I have been doing a little bit of “missing” this week. It is interesting that I am coming upon the end of three months in my new city, and this week, I feel the missing a bit more deeply. You see, this is the week of the longest lasting tradition in my life – celebrating Passover on Good Friday. I know – Passover doesn’t always (not even really often) actually start on Good Friday. But this is how we did it. It all started the first year of  our marriage. We enjoyed a Passover Seder at a messianic congregation in Dallas with dear friends. Because we enjoyed it so much, we decided to have our own Passover Seder the next year. Through the years we added friends (and lots of children) to our table, but the original two couples stayed the same. Tonight would have been our 25th Passover Seder with them.

Twenty-five years of being reminded that Jesus is our Passover lamb (1 Cor. 5:7)

Twenty-five  years of being reminded that just as God delivered His people out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt “with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm (Dt. 26:8)”, He delivers His children out of the bondage of slavery to sin through faith in Jesus.

Twenty-five years of remembering and speaking to one another that the Lord’s love endures forever (Ps. 136).

And, of course, twenty-five years of some amazing food and fellowship late into the night (or early morning).

Twenty-five years.

As I have been pondering the Passover Seder, my mind turned to other fun memories of the season: Easter dinner with family and friends, the fun fest at our church, the neighborhood egg hung my dad organized when I was a kid.

And then I realized that in my “missing,” I am missing the point of it all.

In missing events and people, I am missing the reason for these events.

I am missing the grace of God in the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son.

I am missing the goodness of God in saving me from the penalty of my sin.

I am missing JESUS!

So, I sit here on Good Friday, humbled and grateful.

Humbled that I am so easily distracted from looking to my Savior.

Grateful that my Savior is kind to remind me of what I am really missing.

 

“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5

“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8