Celebration Odyssey
I don’t think we have ever had a non-stop celebration like the one we just had this past weekend. It was a 48 hour odyssey.
It started Saturday evening when we picked up our Canadian friends, Gary and Kim, from the bus station and came home to observe Passover (never mind that it actually starts April 20). Observing a Messianic Passover each year is a family tradition. Ours is an interactive reading that recounts the slavery of the Jewish people in Egypt and God’s deliverance. It is rich with symbolism and foreshadows the life, death and resurrection of Christ. One of my favorite lines is, “We dip the bitter herbs into kharoset (a brown apple mixture), to remind ourselves that even 
the most bitter of circumstances can be sweetened by the hope we have in God.”
Easter morning began with our missionary community meeting for a sunrise service. Pastor Chris was here from NewSong Fellowship and led us in reflection. Of course it wouldn’t be a proper “Christian” celebration if there wasn’t food, so we also enjoyed fruit, coffee and fresh cinnamon rolls served up from the back of our vans. Daniel dubbed it a “Missionary Tailgate Party” and so it was. It was a wonderful morning as we worshipped and laughed together.
A sunrise service was only the start of the day. From there we went to a combined gathering of a number of churches from the area that united for this special Sunday. It was good to see so many Christians worshiping on the Day of the Glorious Resurrection. Las Buganvillas Restaurante was next on the agenda where we enjoyed a Sunday afternoon meal fit for a king – thanks NewSong. The day wasn’t complete until Christina, Juan Carlos and Lalo stopped by at 9:00 that evening for a visit.
Monday only continued the odyssey as we celebrated Gary’s birthday. We had decorated the house the night before so we hit the ground running with a birthday breakfast of fruit, eggs and bacon. Trips to Italian Coffee Company and downtown followed. It culminated later in the evening with friends coming over for cake and to give Gary special words of encouragement.
Whew! What a memory, what a non-stop celebration, what an odyssey.
It started Saturday evening when we picked up our Canadian friends, Gary and Kim, from the bus station and came home to observe Passover (never mind that it actually starts April 20). Observing a Messianic Passover each year is a family tradition. Ours is an interactive reading that recounts the slavery of the Jewish people in Egypt and God’s deliverance. It is rich with symbolism and foreshadows the life, death and resurrection of Christ. One of my favorite lines is, “We dip the bitter herbs into kharoset (a brown apple mixture), to remind ourselves that even 
the most bitter of circumstances can be sweetened by the hope we have in God.”Easter morning began with our missionary community meeting for a sunrise service. Pastor Chris was here from NewSong Fellowship and led us in reflection. Of course it wouldn’t be a proper “Christian” celebration if there wasn’t food, so we also enjoyed fruit, coffee and fresh cinnamon rolls served up from the back of our vans. Daniel dubbed it a “Missionary Tailgate Party” and so it was. It was a wonderful morning as we worshipped and laughed together.
A sunrise service was only the start of the day. From there we went to a combined gathering of a number of churches from the area that united for this special Sunday. It was good to see so many Christians worshiping on the Day of the Glorious Resurrection. Las Buganvillas Restaurante was next on the agenda where we enjoyed a Sunday afternoon meal fit for a king – thanks NewSong. The day wasn’t complete until Christina, Juan Carlos and Lalo stopped by at 9:00 that evening for a visit.
Monday only continued the odyssey as we celebrated Gary’s birthday. We had decorated the house the night before so we hit the ground running with a birthday breakfast of fruit, eggs and bacon. Trips to Italian Coffee Company and downtown followed. It culminated later in the evening with friends coming over for cake and to give Gary special words of encouragement.Whew! What a memory, what a non-stop celebration, what an odyssey.
posted by Ken, Diana, Daniel, Maria, Christina @ 8:38 PM
2 Comments:
At Saturday, March 29, 2008 4:29:00 PM,
Angie Velasquez Thornton said…
What a fun celebration! And what a blessing to have dear friends with you. Dan has great things to say about Gary, and I had the pleasure of meeting him once at a CW board meeting in Mississauga. Good times!
At Monday, March 31, 2008 1:08:00 PM,
Jessi said…
It's SO good to celebrate wonderful events! That's a lesson our family has gained from you. I pulled out the book that you gave us at our wedding shower (Celebrations that touch the Heart) in my preparations for Passion Week. We love and miss you guys SO much.
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