A Family Tradition

SCRIPTURE
Deut. 16: 1 Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover of the LORD your God, because in the month of Abib he brought you out of Egypt by night.

OBSERVATION
In the Jewish calender, a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day, so observing Jews will celebrate Passover on the sunset. Passover in 2008 will start on Sunday, the 20th of April and will continue for 7 days until Saturday, the 26th of April.
During this holiday, Jews tell the story of the Exodus and relive the joy felt by ancient ancestors who were eventually led by Moses out of ancient Egypt to freedom. Today, Passover celebrates not only a specific historical event, but the idea of freedom itself. During the Passover, a lamb was slain and the blood was poured over the door post. The death angel would pass each house if the blood was applied. As Christians we remember what Jesus did for us and how he freed us from the bondage of sin with his blood. There are four things for us to remember and celebrate:
1.Freedom
2.Deliverance
3.Redemption
4.Release

It seems like every Easter growing up our family looked forward to watching the Ten Commandments on TV. I can remember the excitement of making popcorn and my mom making cookies for us while we stayed up late. As a boy, I can remember the best part of the movie was when the rod turned into a cobra (Awesome). The scariest part of the movie was during the Passover when the death angel came through the town. This family tradition of watching the Ten Commandments was not only a good time but has been etched in my memory. Looking back, I can now appreciate what Jesus did for us! Thanks to Charlton Heston (my hero) I will always remember the Ten Commandments.

APPLICATION
I want to continue to remember what God has done for us! He has freed us from the things of this world and has given us spiritual freedom. We no longer are slaves to sin and we live because he lives! Now, that I am a father I want to continue to teach our children the commandments and observe this special holiday season. As a child, I remember memorizing the Ten Commandments during children's church! Many people today have a hard time quoting the Ten Commandments in order. Test yourself: What is the 4th commandment?

The Ten Commandments are divided into two parts. The first five commandments are about loving God and the last 5 commandments are about loving people. In Matthew 22:36-41 Jesus states there are 2 commandments that all the commandments hang on: #1. Love God with all your heart and #2 Love your neighbor. If I can remember these two spiritual laws and apply them to my life I can't go wrong!

PRAYER
Lord teach me how to observe your commandments and what you have done for us. Thank you for freeing us from sin. I pray that we will not forget how to love you with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. May you help our family to remember the importance or the Passover Holiday and the lamb that was slain for us!