Passover: a time of remembrance

Tonight, my pre-FHE potluck dinner group decided to have an informal Passover feast. It turned out remarkably well, although I didn't get word of the theme in time to contribute anything worthwhile. But it was a very tasty and enjoyable evening, sitting on a blanket on the floor with our grape juice, flatbread, hummus, bitter herbs, and matze soup.

Even better than the food though, it was an excellent reminder of how important this week is, not just as Passover week, but as Easter week. The two celebrations go hand-in-hand so closely. Passover is a time of remembrance for how the Jews were led out of captivity to a promised land, and Easter is a celebration of the event that allows all men who consciously choose it freedom from sin and the chance to live in an eternal promised land, in the presence of the Father.

It is so ironic to me that Christmas is such a huge celebration worldwide and celebrated with such pomp and that Easter, by comparison, is celebrated on a much smaller scale- and yet which is the more important event? That Christ was born, or that He conquered death?

Don't let Easter slip by uncelebrated in your own life. Perhaps it is not such a bad thing that the world considers this holiday to be worth less monetary value than Christmas- maybe they are right. But if Easter is really celebrated in its true spirit in the hearts of men, its value surpasses anything else that we can possibly aspire to. A world with no atonement and no resurrection would be a dark, dismal, terrifying place to live. Take some time this week to thank God for the gift of repentance, of rebirth, of communication with heaven. Ponder the greatness of the gift, and then take the spirit of Easter on through the rest of the year with you.