I meant to post this earlier, but I just got too busy. For now, I gotta post and run. After the dinner tonight I'll be able to post more.

4-16-03

10a

Today is preparation day for the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This is the day on which Jesus was crucified. (some Christians think He was crucified on the day before the weekly Sabbath, but the �preparation day� is really referring to the day before the High Holy day � the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread � (That�s what the verse means when it tells us to keep the Sabbaths, plural) thus giving the full �three days and three nights�)

Wow, that was a lot of parenthetical speaking.

Anyway, tonight is the Night to be Much Observed. It�s a commemoration of the Israelites� being set free (they marched out of Egypt during the Feast of Unleavened Bread) so, we�re having a bunch of people over for dinner. We�re serving a relatively �authentic� meal tonight including lamb (of course (and, yuck)), rice with stuff in it (again, yuck), some kind of tomato-cucumber-something salad thing (and still again, yuck) and (for me *grins*) twice-baked potatoes. There are other things too, but I don�t remember what they are.

As I mentioned a few days ago, the list of people coming over is going to be very interesting. We�re going to have ten people, including the �rents and myself, and the backgrounds of these people is quite an interesting amalgam. So, it should be quite the interesting grouping.

As per Passover last night, and the service� it was different, but I was pretty sullen throughout. Well, not exactly sullen, but I wasn�t directly �into� the service. I don�t know, I think the thing I come up against most is that P was, well, I suppose in terms of the majority of Christian faiths he would be called a �lay pastor�. Anyway, P consideres us to be his �church�. When it all started and he first started giving the Bible studies� officiating them, I didn�t realize he was going to be officiating.

I don�t like �church� because I�m tired of being preached at. To me, it seems a lot like a lecture and I�m tired of being lectured. Atop that, P comes from (and is still immersed in) the background of the Church. P�s teaching style is very lecture oriented. And I�m sure I could deal with that all on its own, but he is so� *frowns* depressing.

P focuses, almost constantly, on how mankind is fallible and �bad� and full of sin. I had enough of that while I was in the Church. I don�t need any more of that. Sometimes I think that he believes he is a bad man. He seems to be depressed, but maybe he�s just dour. *shrugs*

Regardless, I believe we, mankind, is wonderful. We were (as per my beliefs) created to be wonderful and awing creations, we were designed to be perfect. As is also my belief, we have the right/ability to be perfect now, in this day, in this place, in this life. P seems to believe that we can�t be perfect until we have died to the physical world and have been reborn as Spirit, after Jesus returns to the world.

I believe that when someone invites Jesus to live within them, via the Holy Spirit, they are truly blameless (as long as they live by the Spirit, don�t get me wrong here) and capable of EVERYTHING Jesus could do. That was the whole point of His death after all, to give us life.

I personally think that P is depressed. Cut and dried.

Anyway, that�s neither here nor there. I should scoot on and do some Bible study, huh? Yup.

Isaiah 25

This is exactly what I mean. This is the way I feel about God, about Christianity. Specifically verses 6 through 9.

6 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine � the best of meats and the finest of wines.
7 On this mountain He will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations;
8 He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will removed the disgrace of His people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.
9 In that day they will say, �Surely this is out God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.�

Wow. Such a great and glorious God we have. This is the God I serve. This is the God I follow. This is my God.

Yay God!