In a great sense, people are slaves to their sins - controlled by addictions, behaviors, and attitudes. We have free will, and too often we fail to choose wisely. As humans, we can easily become slaves to our ways, our poor choices. It is said that we have Pharaoh's in our life.
Help to overcome the sins, and Pharaoh, in our personal life can come faith. The two holidays, Easter and Passover which are profoundly and eternally linked to one another, are also deeply rooted in the same meaning, both offer us an the opportunity for freedom.
Both Moses and Jesus lead people out of bondage and to Freedom, be that freedom in the Promised Land or freedom from sin. A Higher Power freed us from Pharaoh thousands of years ago, and gave us the Torah at Mount Sinai. The same Power freed us from our sins and gave us the Gospel as a result of what happened on Calvary.
G-d works through Man. In one case Moses and in the other Jesus. Jews wait for our Messiah, putting out a cup of wine for Elijah and opening the door on Passover as a symbolic invitation. Jesus lifted a cup at Passover as symbolic expression that he was offering himself as the Messiah.
From both Passover and Easter we can take away that there is a code of conduct for how to live our life in service to a higher spiritual purpose.
Of course this requires FAITH. And some of you reading my post may be thinking you do not have faith. So let me say this one thing about faith ...
Faith is a funny thing. To explain it I will tell you a story about how I became "Toastmaster of the Year" in 1983 for the Poughkeepsie Area Chapter of Toastmasters International. True story. An old friend from High School, Jim Brady, suggested I join this club to become a confident speaker because he told me it would help me with my career. I was afraid to go. But as I considered it further, and how right he was, the following paradigm shift became clear. "You don't get confidence to speak, you speak to get confidence." So it is with Faith. You might say you "fake it till you make it."
Happy Easter and Chag Semeach Peseach friends and family!
Here is another thing the spring holiday's have in common. The Secret Jewish History of Peeps.
Of course this requires FAITH. And some of you reading my post may be thinking you do not have faith. So let me say this one thing about faith ...
Faith is a funny thing. To explain it I will tell you a story about how I became "Toastmaster of the Year" in 1983 for the Poughkeepsie Area Chapter of Toastmasters International. True story. An old friend from High School, Jim Brady, suggested I join this club to become a confident speaker because he told me it would help me with my career. I was afraid to go. But as I considered it further, and how right he was, the following paradigm shift became clear. "You don't get confidence to speak, you speak to get confidence." So it is with Faith. You might say you "fake it till you make it."
Happy Easter and Chag Semeach Peseach friends and family!
Here is another thing the spring holiday's have in common. The Secret Jewish History of Peeps.
