Passover Seder (1949), oil-on-masonite painting by Shraga Weil

Friends,

This Sunday we continue our Exodus: The Way of Liberation series with the story of Passover (Exodus 12:1-14). After Moses’ long confrontation with Pharaoh, we see the pressure on empire begin to build. Pharaoh refuses to change, so the struggle escalates. The plagues disrupt the system that have made oppression possible, reminding us that liberation often requires more than asking those in power to do the right thing. It can require organizing, building collective power, and putting enough pressure on unjust systems that they have to change.

And then, in the middle of this struggle, God gives the Israelites a meal and a practice of remembrance—The Passover. They are called to gather around a table and remember where they came from, how God made a way, and that liberation is not simply freedom from oppression, but freedom for a new way of life together.

We’ll also hear Jesus’ teaching about conflict, reconciliation, and the power of gathering in his name (Matthew 18:15-20). Both Passages ask us what it means to live as people who have been gathered, liberated, and called into a new way of being.

I’m excited to explore these stories with you this Sunday. Come join us as we remember, give thanks, and continue walking the way of God’s liberation together.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz