
Happy Purim everyone! After a little discussion about our times and season, I want to share some fun and easy Purim ideas.
IS THIS YEAR DIFFERENT?
Is it just me, or does Purim feel different this year? There definitely are a few things about this year that aren’t typical.
PURIM IS JUST BEFORE SABBATH
For starters Purim comes the day before the Sabbath. That means we have less time to be ready for both days. In light of that fact it pays to keep things simple and less complicated, yet still get the message out. We always want to celebrate how God has freed us from the hatred of the enemy that constantly tries to ambush us as we go through daily life.
We can start by not letting things (or Satan) ambush Purim!
WHEN NEEDED KEEP THINGS SIMPLE AND BASIC
I’ve had a saying for a long time. I’m going to say it again right here. Anything is easier if you break it down and keep things simple and basic. Perhaps that is a good way to remember this time. The point is TO NOT FORGET TO REMEMBER.
Purim doesn’t have to be complicated.
SPRING WEATHER PATTERNS
One thing about this year that is different if you live in Alabama is something that is usually typical about Spring, but not always typical at Purim. The weather is a factor for us this time. Mr. Span has pulled out his guns. All of them are loaded. We seem to be in for some severe weather, and for that reason we are all having to stay at home and take weather precautions.
So no big party here.
The law for preserving life always overrides any other commanded celebrations. To take that further, Purim is not commanded at all. Those who chose to keep this day do so from the heart because they always want to remember its valuable lessons.
At any rate, because of the severe weather patterns this Purim will be a simple stay-at-home dinner with a few teaching videos that tell the story of Esther.
SOME GREAT FREE RESOURCES
However, to make that a bit more exciting, I’ve found a wonderful website that has recipes for making pizza in the shape of hamantaschen!
PIZZA FOR PURIM RECIPES
Not only are these two dishes novel and delicious, they carry out the tradition in a simpler and more casual way. Check out this link if you are interested: https://ooni.com/blogs/ooni-insights/forget-the-cookies-celebrate-purim-this-year-with-a-hamantaschen-pizza.
This year will be my practice session for using these recipes. If they turn out to be wonderful, I may throw a Purim/Pizza Party next year. If that works out I want to serve these dishes to many of our neighbors and friends.
ADDED STUDIES WHILE YOU ARE WATCHING THE WEATHER
Since we are not able to invite others this year, I wanted to find a great Purim study on-line that my husband and I could share on Purim. Often we have watched the wonderful production of ESTHER AND THE KING on video with our grandkids, but this year we picked a much more adult type of video.
The wonderful teaching for this year is called ESTHER’S STORY – THE MYSTERY BEHIND THE MASK. This is a video which contains several parts and you can find it on Youtube.com. The presenter is one of my favorite teachers, Dr. Hollisa Alewine.
Dr. Alewine does an excellent job of laying out this story of Esther. When you have viewed all of the videos you will have a clear picture of how Esther’s story ties in with every story in the bible, from Genesis to Revelations. Now that is a lot of teaching! If you are stuck at home and sheltering in place though, I can’t think of a better way to use up the hours. So here is the link to the first video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Cu191CUxn0.
The teaching above takes care of telling the story and studying the Megillah. Of course, if you really want to keep it simple, there is also the story we published: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/esther-and-the-king/.
THE BLOOD MOON
Now I also want to speak further about how this year’s Purim seems to be different.
This time (if the weather allows) you will need to go outside and look up into the sky. We are experiencing the 2nd Blood Red Moon in a row in the time of Purim. It happened last year on this time of the Purim celebration. Also, it seems that we are expecting this same experience to happen next year on Purim. That means a series of three blood moons in a row, each of them at Purim, in consecutive order.
Whenever I see three things in a row, I’ve learned to pay attention.
Here is a good video which takes that statement further. As concerns the rapture, or anyone’s theory of it, my plan is simply to follow God’s Word to wait and watch. If there truly is a rapture, I will be there! If not, God will show us what He intended for us to know in His good time. I don’t debate the theory of rapture, because I truly believe that believer’s are the Bride of Christ. So, I look at this video in that light.
I hope you are waiting and watching for signs from Heaven. We definitely are here. God always keeps His promises. Take a look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03jwIXM9XeE.
May your Purim celebration be blessed!
I am learning so much from your informative articles and excellent teaching series. I listened to the video about Esther. Thank you!
So glad the teachings are helpful to you. That teaching on Esther was a great blessing to me also. Glad we were able to share it!