Thursday, April 14, 2011

Thursday in the Fifth Week of Lent.

"O God, you have called us to be your children, and have promised that those who suffer whith Christ will be heirs with him of your glory: Arm us with such trust in him that we may ask no rest from his demands and have no fears in his service; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."


Psalm 105:4-11Genesis 17:1-8, and John 8:51-59

Of all the readings that we've had this season, these are some of the few that seem to revolve a clear and central theme. That theme, of course, is the ancestry from Abraham. Our Genesis reading tells of God's covenant with Abraham; the psalm implores the children of Abraham to seek out God always; and in the gospel reading we hear Jesus say, "Before Abraham was, I am."

Each of these can be reminders to us of the common heritage we share with our Jewish sisters and brothers. Today when I was at a nursing home communion I had a chance to speak with a resident there who is Jewish. We talked about her upcoming seder meal for Passover, and we talked about the Holy Week celebration of the Christian church. She told me about baking matzoh bread and hiding a piece for the children to find. In that conversation I remembered some of the seder meals I had participated in during high school, college, and seminary, and I remembered the powerful link that I felt participating in such a rich tradition that means so much to our own faith.

This weekend we'll celebrate Jesus's arrival in Jerusalem for the Passover feast, and I'm thinking about all of my Jewish friends who are preparing for their own Passover celebration that will being on April 19th. In my mind it's pretty cool that we get to celebrate our great feasts at the same time

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