DIY Easter

What are you doing for Easter this year. For many families this season is heartily anticipated. There is a 40 day period of preparation called Lent; then comes Palm Sunday when people begin to remember Jesus’ last week on earth; and finally there is the weekend with Maundy Thursday (Passover), Good Friday, and Resurrection Day. Churches prepare huge celebrations, dramas, cantatas, and special services (which will be remote this year). People purchase Sunday clothing, plan Easter Egg Hunts, and large family gatherings. BUT ...

This is the year that everything External will be different. There will be no large community gatherings because of the COVID-19 epidemic. We must stay home. So what will Easter be like? Perhaps, in its own way, for one year, better, because, if we will, we can focus on the internal meaning rather than the external events.

So, what is Easter? Is it the clothing, the chocolates, the choir specials, or the crowds? Not really! Easter celebrates the atoning death and the surprising resurrection of Jesus. Easter celebrates LIFE (not life with gusto, which only distracts us from real life - but LIFE that connects with God and goodness). So, what will you be doing this Easter?

It is time for a do it yourself Easter.

How can you do that? Plan! If you have children, here is a recommendation. Purchase a Kindle version of the book “The Case of the Missing Body.” (It is 99￠, hope that does not break the bank!) It contains a nine act play, and some added stories and facts. Most of the acts only require 2-4 actors, and are written so children can understand. Pass the book around, and read the parts. Then talk about how each scene fits into the larger Easter story.

Order this book today on Amazon.com

Children learn by doing … not by sitting in a church service. This play is doing! Your family will greatly benefit if you will spend the hour you normally spend in church, reading through this play. Don’t fight the system, don’t mourn the loss of normal … just do something different, and you will be glad you did! (And talk about it for years!)

The book is on Amazon.com - click here!

This Easter is a great time for something different! A great time for DIY, with help, of course. So try it out.

And please pass this idea on, so others can enjoy Easter, wrapped in its full meaning also.

The Virtual Passover

Why is this night different than all other nights? On all past Passover nights we gathered as a family and friends in someone’s home to enjoy the festivity, the food and to participate in the Pesach Haggadah together. This year is different! We are like slaves in bondage, confined in our homes and practicing social distancing for fear of the Coronavirus. But it does not have to be this way!

In the past we might have been forced to do the Seder alone, or as a small group … but this year we have technology! There are multiple platforms available so we can do the Passover together. We have never celebrated Passover in this way before … But as an educator, I have led other events, and want to use my experience to maintain the greatness and quality of this festival.

In the spirit of the four questions and Ten things that plague us in the midst of the pandemic this year, I created a list of questions to be answered over the next five days (two per day). The information shared in the answers will help us to have a decent Seder, although not all we dreamed of. The list of questions can be found in yesterday’s blog.

Today’s theme is how to maintain closeness and relationships, even when we are apart.

On all other Passovers we greet each other with hugs and kisses (including those from bubble which are always slobbery) in person or through the cell phone … why on this night only through the cell phone?

In former times, when I was young my family used to gather at my uncle’s home, where my father, his brother,their wives, six children and my grandmother used to spend the afternoon with each other, before sitting down for the teachings of the Seder and a grand meal. As a child, I came to know and appreciate my cousins during this time together.

So what about bubble's slobbery kiss? Well, it can still happen. How so, you ask, when we are required to keep our social distancing. The answer is by cell phone. Using our cell phones, with video on, we can show our faces, and Grandma, on her end can kiss the screen of the phone (make sure she has wipes available). The end result here might be better than what is normal, for the children’s cheeks stay dry, and no infection is passed.

Actually the cell phone or tablet can be used for a variety of socialization activities. There can be games, conversations, and created events as the cousins, and others invited to the Seder socialize and plot together. This year, like all other years can be a time of conversation and relationship building. And in the years to come will be a matter of conversations and story telling due to our creativity in orchestrating a memorable event.


On all other Passovers we sit across the table and fill the room with great conversation, sometimes with increasing volume just to hear and be heard … Why on this night do we need a computer and a cell phone?

Continuing from the thought shared above, we need to realize that our time around the table is not spent strictly focused on the teachings of the Haggadah or what the Seder leader has to say. We carry on side conversations, tell jokes and make comments on the teacher. We should not lose that feature of our evening.

So how can we capture the normal goings on of the evening?

First, there should be a set teacher for the evening. A social media platform should be used on a computer (not a cell phone) because the screen is larger and because the cell phone needs to be available for other purposes. A laptop computer should be made available at each home, on the table, with a view of as many people as possible. This gives visual cues, like members of the family are sitting across the table from each other.

Everything official needs to occur through this media, one the central computer. The reading of the Haggadah should be done as normally as possible. The leader should respond to the story with jokes, stories and anecdotes as usual. This makes for consistency, and the quality of the teaching.

BUT it should be remembered that the teaching is not all that goes on.

Each participant also needs a cell phone. They can call family members at other houses to make side comments, tell jokes, and maintain all manner of banter as normal. This can be by text or talk. It must be done quietly, as an undercurrent, as is normal at the table. If it is too loud, it can be called down. The leader just needs to remember, not every phone call or text needs to be commented on … in fact most should be overlooked, and the story will go on.

The more years we celebrate the Passover, the more familiar we are, so participants will not lose their places. They will continue relationship building. And in an unusual time, some elements of normalcy can continue.

More tomorrow.

Before I go, I need to promote a different Haggadah, one from the book of Psalms. It is a research project of mine, to see what Passover eve looked like in the time of the first Temple. Not surprisingly, it was much the same. That means the kisses of bubble, the banter of the cousins, and the high level discussions of the parents occurred back then, just as it does today. And the Haggadah … well, it was memorized, and told in poetic form, like what is found in the book of Psalms. Look up the Psalmatic Seder on Amazon.com

A New Haggadah with Music from Psalms

Self Quarantine in the Bible

Self Isolation orders are being imposed in the United States and around the world. This methodology is being used to fight a terrible disease. This is not the first time social distancing has been used for protection of society and personal safety. Self and community imposition of restricted movement can be found in many places and for many reasons in Scripture.

The Desert of Zin, a place Israel might have visited when distanced.

Government ordered restrictions for health reasons were imposed by Moses in the Bible. The disease of the day that brought about the need for isolation was leprosy. This highly communicable disease begins with “a swelling or a rash or a shiny spot” on the skin. Anyone infected must go to the Priest for testing. If the test is positive, “the priest is to isolate the affected person” for fourteen days, with a visit for observation in the middle. (Numbers 13)

Social distancing was imposed on people with confirmed leprosy until they were either cured or died. There were enough people with the disease in Israel that colonies were formed. (2 Kings 7:3) The diseased person was ordered to “wear torn clothes and let his hair hang loose, and he must cover his mouth and cry out, 'Unclean, unclean!'” (Leviticus 13:45) The quarantined person was forced to live outside the city. Some of these people eventually came together and formed a community of illness.

Forced quarantine was imposed on people for a multitude of reasons in the Bible. One interesting case is that of Noah and his family (Genesis 6-9). God placed Noah and his family into isolation in an ark in order to prevent an infection from evil that had become rampant in the world. The healthy family was placed in an Ark, so they would not be infected. They were confined for almost a year before they were released.

In a similar fashion, the Hebrew people were isolated from the world during their forty year journey in the wilderness. Through Israel’s social distancing God was able to create a nation of people who were taught about healthy living while in the desert. Moses instructed this band of former slaves in all matters of wellness: spiritual, mental, social and physical health.

The Bible tells of many people who choose to self-isolate for wellness and betterment in life. It should be noted that these people had a plan when they went into seclusion. They had a dream of using their time apart from others that would better them. The Bible tells of how Jesus socially distanced himself (and sometimes his disciples) many times. These were to prepare the teacher for times of trials, or when strength is needed.

It appears to me that troublesome days are upon our nation. Many have gone into isolation (by force or by choice). We could all use a plan that will help us come through these days of trial for the better and not for the worse. Spring: Connecting with God tells about things that will make a nation strong in times of crises.