Community on Columbia

Josiah’s Passover and the purging of idolatry

Posted on April 7, 2015 by admin

The Passover that was celebrated by King Josiah was said to be like none since the days of Samuel the prophet. Why? Because after a copy of the Law was discovered, Josiah realized how far Israel had drifted from the truth. Josiah repented, and overturned all the idolatry that had permeated the nation. (This was also a foreshadowing of Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple) Once there were no “strange gods” among them, Israel could celebrate the feast properly, with hearts open before God.

Let’s have that kind of Passover this year!

II Chronicles 35:18 – “And there was no Passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”

(Image: King Josiah Destroying the Idols of Baal by Gustave Dore)

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Jesus wasn’t big on resolutions … at all.

Posted on January 5, 2015 by admin

“I say to you, do not swear at all.” (Matthew 5:33-37).
The Bible is full of warnings about vows and expectations on ourselves or others. The reason? Instead of asking God to meet our needs, a vow (or a New Year’s resolution) puts us in the position of swearing before God that we’re going to accomplish something on our own.
Besides, it’s presumptuous. Consider James 4:13-15 – “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”
The Jewish ceremony of Kol Nidrei on Yom Kippur declared all our vows as annulled and “made void.” And for those who “place no confidence in man,” the Kol Nidrei should apply every day.
Thankfully, God provides another way: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6).

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A History of the Passover Haggadah

Posted on March 30, 2014 by admin

Tom Brooks is just back from Afghanistan, and he’s been doing a ton of research on Passover and the history of the Haggadah, which is read during the feast. He’s pulled together some great background information we can use as we get ready for Passover, which this year for us will be Easter weekend, April 18-20.

Here’s a link to Tom’s Passover resources:

You can find our general memo on Passover here:

To prepare for the feast, we need to start now resolving conflicts and sweeping out the leaven from our lives!

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Passover and the Crucifixion

Posted on March 14, 2013 by admin

Leading up to Passover this year we’re concentrating on the New Testament scriptures associated with the feast.

As we read about the raising of Lazarus, the triumphal entry, the Last Supper, and the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus, be open to the Holy Spirit to make this experience real to you.

The purpose of the annual Passover ceremony is to bring this into present immediacy so that each participant is made to feel “as if he had personally come out from Egypt.”

Let’s make that our prayer again this year– to leave Egypt and leave our selves behind. Download the Passover Memo for scripture readings and a schedule of activities.

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