Most of you know what Passover Celebrates. Think of it as a Jewish Independence Day, like we in the USA Celebrate the 4^th of July. It was celebrated the first time huddled in their homes safe from the Angel of Death. They sheltered in homes mark for protection from the Angel of Death by the sign of a sacrificed lamb’s or goat’s blood around their door. This marked them as belonging to the God of Abraham.

     They had been slaves under Pharaoh, throw away workers. God has told them through Moses that this will be the night they are freed from that bondage. They have packed everything portable. They are prepared to flee quickly when Pharaoh insists that they all leave Egypt.

     They are having a very simple meal for dinner this night. The lamb or goatling that was killed was to be eaten completely before dawn or it had to be burned. With this roast meat they ate bitter herbs and unleavened bread.

     The name of the Holiday comes from the act of the Angel of Death Passing over the homes marked by the blood on their doors. It was a fearful night. Only the Israelites that stayed put and obeyed the instructions were saved.

     The meat, and unleavened bread symbolized the ability to move quickly when it was time to leave Egypt. The bitter herbs were filled with minerals and vitamins. Later they were associated with the bitter slavery that they had known under Pharaoh.

     This was the Festival that greeted the arrival of Jesus into Jerusalem the last time. The meal we now use to Celebrate Jesus’ sacrifice is taken from this Passover Feast.

     When Jesus prepared to enter Jerusalem there was a great gathering of people ready to welcome him. They cheered and honored him. He told his people to find the little donkey that would carry him in through the gates. He told them how they would find the upper room they would be staying in. He told them to find the makings of their Passover Celebration meal.

     As he rode into town he was hailed with great applause and the waving of Palm fronds. He arrived like a conquering hero except he rode in on a humble little donkey. The crowds thought he was coming to free them of all Roman occupation. Many thought he was a vanguard of a might army. Few of them understood his true mission was of Peace and Love.

     I want you to close your eyes and imagine the thrill of being welcomed with such adoration and love. The cheers echoing off the rocks everywhere. He was being treated like a prodigal son returned after they thought he was lost. He had to have been basking in this glow of good will. They were all treating him like a best friend and family member. His people must have felt nearly invincible. How could they fail? With this kind of ground swell of support any resistance from the Romans would be useless.

     Now I want you to hear the cries of derision and hate that these very same people would yell a couple of days later. These same people would shout anger and blame at Jesus when he was held prisoner by Pilate. The time to release a prisoner for Passover as was the tradition of pardon for Jewish prisoners came. When Pilate did not want to kill Jesus he tried to offer Jesus as this pardoned Prisoner. This crowd that Loved Jesus yelled that he should be crucified. The prisoner they yelled for was of a like mind with them. A “Freedom Fighter” Zealot called Barabbas. He would be called a terrorist today.

     Some say that it was just the crowd being whipped up by the Jewish Priests. I’m sure that was part of it. But how could they be so fickle about the hero they honored just a couple of days before? The reason is obvious. Jesus did not bring an army. He did not try to insight violence that they thought would solve their Roman Problem. He talked only about Love. He had the Audacity to “Let them Down”. He did not live up to what they expected from him.

     It did not matter he never advocated violence. It did not matter that he said he would not rule them but the whole World. They had placed him in a cubbyhole that just did not fit him. Then instead of trying to find merit in what he really preached they hated him for not being what they wanted.

    His heart must have been breaking to hear the jeers, taunts and insults hurled at him. The bitterness of going from the adoration to vehemently hated must have hurt him deeply.

     He was secretly arrested and shuttled around to different dignitaries by the Sanhedrin Priests. They did not have the authority to kill him legally. They wanted to end this trouble makers appeal. His very mission was to rock the boat. The status Quo would not stand when he was completed. They were very comfortable with their status, even if it meant knuckling under to the Roman occupiers. They still had power over the Israelites. Jesus did not defend himself because he knew the decision was already made to kill him. They were just trying to find a Politician to do it.

     Jesus suffered constantly from the beatings each set of guards put him through. There was an understanding on the part of the Temple guards that if Jesus met with an unexpected death they would be rewarded handsomely. They did their level best to collect that reward. They did not know he was being healed as they damaged him. He had to die on the cross to fulfill his promise to God to be the last sacrifice ever needed to free us from sin. The Holy Spirit followed him during his ordeal to keep him alive. I can only imagine the pain and resolve it took for his Twin to keep him alive and suffering. Thank God it will never be repeated.

     All other sacrifice to God have been obsolete. No other sacrifice will ever be excepted from the time Jesus was murdered on the cross to the present time. When you feel like the World has crushed you, Remember Jesus was there with you. When you have felt the sting of harsh and unfair words hurled at you, remember Jesus knows how you feel. When you ache for the end of your suffering, remember Jesus knows those feelings as well.

     The First Born of God was given to save us and show us the way. Jesus did not get his arm twisted to come here to show us the way. He was not ordered to die for us. Jesus did all these things of his own free will, because of his love for us. Jesus paid a heavy price to help us. It is our role to make that sacrifice mean something. Do not let this huge gift be given in vain.

God Bless the whole World, No exceptions.

Angel Eliza 41 (For The One)

      Well would you believe we have now come to the anniversary of the Ministry? I am feeling very good about all we have gotten done. It has been a great year. Now we can build on this foundation to reach further. Thank you all for your help and support.

     On Easter a New Era started. We were told that we need not pay a Priest to talk to God on our behave. We were freed from the burden of sacrifice. Now anyone could talk with God, no entrance fee required. Anyone who reaches for God will be answered. No object has to be purchased. No animal needs to be killed to earn that access to God. Jesus wiped all those obsolete ideas away. He paid our entrance fee. He atoned for all of our wrong doing. He suffered the torture of his body in our place.

     Mary had planned to ask the guards of Jesus’ tomb to move the stone so that they could attend to this missing ritual of anointing the body. When Mary felt the Earthquake opening the tomb she fell to her knees in the dirt. She had been carrying a jar with herbs. She protected it from breaking with her cradling arms. She and the other Mary were going to annoint his body, since there had not been time at the time of his burial.

     The guards keeping an eye on the tomb were very afraid. They felt the earth quake. They saw the stone roll away. They saw the Angels standing at the opening of the tomb. They ran from the area in abject fear. When Mary saw the stone was moved she praised The One for opening the tomb for them. When Mary saw the two Angels at the entrance of the tomb, she thought they had opened it for them.

     When Mary found the tomb empty she was overjoyed. She remembered how Lazarus rose from the dead. She was one of the few that understood at least in part what Jesus was telling them. He was going to show them the way to Heaven.

     He told his people that he would not be gone long. He would be back to talk with them. Mary was one of his true students. When she recognized him he showed her his wrists, ankles and side wounds. She reached out to hug him and comfort his pain. He assured her that he did not hurt anymore. He shown like an Angel. He was not to be touched yet so he asked her not to. To her he was not a fearful Ghost come back to haunt them.

     She ran to get the others to tell them the good news that he was back. They would not see him yet, because it was not time. They did see the empty tomb, but they had to wait to talk with Jesus again. Her faith had earned her a first contact with him after he rose from his deathbed.

     I have always had a problem with the idea of fearing God. My feelings are represented in the rewrite of “Amazing Grace” I did. I personally feel that since fear is how Satan rules, it is not how God feels about us his Children. If you fear your parents you are in an abusive relationship with them. God has never struck out at us in anger. I do not see abuse in the way God has disciplined those who strayed. I see love and disappointment. I see an effort to get us back on course, which is what good parents try to do.

     When I see people begging and groveling to God as their way to pray I cringe. We have always had the privilege of asking for help in our times of need. We have always been God’s Children. Now with the grave and heroic effort of Jesus’ sacrifice for us there is even less reason to think we have to debase ourselves to be able to talk with God.

     God wants to help us. God may answer with a “No”, but God does hear you. Maybe what you want to get out of doing is necessary to your wellbeing. God also does not want to interfere in our choices. God wants you to ask for help. As children of God we have the right to ask for help.

     This brings me to the role we have in our extended family of God. I had a dream that explained it pretty well. Imagine a huge playground next to a large house. The playground has everything we need to keep healthy in mind, body and spirit. The large house has enough rooms for everyone to rest in. The house has a big porch on it.

     God is sitting in the rocking chair on this porch. All the older Angels are sitting on the porch in groups talking and playing games. They talk with God as well as sing for God. God smiles most of the time as God watches all the kids playing in the yard.

     In the play area every kid is watched over by Young Angels. When a child falls down, they help get them back up. They dust them off and nudge them on their way. They comfort the little kids when they cry or scrap a knee.

     Then there are the Bullies on the playground. These are the ones who try to undermine the progress we make. They are young Demons and their human friends. Sometimes they are the reason why we fall down. The Young Angels shield us until we can get back up. If they are not up for the task they ask other Angels for help.

     If a kid wanders off and is alone they are in more danger from the Bullies. They get whispers about how they are not good enough. They are nudged away from things that can help them. They might even tell them it would be fun to have no rules. God is mean to restrict their lives from having fun. Come play with them, they will play without rules.

     If a Young Angel sees what is happening they might try to convince the kid to come back to the lit part of the play area. They might punch the young Demon in the nose to distract them from the kid to help the kid get away.

     With this imagery in mind there is another scenario. The Young Angel is not big enough to handle the situation. They can call for help from older Angels. They can also point to where someone is in need to guide the stronger older Angels.

     The thing that any Child of God can do is yell for help themselves. You will never find a kid who feels like they have to beg for help from their parents. They yell at the top of their lungs, in full knowledge that they will get the help they need.

     When this happens every Angel leaps from the porch of God and run to the aid of the little kid who has just yelled for help. So if you are in danger from Evil, fill your lungs to brimming and yell for God’s help. You should respect God, but there is no need to grovel. I hope you see that fearing God keeps you from truly Loving God.

     Jesus is always with us. The sacrifice of his torture and death will be our Salvation Forever. Always ask for God to be in your life. The help you need is there for the asking. You do not need to go through any ritual. You do not need to pay some Minister as a go between. You do not need to go to Church to have God in your life. The Love you share with God is there for the asking. Being respectful out of Love is one thing, fear negates that. The help you need is just a conversation with God away. And If the burden is crushing you, Yell for help. And the help will be on it’s way. Peace on this Day we remember Jesus Sacrifice and resurrection.

God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions.

Angel Eliza 41 (For The One)

     I had a disturbing conversation with a young man the other day. We were talking about attitudes concerning Sex. Now a days young people do not consider Oral Sex as Having Sex. No matter how it is explained to be just as dangerous it does not seem to count. He had described himself as a Virgin. I have no judgment of people having Sex. What disturbed me was that the definitions seem to be blurring beyond recognition.

     I tried to explain the sorts of nasty diseases he could come down with. No recognition. I told him how embarrassed he would be if he got one of these many maladies. I reassured him that when he went to the Doctor, the Doctor would consider this as having had Sex.

     I attempted to get a handle on what he considered Sex. Apparently only penetration of a girl by a guy was Sex. I almost asked but stopped myself from asking if the boy had to be on top with the girl facing him. That sounded too much like asking if he only thought the “Missionary Position” was real Sex.

     He did volunteer something that shook me. He told me that girls often say no at first because that was their way of getting boys interested. He said they really do not mean it, because they want sex just as much as the boy.

     I asked him what he thought rape was. He said it was a teasing girl finally getting what she was asking for. I restrained myself from hitting him. He had no idea why this made me angry. I asked one last question before I stopped talking with this young man. I asked where he got his ideas about what Sex was. He told me that all the singers explained how to get a girl. It made a twisted sort of sense. I told him that what he was using as a guide was going to cause great harm someday. I told him that these singers were not talking about sex, that they were talking about Rape.

     I have no idea if he heard me in his heart or just blew me off as some old woman who obviously was all dried up, and could not remember the passion from my youth. I hope he never has to experience Rape or the Rape of a Loved One. If he does, I hope he does not blame himself or the Loved One for bring it on themselves.

     I am truly surprised that all the education that we spread seemed to be filed away as not useful. I am very sad that the “consciousness raising” we did on the subject of Rape has gone by the way side.

     One of the reasons I do not listen to Rap Music is it conveys some very negative imagery. It plays up the violence in our World instead of attempting to stop it. In most of these songs there is some woman being called names that are degrading. They are objects to be taken. They are sex crazed creatures just aching to be rutted.

     I know that many of these singers came from households that had strong women as the heads of those homes. How could these people have come from such backgrounds. It reminds me of some twisted Teenage Boys Fantasy of how to interact with any female they come in contact with. Further I have seen many young men who do not come from these cultures or backgrounds spouting the same slurs on women.

     Since Apparently the subject needs to be revisited I’ll tell you what I know. What I know comes from both personal experience and trying to help people who have been the object of Rape. If you will notice I will not call them Victims. They are Survivors of horrible situations, they are not victims.

     First, no one should assume that anyone was “Asking for Rape”. No sane person would ask for that to happen. Being in a neighborhood at night is our Right as Citizens. Some people blame the way some one is dressed as the “Enticer”. Even a naked woman wondering the Streets is not asking for it.

     In Past years I did many annual “Take back The Night” Marches. It was a group of Anti-Rape advocates that dared to go where it was considered asking for it. We challenged all who confronted us with Questions of how they would react if someone they Loved was Raped. We asked Questions like, How could a 90 year old asleep in her bed be Asking For It. I truly think it shook them up. I do think the marches challenged the misconceptions of these people.

     Second, the word “No” has to mean just that. Even if you err on the side of not “getting Any”, it is better than scarring someone for life.

     Some of those that needed to talk with me were on dates. Their dates were supposedly friends/ acquaintances. These were not some disinterested strangers. They pressured these women into sex, totally disregarding the Word No. Because it was someone these women trusted as friends they often did not savagely kick, hit or strike back.

     Which brings up another point. Many juries that are trying a Rape case consider whether a woman fought back and how fervently they had fought in the deliberations. If a woman is petrified in fear for her life it may not matter how much she did not want it to happen. In this mind set they often just hope that by not fighting they will avoid further Violence. Others go into a semi conscious state called dislocation. In this state they literally go elsewhere until it is over.

     It has gotten a bit better in court cases. The rare Rapist who goes to trial had the legal tactic of questioning everything in a woman’s sexual History. This often kept many from even reporting or backing out when they found out that They Would be the ones on Trial. A woman who sells her body, was often Raped with impunity because she was the Ultimate Example of “Asking For it“. Alternately a wife seldom had recourse through the Law if Her Husband or Partner Raped them. Abused Women are often Raped to keep them in line, terrorized and in fear.

     In Ancient times up to and including Today, rape has been used systematically as a subjugating tool. It was used to ensure there was no will to fight back. We often hear of woman being raped but Children and Men are not exempt from Rape. It is not Lust brought on by a victory on the Battlefield, it is an extension of that battlefield.

     Rape has been described as an act of Passion. In this case the Rapist was defended by the idea the object was Just Too Good Looking to ignore. It has been described as a Sex Act. Except for the involvement of areas of our bodies that we associate with sex it has absolutely no connection to Sex.

     Well I have shared what Rape is not. Now I will tell you what it is. It is a brutal assault on the Most Intimate part of our Humanity. The Assault is meant to gain Power over others. It is a coercion that is meant to degrade and terrorize another person. It takes a very natural positive expression in our lives and turns it into a demoralizing weapon against the person who is Assaulted. Rape destroys parts of a persons Soul. It is worse than killing, because it will follow that person the rest over their lives. It takes an innate sense of safety and strips it from that person.

     I suggest that you fight these trends of dehumanizing other people especially Women. In the beginning I spoke of one influence in our society. If we do not, we could find our selves mired in an entire Generation of Potential Rapists.

God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions.

Angel Eliza