Things are going really well with my CBI class! So why has it been so long since I've updated? Illness. This has been THE sickest winter we've ever had. It's been unbelievable. A couple of months ago we all had the flu (well, Ian got away with an ear infection, but PG, Zollie and I were wiped out). Then a couple of weeks after that, Ian and Zollie had runny noses and a cough. Last weekend we ALL got a stomach virus. It started Thursday night with Ian and Zollie waking up at about 1am puking all over the bed. They both continued to throw up all day Friday. Saturday at about 3 or 4am I woke up sick and spent about 12 hours nausious and throwing up. By Sunday morning PG had it too. He said it was like watching a train wreck...he knew it was coming but there was nothing he could do to stop it.
We had thought it was over this week. I went back to teaching on Wednesday and PG went back to work that day as well. The kids were back to eating normally, everyone seemed fine. Then last night PG said he didn't feel well. I thought he felt hot so he took his temperature...102.6!!! He has been taking Tylenol every 6-8 hours and it's still only getting his fever down to 101. Unbelievable! *sigh*
In other news, Ian seems to be hitting a growth spurt. He's been asking to eat every hour or so. I'm going to give him another week or so of this and then find a really accurate scale so I can weigh him to see if it's time to turn his car seat forward facing. I think it's definately time to put him in Zollie's seat (since it goes rearfacing up to 35 lbs and Ian's seat only goes to 33 lbs...it's an older model). He sure is growing up. I think he's going to eat us out of the house!
As far as the doula class, I've finished about 3 lessons from the communication module. I've hit a big assignment and need to sit and work on it. I'll probably wait till the kids are in bed tonight so I'll have some uninterupted time. I had hoped to work on it today quite a bit, but PG getting sick again ruined that plan. PG's parents were hoping to get the boys and keep them for the day, but they don't want to risk them being carriers of whatever PG has so we'll just have to reschedule. I did, however, get to have my first prenatal appointment with S. yesterday and I think it went really well. We discussed her first birth and her birth plan for this time as well as some relaxation techniques and streaches she can do. She has a good list of questions to discuss with her OB and to ask on her hospital tour and I think I'm pretty comfortable with her birth plans, so - even though the boys were pretty wild the whole time I was there - I think it went great!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Today is the day!
As of today I'm officially a birth doula in training through Childbirth International. I am just jumping for joy! We ended up with 5 people signing up together and got such a great discount. I got immediate access to all the online materials. Right now I'm just waiting to be matched up with a Trainer and then I can get started on my materials. Yay!!!
The other exciting thing that happened today (because it makes me feel better to share the good news first...) is that our beef arrived! Two friends and I went in together to buy half of a steer and WOW does it feel good to have my freezer overflowing with free range, hormone free beef! We'll be eating steak and roasts for days and days!
So now on to the bad news...last night we were woken at 1:30am by both kids puking on our bed. I wasn't even aware that Ian had gotten in bed with us till he puked on the comforter. They continued to puke on and off all night. Ian finally stopped at about 5am or so. Zollie kept puking all day...I think the last time was right after lunch. Ian seems fine now. He ate a good lunch and supper. And Zollie seemed pretty ok by bedtime. He was drinking juice and stealing bites of pizza. So I'm praying they are ok tomorrow because I REALLY want to go to the homebirth meetup. I'm really hoping they just got some mild food poisoning or a 24 hour bug that is over now. I also need them to be well because Sunday afternoon I'm supposed to go to my first prenatal appt with S. and I do not want to risk getting her sick. Bleh!
So for prayers...pray that the boys are healthy tomorrow and that PG and I don't come down with a stomach virus!
And praise God that everything has worked out for all of us to get signed up for our class! I can't wait to get going!
The other exciting thing that happened today (because it makes me feel better to share the good news first...) is that our beef arrived! Two friends and I went in together to buy half of a steer and WOW does it feel good to have my freezer overflowing with free range, hormone free beef! We'll be eating steak and roasts for days and days!
So now on to the bad news...last night we were woken at 1:30am by both kids puking on our bed. I wasn't even aware that Ian had gotten in bed with us till he puked on the comforter. They continued to puke on and off all night. Ian finally stopped at about 5am or so. Zollie kept puking all day...I think the last time was right after lunch. Ian seems fine now. He ate a good lunch and supper. And Zollie seemed pretty ok by bedtime. He was drinking juice and stealing bites of pizza. So I'm praying they are ok tomorrow because I REALLY want to go to the homebirth meetup. I'm really hoping they just got some mild food poisoning or a 24 hour bug that is over now. I also need them to be well because Sunday afternoon I'm supposed to go to my first prenatal appt with S. and I do not want to risk getting her sick. Bleh!
So for prayers...pray that the boys are healthy tomorrow and that PG and I don't come down with a stomach virus!
And praise God that everything has worked out for all of us to get signed up for our class! I can't wait to get going!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
It's just about time!
I'm anticipating being able to formally sign up for my birth doula class this week...next week at the latest. We have 6 people who all want to sign up together, and we will recieve a substantial discount for signing up as a group! That's even better news!
I also already have my two births lined up and this Sunday afternoon I will be meeting with one of my clients, S., and her husband, D., to talk about her first birth experience and how this one will be different (or hopefully the same, as she had a really "boring" first birth!). I'm planning to discuss her birth philosophy, help her write a birth plan, and talk with her and her husband about streaches and relaxation techniques they can practice working on together, as well as explain the things I will be able to help them with during labor.
I'm so excited to be meeting with them! S and D and I went to highschool together, and I just really feel blessed that they would allow me to be a part of the birth of their daughter.
I also had the honor of speaking at our local ICAN (International Ceserian Awareness Network) meeting this past Saturday. It was a great opportunity not only to share with the group what a doula does, but also to get information about Blessed Birth out there. Glynis was able to attend as well, which was great! We have some preliminary handouts made and were able to pass out a number of those at both the ICAN meeting and at the clothing swap beforehand.
Praises: I want to continue to praise God for allowing me to persue this calling. I feel really confident that everything will work out the way it is supposed to.
Prayer requests: Pray that both of my moms will be able to have the births that they want, with healthy babies and moms. Please also pray that things will work out with their labors in such a way that I will have no problems getting to them on time and will be able to support them in the ways that they need.
I also already have my two births lined up and this Sunday afternoon I will be meeting with one of my clients, S., and her husband, D., to talk about her first birth experience and how this one will be different (or hopefully the same, as she had a really "boring" first birth!). I'm planning to discuss her birth philosophy, help her write a birth plan, and talk with her and her husband about streaches and relaxation techniques they can practice working on together, as well as explain the things I will be able to help them with during labor.
I'm so excited to be meeting with them! S and D and I went to highschool together, and I just really feel blessed that they would allow me to be a part of the birth of their daughter.
I also had the honor of speaking at our local ICAN (International Ceserian Awareness Network) meeting this past Saturday. It was a great opportunity not only to share with the group what a doula does, but also to get information about Blessed Birth out there. Glynis was able to attend as well, which was great! We have some preliminary handouts made and were able to pass out a number of those at both the ICAN meeting and at the clothing swap beforehand.
Praises: I want to continue to praise God for allowing me to persue this calling. I feel really confident that everything will work out the way it is supposed to.
Prayer requests: Pray that both of my moms will be able to have the births that they want, with healthy babies and moms. Please also pray that things will work out with their labors in such a way that I will have no problems getting to them on time and will be able to support them in the ways that they need.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Opening doors!
God is so awesome! He has been opening so many doors recently for me in regards to the doula class. Firstly, He has blessed me financially! I was anticipating having the money for the class by early May, but God has already provided all but $100 between my paychecks and birthday money! I'm just astounded! I did not expect to get nearly as much birthday money as I did! He is so good, and I want to thank ALL of my family for their gifts...you are all so precious to me!
Secondly, my next worry with the class was finding enough births to attend. I will need to attend 2 births in order to be certified. My best friend Crystal is due in June, so I knew I would be able to use her birth as one, but I had no idea how to find a second birth. I was thinking I could call a midwife I knew or contact the Crisis Pregnancy Center and see if they had a mother whom I could attend, but yet again, God provided for me! I was on Facebook the other day, reading through some of my friends' pages, and realized I had a friend from highschool who is due in a few months. I had not even thought about her! I knew she was pregnant, but didn't realize she was as far along as she was. She and I got to talking, and I explained about my doula class and the certification process, and asked her and her husband to do some research online and see if they would like a doula to attend their birth. She just got back with me recently to say that, as long as the hospital had no policy against her having a doula present, they would be happy to have me come and use their birth to help me get certified!
I am just walking on air!
I've also been asked to speak at our local ICAN meeting on Saturday about the role of a doula. I'm excited about that as well, firstly because I think VBAC moms are probably one of the groups who most need an extra support person at their birth, and also because I think it can help get my name out to drum up clients.
Please pray that all goes well with this whole process! I'm also concerned about how attending births will affect my teaching schedule as well as my babysitting schedule. I had already been thinking that in another year or so I would need to stop keeping children in my home on a regular basis so that I can focus more on homeschooling (and also because I will *hopefully* be pregnant or have a new baby within the year). But God has provided in so many ways so far that I really feel like He is ordaining me to be a doula, so I'm sure He will work all of that stuff out in due time.
Secondly, my next worry with the class was finding enough births to attend. I will need to attend 2 births in order to be certified. My best friend Crystal is due in June, so I knew I would be able to use her birth as one, but I had no idea how to find a second birth. I was thinking I could call a midwife I knew or contact the Crisis Pregnancy Center and see if they had a mother whom I could attend, but yet again, God provided for me! I was on Facebook the other day, reading through some of my friends' pages, and realized I had a friend from highschool who is due in a few months. I had not even thought about her! I knew she was pregnant, but didn't realize she was as far along as she was. She and I got to talking, and I explained about my doula class and the certification process, and asked her and her husband to do some research online and see if they would like a doula to attend their birth. She just got back with me recently to say that, as long as the hospital had no policy against her having a doula present, they would be happy to have me come and use their birth to help me get certified!
I am just walking on air!
I've also been asked to speak at our local ICAN meeting on Saturday about the role of a doula. I'm excited about that as well, firstly because I think VBAC moms are probably one of the groups who most need an extra support person at their birth, and also because I think it can help get my name out to drum up clients.
Please pray that all goes well with this whole process! I'm also concerned about how attending births will affect my teaching schedule as well as my babysitting schedule. I had already been thinking that in another year or so I would need to stop keeping children in my home on a regular basis so that I can focus more on homeschooling (and also because I will *hopefully* be pregnant or have a new baby within the year). But God has provided in so many ways so far that I really feel like He is ordaining me to be a doula, so I'm sure He will work all of that stuff out in due time.
Friday, February 27, 2009
The countdown is on!
I'm so excited about starting my doula training! I just got off the phone with Childbirth International and got to ask all of my questions, and I'm even more excited now than I was before (which is barely possible!). The cost of the birth doula program is about $450 and I've discussed it with PG and we agreed that I could keep a quarter of my babysitting and teaching money to go towards the class (up until now, pretty much all of my money has gone straight into the bank to help cover bills). So, after being paid this week, I'm about $100 towards my goal!
My birthday is on Tuesday and any money that I get for that will go straight towards the class as well. Orriginally I had hoped to get started by May 1, but if I go the payment plan route, I might could get started in the next couple of weeks! *squeel!*
On a more sobering note, we are going to have to replace our heatpack downstairs to the tune of $2700 asap. It stopped working Thursday morning and he man who came to look at it said we'd be better off just getting a new one. The one we have has broken down numerous times over he past few years and he was appauled at how high our energy bills are. He said that our utility bills would be so much lower if we got a new, energy efficient model, that it would pay for itself pretty quickly. I was really worried that PG would ask me to put my class off so that all my income could go towards the gaspack, but he said I could keep saving for it. I'm hoping that the sooner I get certified, the sooner I can start finding clients and adding more towards our income.
Prayer requests for now are that we can get financed for the new heatpack and that I can quickly save the money I'll need for the class.
Also, please pray for Ian. He's had an upset tummy all day today. He's been on the potty a LOT, but thankfully no throwing up. I'm going to get him some hot tea to settle his stomach and send him to bed in a few minutes. Please pray that he feels better soon and that it is NOT the stomach virus we all had last year!!!
My birthday is on Tuesday and any money that I get for that will go straight towards the class as well. Orriginally I had hoped to get started by May 1, but if I go the payment plan route, I might could get started in the next couple of weeks! *squeel!*
On a more sobering note, we are going to have to replace our heatpack downstairs to the tune of $2700 asap. It stopped working Thursday morning and he man who came to look at it said we'd be better off just getting a new one. The one we have has broken down numerous times over he past few years and he was appauled at how high our energy bills are. He said that our utility bills would be so much lower if we got a new, energy efficient model, that it would pay for itself pretty quickly. I was really worried that PG would ask me to put my class off so that all my income could go towards the gaspack, but he said I could keep saving for it. I'm hoping that the sooner I get certified, the sooner I can start finding clients and adding more towards our income.
Prayer requests for now are that we can get financed for the new heatpack and that I can quickly save the money I'll need for the class.
Also, please pray for Ian. He's had an upset tummy all day today. He's been on the potty a LOT, but thankfully no throwing up. I'm going to get him some hot tea to settle his stomach and send him to bed in a few minutes. Please pray that he feels better soon and that it is NOT the stomach virus we all had last year!!!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
What I want to be when I grow up...
I think I've finally figgured it out!
After a year of being a La Leche League Leader, having had 2 wonderful births and attending 2 births as a labor assistant, I am pretty sure I've figgured out what God wants me to do with my life (other than build my family and homeschool my kids, of course...). I feel God calling me to minister to expectant and new mothers as a doula!
I've been researching certifying organizations for a few days now and I've settled on Childbirth International. www.childbirthinternational.org They come highly recomended from a number of women I know from the Christian Moms Forum. To get certified, I'll do an extensive online class, some required reading, a reflective paper, and attend a few births. I really can not wait to get started! I think I should be able to save up enough money to apply to the class in the next couple of months. I'm hoping to start by the first of May - partially because I want to get going and partially because I'm supposed to attend Crystal's birth and would love for hers to count as one of the ones I need for the class.
After I get certified, I'm planning to save up some more money and get a dual certification from Cascade Christian Childbirth Assciation - another organization that certifies doulas, but does so from a distinctly Christian perspecive. I would also love to persue certifications as a childbirth educator and a postpartum doula as well. I feel like there is a HUGE need - especially in our area - for childbirth professionals. Most people around here don't even know what a doula is. Birth is seen as such a medical procedure to be feared and not as a natural and miraculous part of life. There are people, and even members of the medical community, who don't know anyone who has had a natural birth or sucessfully breastfed.
I want to be part of a support network that can reclaim birth from the sterility, timelines and intervenions of a hospital and gift women with the traditional practice of women supporting women through their labors, as has been done for thousands of years, and teach women to trust their bodies again. Pregnancy and birth is a miraculous time...it is our opportunity to take part with God in the creation of one of His children. It breaks my heart to think of the women going through their pregnancy with little or no support, uninformed, scared that their bodies will let them down, and prevented from experiencing the empowerment that comes from naurally birthing a baby like generations of women before them.
I've been talking to my friend Glynis, who also wants to become a doula. We would love to go into buisness together after we both get our certifications. Glynis is an artist by trade (and if you need a portrait done, she is FANTASTIC) and we were discussing her using her skill to do pregnancy and newborn photography and we could work together to do belly casting as well. A long term goal would be to open a boutique where we could showcase Glynis's art, our belly casts, and also sell mother/baby items like blankets, diapers, slings, birth kits...the sky is the limit!
Another part of being a doula and childbirth educator, for me at least ( I don't want to speak for Glynis) is that I would love to volunteer my services to mothers at the women's shelter, crisis pregnancy center, and teenage mother home. I really feel this is a ministry opportunit...to empower and support women and at the same time show them God's love through the miracle of birth.
Please pray for me and Glynis as we embarq on this journey! We will both need to raise the funds to pay for the class and our supplies we will need to run our buisness. Also, I want to praise God for giving both of us such supportive husbands who are standing behind our decision to make this leap.
Also, if you are in Pitt or the surrounding counties, pregnant and looking for a doula, or know someone who might be, contact me! I will need to attend a few births to complete my certification, and will attend those free of charge. My services for those will include 2-3 prenatal visits to discuss your birth plan, relaxation and other natural pain management techniques, and concerns you may have, your expectations of my role at your birth, as well as access to my library, unlimited phone calls, attendance at the birth, and post natal appointments to make sure breastfeeding is going well.
After a year of being a La Leche League Leader, having had 2 wonderful births and attending 2 births as a labor assistant, I am pretty sure I've figgured out what God wants me to do with my life (other than build my family and homeschool my kids, of course...). I feel God calling me to minister to expectant and new mothers as a doula!
I've been researching certifying organizations for a few days now and I've settled on Childbirth International. www.childbirthinternational.org They come highly recomended from a number of women I know from the Christian Moms Forum. To get certified, I'll do an extensive online class, some required reading, a reflective paper, and attend a few births. I really can not wait to get started! I think I should be able to save up enough money to apply to the class in the next couple of months. I'm hoping to start by the first of May - partially because I want to get going and partially because I'm supposed to attend Crystal's birth and would love for hers to count as one of the ones I need for the class.
After I get certified, I'm planning to save up some more money and get a dual certification from Cascade Christian Childbirth Assciation - another organization that certifies doulas, but does so from a distinctly Christian perspecive. I would also love to persue certifications as a childbirth educator and a postpartum doula as well. I feel like there is a HUGE need - especially in our area - for childbirth professionals. Most people around here don't even know what a doula is. Birth is seen as such a medical procedure to be feared and not as a natural and miraculous part of life. There are people, and even members of the medical community, who don't know anyone who has had a natural birth or sucessfully breastfed.
I want to be part of a support network that can reclaim birth from the sterility, timelines and intervenions of a hospital and gift women with the traditional practice of women supporting women through their labors, as has been done for thousands of years, and teach women to trust their bodies again. Pregnancy and birth is a miraculous time...it is our opportunity to take part with God in the creation of one of His children. It breaks my heart to think of the women going through their pregnancy with little or no support, uninformed, scared that their bodies will let them down, and prevented from experiencing the empowerment that comes from naurally birthing a baby like generations of women before them.
I've been talking to my friend Glynis, who also wants to become a doula. We would love to go into buisness together after we both get our certifications. Glynis is an artist by trade (and if you need a portrait done, she is FANTASTIC) and we were discussing her using her skill to do pregnancy and newborn photography and we could work together to do belly casting as well. A long term goal would be to open a boutique where we could showcase Glynis's art, our belly casts, and also sell mother/baby items like blankets, diapers, slings, birth kits...the sky is the limit!
Another part of being a doula and childbirth educator, for me at least ( I don't want to speak for Glynis) is that I would love to volunteer my services to mothers at the women's shelter, crisis pregnancy center, and teenage mother home. I really feel this is a ministry opportunit...to empower and support women and at the same time show them God's love through the miracle of birth.
Please pray for me and Glynis as we embarq on this journey! We will both need to raise the funds to pay for the class and our supplies we will need to run our buisness. Also, I want to praise God for giving both of us such supportive husbands who are standing behind our decision to make this leap.
Also, if you are in Pitt or the surrounding counties, pregnant and looking for a doula, or know someone who might be, contact me! I will need to attend a few births to complete my certification, and will attend those free of charge. My services for those will include 2-3 prenatal visits to discuss your birth plan, relaxation and other natural pain management techniques, and concerns you may have, your expectations of my role at your birth, as well as access to my library, unlimited phone calls, attendance at the birth, and post natal appointments to make sure breastfeeding is going well.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Oh my, folks, I'm just about in tears. I'm so emotionally overwhelmed at the understanding and knowledge God has revealed to me tonight. I want to share this here...but I'm really excited right now, so if I make little to no sense, just let me know and I'll try to explain better! Here we go...
It all started with PG and I deciding to celebrate Passover with a few friends this year. We decided that, since Jesus celebrated it, and no where in the Bible are we told to STOP celebrating it, and since it was one of the feast days God commanded His people to celebrate, that we should celebrate it. So I've been online, doing research, trying to figgure out what all goes into a Sedar meal. As I was reading through the order of the feast, I was struck by a couple of things. First, there is a point in which the leader breaks a piece of matza bread. I thought "Huh, like Jesus did! He broke the bread at the Last Supper!". Then I read about how a blessing is said over a specific glass of wine and thought, "Huh! Just like Jesus did! He blessed the wine at the Last Supper!"
This got me to thinking about Communion. How we've pulled just those two parts of the Sedar out as Christians and call it Communion. Why did we pull just those two parts out? Because they were the only ones mentioned by name in those passages of Scripture? What about the rest of the supper...why wasn't it mentioned? Well...the obvious answer is because those passages were written to Jews. They would have understood what went on at a Sedar. They didn't need to have it all spelled out. Those two parts were the only ones written about because something was *different* about them. And what was different? That Jesus was telling His disciples "when you do this...remember Me."
Then I thought, now why would Jesus say that? In the Christian church it seems that we've interpereted it to mean "When you break bread or drink wine (ie, have Communion), remember Jesus and His saccrifice. That's why we have Communion so often...at my church it's once a quarter. In other churches it is weekly. But the more I thought about it, the more that just seemed to not make much sense.
So then I did some more digging. Jesus was clearly pointing out these two parts of the Sedar meal for a reason. There are about 15 parts to the meal. What was it about those two parts...the breaking of the bread and the blessing of the wine...that were significant? So I looked up what the meaning behind those two parts were. That is when the real epiphany came! Are you ready for this? This might change your WHOLE THINKING about Communion! So if you aren't ready to NEVER see Communion the same way again, you should stop here.
Ok...I warned you!
Luke 22:19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."
The bread part of the meal includes 3 pieces of matza bread. In the Sedar meal, the leader blesses the matza and then breaks the middle piece. Up until that night, the matza of a Sedar meal signified the "swift salvation" of the Jews. They were ousted from Egypt so quickly their bread had no time to rise. The Jews are reminded of their salvation from bondage when the matza is eaten. But when Jesus breaks that middle piece of matza (and yes, I think the breaking of the middle of 3 pieces is significant as well because Jesus is the second of the three parts of the Godhead) he is saying "Do this in rememberance of Me." He wants his disciples to know that every time they eat a Sedar meal, when it comes time to break the matza, they are to remember that Jesus's broken body is THEIR salvation. Do this in rememberance of me...not every time you break bread to eat, but every time you break the matza bread - the bread of the salvation of the Jews - remember that Jesus is their salvation.
Luke 22: 20In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Matthew 26: 27Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Then there is the wine. It says that after the meal Jesus blessed the wine. This indicates that the passage is talking about the 3rd cup of wine (in a Sedar meal, there are 4 cups). The 3rd cup comes after the meal and is the "Cup of Blessing". Each of the 4 cups of wine signify a promise from God:
Cup 1: I will take you out
Cup 2: I will rescue you
Cup 3: I will redeem you
Cup 4: I will take you to me
Cup 3, the one we are told is the covenant, poured out for the forgiveness of sins...is that not redemption? Jesus, our Great Redeemer! When we do this, we should remember Him and that He has come to redeem us! It also would have made sense to those who were there with Him, because of their Jewish herritage and culture, that Jesus was referring to His relationship with the church as that of a bride and groom. From this site: http://home.comcast.net/~jovial/learn/mc/passover4cups.htm
So, for me, the take home message is that Communion is just a church instituted rite. Jesus wanted us to celebrate the Passover, but to know that His coming and death changed the way we should look at the symbolism of some of the parts of the feast. Jesus didn't mean for us to have Communion often so that we could remember Him. He meant for us to remember Him when we celebrated Passover...to rememeber that HE is our salation and HE is our redeemer!
How amazin is that?!
It all started with PG and I deciding to celebrate Passover with a few friends this year. We decided that, since Jesus celebrated it, and no where in the Bible are we told to STOP celebrating it, and since it was one of the feast days God commanded His people to celebrate, that we should celebrate it. So I've been online, doing research, trying to figgure out what all goes into a Sedar meal. As I was reading through the order of the feast, I was struck by a couple of things. First, there is a point in which the leader breaks a piece of matza bread. I thought "Huh, like Jesus did! He broke the bread at the Last Supper!". Then I read about how a blessing is said over a specific glass of wine and thought, "Huh! Just like Jesus did! He blessed the wine at the Last Supper!"
This got me to thinking about Communion. How we've pulled just those two parts of the Sedar out as Christians and call it Communion. Why did we pull just those two parts out? Because they were the only ones mentioned by name in those passages of Scripture? What about the rest of the supper...why wasn't it mentioned? Well...the obvious answer is because those passages were written to Jews. They would have understood what went on at a Sedar. They didn't need to have it all spelled out. Those two parts were the only ones written about because something was *different* about them. And what was different? That Jesus was telling His disciples "when you do this...remember Me."
Then I thought, now why would Jesus say that? In the Christian church it seems that we've interpereted it to mean "When you break bread or drink wine (ie, have Communion), remember Jesus and His saccrifice. That's why we have Communion so often...at my church it's once a quarter. In other churches it is weekly. But the more I thought about it, the more that just seemed to not make much sense.
So then I did some more digging. Jesus was clearly pointing out these two parts of the Sedar meal for a reason. There are about 15 parts to the meal. What was it about those two parts...the breaking of the bread and the blessing of the wine...that were significant? So I looked up what the meaning behind those two parts were. That is when the real epiphany came! Are you ready for this? This might change your WHOLE THINKING about Communion! So if you aren't ready to NEVER see Communion the same way again, you should stop here.
Ok...I warned you!
Luke 22:19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."
The bread part of the meal includes 3 pieces of matza bread. In the Sedar meal, the leader blesses the matza and then breaks the middle piece. Up until that night, the matza of a Sedar meal signified the "swift salvation" of the Jews. They were ousted from Egypt so quickly their bread had no time to rise. The Jews are reminded of their salvation from bondage when the matza is eaten. But when Jesus breaks that middle piece of matza (and yes, I think the breaking of the middle of 3 pieces is significant as well because Jesus is the second of the three parts of the Godhead) he is saying "Do this in rememberance of Me." He wants his disciples to know that every time they eat a Sedar meal, when it comes time to break the matza, they are to remember that Jesus's broken body is THEIR salvation. Do this in rememberance of me...not every time you break bread to eat, but every time you break the matza bread - the bread of the salvation of the Jews - remember that Jesus is their salvation.
Luke 22: 20In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Matthew 26: 27Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Then there is the wine. It says that after the meal Jesus blessed the wine. This indicates that the passage is talking about the 3rd cup of wine (in a Sedar meal, there are 4 cups). The 3rd cup comes after the meal and is the "Cup of Blessing". Each of the 4 cups of wine signify a promise from God:
Cup 1: I will take you out
Cup 2: I will rescue you
Cup 3: I will redeem you
Cup 4: I will take you to me
Cup 3, the one we are told is the covenant, poured out for the forgiveness of sins...is that not redemption? Jesus, our Great Redeemer! When we do this, we should remember Him and that He has come to redeem us! It also would have made sense to those who were there with Him, because of their Jewish herritage and culture, that Jesus was referring to His relationship with the church as that of a bride and groom. From this site: http://home.comcast.net/~jovial/learn/mc/passover4cups.htm
Note that the 4th cup is "I will take you to me". This is what happens when two people get married. The bride is taken to the groom - they are together. Note how the 3rd and 4th cups parallel the wedding betrothal process of ancient Jewish custom. When a man proposed to a women in ancient Israel,
At a betrothal...
* The man would negotiate a bride price Y'shua paid the Bride price when He died for us and rose again. (Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24 , Luke 22:20)
* He would hand the bridal candidate cup of wine and say "This is the cup of my covenant" Y'shua did this at the last supper - said these exact words! (recorded in same verses as listed above)
*If she drank it, it meant "I do" She had all the rights of a wife, but no marital
intimacy until the wedding night
At the wedding...
*They’d drink of another cup
So, for me, the take home message is that Communion is just a church instituted rite. Jesus wanted us to celebrate the Passover, but to know that His coming and death changed the way we should look at the symbolism of some of the parts of the feast. Jesus didn't mean for us to have Communion often so that we could remember Him. He meant for us to remember Him when we celebrated Passover...to rememeber that HE is our salation and HE is our redeemer!
How amazin is that?!
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