Passover begins

Most of the religious related news in the past few days continues to focus on the Pope's visit to America and on the continuing saga of the FLDS children in Texas. Easily overlooked amidst the pomp and spectacle of the Pope and the wrenching family drama of the children is that Passover begins tonight.

Passover is an ancient festival dating back to the early days in Judaism commemorating the Exodus. According to the Hebrew scripture, the early Israelites were enslaved in Egypt and treated cruelly and oppressed. They cried out to God for relief, and God heard them and led them to freedom.

Most of us who are not Jewish are familiar with some aspects of the Festival. We are aware that special foods are prepared, that a special service known as a Seder takes place, that many families use special dishes during the season, and that observant families extensively clean their homes in order to guarantee that no leaven, in any form, is in the house.

In ancient scriptures, leaven often symbolically represented the influence of the world, which is that realm of reality in opposition to God. So, the ritual cleaning of the house is a symbolic ritual to call the faithful to cleanse their lives of anything that would enslave them and affect their relationship with God.

That would be a good thing for the Christian church to adopt, it seems to me. Most Christians I know see every day as the same as every other day - including Sunday. Our lives are so filled with the mundane sameness of life that we can find no room for the transcendent. Having a time that requires a disruption of normal routine and having our minds centered on God and God's requirements seems to be a good thing.

So, if you were to initiate a Passover in your life, celebrating the freedom that God brings, what leaven would you eliminate from your life?