Frohe Ostern (Happy Easter)

We hope everyone has had a great Easter break, and a good time remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus. Easter over here is pretty similar to in Sydney - quite commercialised with lots of easter eggs, easter bunnies, etc. The emphasis, though, is less on the chocolate eggs but rather the painted ones. Because it's also spring time, flowers, chicks, bunnies and budding branches feature heavily as well. Here's a photo of the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) and some of the decorations.

Nathan went to something quite different this easter. At the English church, there was a Passover "Seder". This is a passover dinner as celebrated by Jews (commemorating their escape from Egypt), but of course with a Christian emphasis. For those who don't know, Jesus was crucified at Passover time (which is why Easter and Passover coincide), and the "Last Supper" was a passover meal. There are also lots of parallels between the Passover and Jesus' death (eg Jesus is often described as the "passover lamb" - referring to his death for our sins)

Here's a photo of Grit, playing the part of the Matriarch of the family and lighting the passover candles. She even put in some Hebrew, having learnt some during a 1 year trip to Israel several years ago.

Here's another photo of the handwashing ceremony.

It was quite interseting to learn about some of the passover traditions, and how they can be understood from a Christian perspective. The dinner included some lamb (of course), unleavened bread (no time to let the bread rise), bitter herbs (remembering the bitterness of slavery), and much more. It was the first time the Leipzig church has tried this, and it looks likely to turn into a yearly affair.