to hope for a new way of being church. 

It hasn’t been easy. The path hasn’t always been clear. There have been set backs. We spent longer than we expected “on the road” and when we came home we needed to get used to new space and new ways of doing church. Every time, I’m tempted to believe that price was too high and the challenges were and are too many, I remind myself – 15 people have homes because dared to hope, and risked living out our faith in a new way.  For us locally the journey continues as we reimagine the ways we can be God’s people at work in our community sharing Jesus’ lifesaving, life giving message of hope. 

As we continue risking faith and daring hope, we don’t do this alone, God is with us. As it says in Lamentations:

But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope: 

The steadfast love of the Lordnever ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; (Lamentations 3:21 – 23)
            God is not finished with us yet! Let us risk faith and dare to hope trusting that God is with us each step of the way. Amen.