#jesuspaiditall Archives - Four Columns of a Balanced Life

The Significance of the Seder Meal

admin — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 16:04:38 +0000

What is a Seder meal?

A Seder meal is a traditional Jewish meal that is held on the first night of Passover. The word “Seder” means “order” in Hebrew, and the meal follows a specific order or sequence of events that is outlined in the Haggadah, a text that tells the story of the Jewish people’s exodus from Egypt.

During the Seder, family, and friends gather around the table to retell the story of Passover through a series of symbolic foods and rituals, including eating matzah (unleavened bread), drinking four cups of wine, and dipping vegetables in salt water. The Seder also includes reciting blessings and prayers, singing traditional songs, and engaging in lively discussion and debate about the meaning of the Passover story and its relevance to our lives today. The Seder is a time for reflection, celebration, and connection to Jewish history.

It’s Good Friday and I am heading to Andy and Gwen Groen’s home to experience Seder.

What does the Seder meal consist of

The Seder meal consists of a sequence of symbolic foods and rituals that tell the story of the Jewish people’s liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt.

Matzah

Unleavened bread represents the haste with which the Israelites fled Egypt.

Maror

Bitter herbs, such as horseradish or romaine lettuce, represent the bitterness of slavery.

Charoset

A sweet paste made from fruit and nuts, which represents the mortar used by the Israelite slaves to build the pyramids in Egypt.

Karpas

A vegetable, such as parsley or celery, is dipped in salt water to represent the tears shed by the Israelites in slavery.

Zeroa

A roasted lamb shank bone or a chicken wing represents the Paschal sacrifice.

Four cups of wine

Each cup represents a different stage of the Exodus story, and the drinking of the wine symbolizes the joy of freedom.

Haggadah

The Jewish text tells the story of the Exodus.

What is the purpose of the Seder meal?

In addition to these symbolic foods, the Seder includes reciting blessings and prayers, singing traditional songs, and engaging in discussion and debate about the meaning of the Passover story and its relevance to our lives today.

The Seder meal is an important part of the Jewish holiday of Passover, and it serves several purposes:

Remember Jewish history

The Seder tells the story of the Jewish people’s exodus from Egypt, which is a central event in Jewish history. By retelling this story year after year, Jews remember their ancestors’ struggles and celebrate their eventual freedom.

Transmitting Jewish traditions

The Seder is a time for families and communities to come together and share in Jewish traditions, such as reciting the Haggadah, singing traditional songs, and eating symbolic foods. By participating in these rituals, Jews pass down their cultural and religious heritage from generation to generation.

Reflecting on personal freedom

The themes of slavery and freedom in the Passover story can also serve as a metaphor for personal struggles and liberation. By engaging in discussion and debate about the meaning of the Passover story, Jews can reflect on their own lives and strive to find freedom from whatever oppresses them.

It is Good Friday and I am heading to Andy and Gwen’s place to experience the Seder meal.

There are 18 of us and we are all seated at the table.

Andy starts with Kadesh (benediction) explains the importance of the Seder meal and Gwen lights a candle.

During the Seder meal, we drink four glasses of wine to represent redemption in Exodus 6: 6-8 where God says i) I shall take you out ii) I shall rescue you iii) I shall redeem you, and iv) I shall bring you.

Andy reminds us that while drinking the wine, we need to lean on our left side and recline while eating as only free people did that and not slaves.

We now have the symbolic karpas (appetizer) where we dip parsley into salt water and eat it. Karpas when read backward refers to the hard work performed by the 600,000 Jews in Egypt.

It is time for yachts, the breaking of the matzah. Andy talks about Exodus and how God’s children crossed the sea. The children are curious.

The kids ask questions “Why is this night different from all other nights? Why only matzah? Why the dipping? Why the bitter herbs? Why are we relaxing and reclining as if we were kings?” Andy reads about Abraham and the miracles performed by God.

We eat the matzah, leaning to our left, and eat while reclining.

We now dip parsley in the salt water and eat it. We take celery and dip it in the charoset. We dip the matzah in the maror and eat it while reclining.

The matzah is wrapped prior to being hidden to duplicate how the Sons of Israel carried the dough out of Egypt.

We now have our delicious meal.

We now drink the third glass of wine and Andy recites the blessings.

We sing praise to God and drink the fourth cup, reclining.

After an amazing meal, we sing praise again and we say to each other ‘Next year in Jerusalem’.

I have an amazing conversation with Gwen about her life. After dessert, I have a deep conversation with Andy. I am deeply moved by this couple who serve us.

I am so grateful to Gurpreet Singh who took my family to experience langar at a Gurdwara. We learned so much about Sikhism and hospitality.

Jayshree talked to Four Columns about the Hindu festival of Diwali and how it represents the triumph of good over evil.

Sabika Hassan talked about her Muslim faith and Islam as a religion of peace, minimalism, humanity, finding resilience & strength in God during dark times, being grateful for the small stuff, and always standing up for the rights of the oppressed.

Farzana talked about Zarathustra as the Founder of Zoroastrianism. It is the world’s oldest monotheistic faith. Zoroastrians believe in one God, called Ahura Mazda, who is the creator of the universe. The basic ethic of our faith is Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds. If we follow this, everything else will fall into place.

Four Columns has interviewed Ministers, Pastors, and adherents of Evangelical, Catholicism, ICOC, and various other Christian denominations in understanding Faith and how it can bring us closer.

Hospitality is the practice of providing a welcoming and generous reception to guests or strangers, often involving offering food, shelter, and other forms of assistance. This practice is deeply rooted in many faith traditions and can teach us a great deal about our beliefs and values.

One of the key teachings of hospitality is the importance of compassion and empathy towards others. Many faiths emphasize the value of treating others with kindness and respect, regardless of their background or circumstances. By extending hospitality to others, we can demonstrate this value in a concrete and tangible way.

Hospitality can also teach us about the value of community and connection. By welcoming others into our homes and lives, we can build relationships and form bonds that transcend cultural and social barriers. This can help to foster a sense of belonging and mutual support that is crucial for our spiritual and emotional well-being.

Another important lesson that hospitality can teach us about faith is the value of selflessness and sacrifice. In many faiths, we are encouraged to put the needs of others before our own and to make sacrifices for the sake of others. By opening our homes and lives to others, we can practice this value in a meaningful way and develop a deeper understanding of its importance.

Overall, hospitality is a powerful practice that can teach us many important lessons about our faith and values. By extending kindness and generosity to others, we can strengthen our spiritual and emotional connections and develop a deeper understanding of the world around us.

Today’s cultural appropriation police engage in overkill in realms besides religion. University of California-Irvine law professor Olufunmilayo Arewa: ‘The reality of human experience is that borrowing and cultural mixture are widespread. This is evident in language, religion, agriculture, folklore, food and other cultural elements. … Discussions of appropriation may also take insufficient account of the importance and benefits of borrowing. Borrowing has led to the international spread of denim, mathematics, and even democracy’.

Religious scholar Mark Silk argues that “Christians started off as Jews, and if we started to ask them to strip away all the Jewish textual and liturgical and theological appropriations they’ve made over the years, there wouldn’t be a lot left of the religion.”

I went for fellowship and to find out about the roots of my faith, I discovered it.

After attending the Seder dinner, I am more aware of the Jewish faith and respect it for everything it represents.

The post The Significance of the Seder Meal appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

Child of God

admin — Sun, 26 Jul 2020 17:45:09 +0000

Sarah talks about learning through life’s complexities. I talk to her about her claim being a child of God, marriage, motherhood, unconditional love, and patience in her faith.

Welcome to my series on practical faith. I have said countless times that it is easy to memorize scripture. It is even easier to preach it and text it. Faith is challenged when the rubber hits the road. It is a different ball game to put faith into practice. However, people notice unconditional love when you serve them and do not want anything in return, and just be there for them. It is this part of practical faith that fascinates me.

Sarah, welcome to my blog. I want to know a little about you?

Hi! My name is Sarah Styf. Despite being a California baby, I spent most of my life raised in the Midwest. When I married my husband, we stayed in the Midwest for thirteen more years but traded Michigan for Indiana. We became Midwest transplants to Texas five years ago and we love the warmer winters. We have two amazing kiddos (11 and 9) and two middle-aged dogs. I’m a high school English teacher and yearbook advisor who loves to write in my “spare” time.

You make a bold statement on all your social media channels that you are a child of God. Talk to me about this statement. What does it mean? How can we embrace it in our hearts and minds?

Being a child of God means that, that is my first identity. I love Jesus, I love the gospel, and I believe that should drive my every action. Sure, I’m sinful and I screw up (a lot), but at the end of the day, how I approach the world and how I treat people should reflect that identity. I want the rest of the world to know that God loves and forgives us even in our brokenness. Jesus came to rescue the lost. I think that a lot of people have forgotten that and need to remember that in their interaction with others.

Walk me through your dating relationship. How did it evolve to marriage and to husband and wife? I am sure it is a perfect marriage?

Jeff and I met shortly after we graduated from the SAME high school. There were only about 250 in our graduating class, but because I was a junior transfer, we somehow never met. Mutual friends introduced us just because they wanted me to hang out with them after closing at McDonald’s. Honestly, it was a really rocky start, especially since I was headed to Nebraska and he was staying in Michigan. But when we finally started officially dating, we worked out the distance. Our marriage has been nearly 20 years of growing together. I often say that long-distance was terrible but it made us better. We both spent time discovering ourselves and having our own adult lives (as much as college kids can) before we got married and had to learn how to grow together. And we have to work on our marriage constantly. We aren’t perfect, but we are perfect for each other. God knew that which is why I’m pretty sure we didn’t meet until after graduation. We never would have dated if we knew each other in high school. We were too different at that point in our lives.

Motherhood has its own expectations. Anything about it surprised you? What have you learned from that experience?

I didn’t know the depth of the love I would have for my kids and just how different my relationships would be with them. I’ve worked really hard to keep communication open with them and be honest with them (in age-appropriate ways) about everything. I have such deep conversations with my 11-year-old daughter and I hope that she always sees me as someone she can come to. It is the hardest and most rewarding job in the world.

My daughter and son teach me every day about unconditional love, patience, and myself …This is a powerful statement on your blog. Help me understand this statement?

I see so much of myself in both kids in different ways. I’ve learned a lot about my own personality watching them grow up and it’s helped me better understand why I responded to things as a child as I watch them. And being a parent takes so much patience because when our kids are holding up a mirror to us, it is hard to accept. And they are unpredictable. I often struggle with my own kids in ways that I don’t struggle with my teenage students because those kids are the same with each group that comes in. Teenagers are teenagers. But your own kids grow up and they keep changing the rules. Just when you think you have them figured out, they grow up and change again.

I was unemployed, my wife was diagnosed and my mother became very sick. Talk about a perfect storm. I dug deeper into my faith, deeper in my relationships with other people. Talk to me about the challenges you have faced as an individual and how you have overcome them?

I moved during some pretty important periods in my life, particularly during important parts of my adolescence. It is something I still struggle with because trust and relationships were disrupted enough times that I struggle with that as an adult. When we moved to another city while our daughter was a baby, I found myself regressing into my teenage self because I didn’t want to move but we had to move as a family. That was a really dark time for me personally but we worked through it as a family. I really started writing again at that time. We struggled to get pregnant with our daughter, and now I feel the need to be open about that because so many couples suffer through that in silence. We shouldn’t be embarrassed to talk about something that impacts thousands of couples a year. My faith and my husband are with me all the time. God guides me but my husband has supported me through some really difficult emotional times.

I see bumper stickers of ‘I love Jesus’ many bloggers have ‘love Jesus’ as their mantra. Talk to me about the practical aspects of ‘loving Jesus’. To me means loving others unconditionally and serving. I have to say in our individual western culture, Christians are failing.

We need to treat people the way we want to be treated. We need to treat all people like human beings deserving of life. I believe Americans take too much pride in our individualism. Human beings are supposed to be dependent on each other. That is how we were created. We need other people to function as a healthy society. And yes, we need to embrace serving each other. Unfortunately, our current political division makes what should be a natural outpouring of our faith in a political statement, and that needs to change.

There is something catchy about your blog ‘accepting the unexpected journey’ What do you mean by this?

Everything in my life has been unexpected and I write about my life. Using that as the anchor for my blog helps me circle everything back to the idea that life is a journey and we don’t get to plan it, we just have to live it the best we can.

As an extrovert this whole social distance and isolation are making me struggle, what about you as an introvert?

Being an introvert makes it a little easier because I’m not freaking out about seeing everyone, but I do miss my closest people. And when we were all tightly quarantining, it was ROUGH. We were all on top of each other and no one had any personal space or alone time. I really miss alone time.

The post Child of God appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.