Signs of New Life

Burnt Crimson* on the door, peacock feathers on me.

In the past, this would have been a day filled with many of the traditional elements of an Easter Sunday.  But today was different.....today was unusual for my family.  Normally on holidays we gather with extended family, but today was providentially orchestrated in a way that left me and my husband and sons on our own.  I was given the gift of freedom to follow my heart, to do something different, fresh and new.

Matzah Brie - not my favorite, but it fed my soul

Since I had been busy with Passover celebrations over the last two days, I hadn't done any planning ahead.  How would I make this day special?  How could I share with my family some of the things I had been learning about this special time of year on God's calendar?

My first order of business was fixing a little breakfast for myself.  My plan was to try my hand at Matzah Brie, which is like french toast made with matzah.  Since I'm observing the seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread, I wanted to get a little creative.  I tried really hard.  I even used fresh squeezed orange juice and orange rind.  But truth be told, it wasn't my favorite.  To be fair, I kinda burned one side, and then I had to let it sit while I took a shower, since I had to hurry up to get ready to attend church with my family.  Then I had to eat it in the bathroom while I was getting ready.  Not very romantic.

I don't know about you, but the shower is a great place for the Lord to "speak" to me, to reveal new thoughts and ideas.  I guess it's just naturally a place of naked honesty, a place of spiritual cleansing and renewal.  So this morning, as I thought of my less-than-desirable Matzah Brie, I wondered, "How can unleavened bread be considered as part of a feast?"  And then I remembered the piercings, the stripes and the bruising the matzah displays.  My golden nugget of a thought that followed was, "If I need to eat matzah and leaven-free for a week because it will instill in my mind how my sinless Savior suffered to set me free, then yes, I will be feasting.....on gratitude!

In early Christian art, the peacock symbolized immortality.

Next I asked the Lord, as I often do in my ongoing, silent dialogue, what I should wear on this special day commemorating his resurrection.  What my eyes immediately locked onto was a peacock-patterned blouse.  I had purchased this top and peacock-feather earrings a couple of years ago, because I had learned that early Christians used the symbol of the peacock in their designs to symbolize immortality.  "Yes, perfect!" I thought, "That is just the right message for this Resurrection Day!"

I decorated the table with symbols to spur conversation.

After church I decided to set a nice table for lunch on the patio.  To honor Yeshua the Messiah, our Jewish Rabbi, the Living Torah, the Passover Lamb, the pure and sinless Unleavened Bread, the First Fruit of the Harvest, our meal would not include bread or the traditional ham.  I decorated the table with many meaningful symbols to spark conversation.  I set out a Passover Seder plate so we could talk about the elements of Passover which are meant to remind us of our exodus from the bitter slavery of sin, and of the freedom God has granted to those who place their trust in Him.  I made a bouquet of flowers in colors that were reminders of the blood that washes our sins as white as snow.  Along with grape juice, I set out matzah as a picture of the Sinless One who was bruised and pierced, and by whose stripes we are healed.  

Passover 2015 - the 3rd blood moon.

Recognizing today as an extension of Passover, and as part of the week-long celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and as the Feast of First Fruits, is a huge paradigm shift which takes quite a bit of effort to wrap my mind around.  Nevertheless, it is thrilling and exciting, as I recognize layer upon layer of meaning in God's designated holy days that were celebrated by our Lord and Savior.  These prophetic days of worship point to Yeshua in every minute detail.  These are days worth celebrating, and these are the days we shall still be celebrating in the kingdom of God!  May we also take heed.....that even as God is highlighting in the heavens His appointed times, with the 2014-2015 tetrad of blood moons, the enemy desires to steal and destroy these sacred commemorations.  

My heart in commemorating these celebrations is fueled by a deep desire to know the Scriptures, the Jewish Messiah, and God's chosen people in a more experiential, intimate way.  I want to experience in more fulness the richness of unity that comes when we are grafted into Israel through Yeshua our Messiah.  Although I'm a rather naive, newbie, my hope is that through my experiences, I can be a bridge-builder between the church and the beloved, chosen, perhaps even unbelieving or scattered nation, of Israel.  Someday, we shall all see this vision of unity perfectly completed. 


* Burnt Crimson is the very special name for the color of our front door.  When we painted our house, I knew I wanted a reddish door as a reminder that the blood of Yeshua is the door to eternal Life.  As the Passover Lamb whose blood (Crimson) was placed on the doorposts and whose life was sacrificed (Burnt), our Savior gave his life to give us Life.

Sewing in Peace

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  John 14:27

Yesterday I had the opportunity of time.....time for creativity....time to work on a quilt I had started.  I'm in the process of sewing a couple of simple, square styled quilts for my son's bunk bed.  Using recycled denim, leftover fabric, and newly chosen fabric in stripes, plaids, and plains, I'm trying to spruce up, but still coordinate with what's already working in the room.  

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.  Isaiah 55:12

Yesterday was just too beautiful a day to be inside to work on my project, so I decided to act upon an idea that had been on my mind for a while now.  I decided to take my project outdoors.  Barefoot and fancy-free, I happily pinned away under the shade of a tree.  I felt so spoiled and so blessed to be able to do what I desired to do in such a peaceful setting.

As I sat, quietly pinning, I basked in the beauty of our little corner of creation.  Silently, in prayer and praise, I thanked God for the sunny day, the glorious breeze, and the birds' song in the air.  I wondered why the moment felt so rare.....to be so still, so quiet, just listening, just feeling.....no music, no media.....just me and the Lord.....outside together.

Next, I hauled my sewing machine and table out to the patio.....and I began to intersperse my pinning with sewing, row by row.  Every stitch was a delight in the beauty of the outdoors. I felt deep joy in the luxury I was experiencing.  I accepted this time as a gift from the Lord.

My project wasn't deep or meaningful, but practical and useful.  Though simple in design, it was still an avenue for creativity.  It made my heart happy to put together colors and textures in a random and perhaps even quirky way.  Since I had previously sewn together ten rows with seven squares each, my goal for the day was to sew all ten rows together.  My goal gave me momentum to keep on stitchin' until I accomplished my task.

Mission accomplished.....made with memories.

Days like these don't happen every day.  Days like these are gifts from above. We have a part in making each day and moment beautiful.  Sometimes it takes a little effort. Sometimes it takes a lot.  Sometimes the beauty is just in the eye of the beholder.  Sometimes the beauty of a moment is all in our attitude. 

This I'm learning.....in sewing and in life.....Peace has come and He is with us.....everyday and everywhere.....in our rush and in our rest.