A Christian is part of a larger story and family than just
his individual church. Understanding our Jewish heritage transports us to
Jesus’ world when He walked the earth and calls us to community with our
forever family. To that end, Michelle Van Loon’s enlightening Moments & Days: How Our Holy
Celebrations Shape Our Faith ties together BC and AD, Old Testament and New
Testament. Through history and intent of each Jewish and Christian holy day,
Van Loon encourages contemplation that leads to purposeful action today. She
concludes in “It’s About Time,” her final chapter, that her desire is for
readers to live kairos-shaped lives,
intentional about glorifying God.
Moments & Days
also includes seven recipes for Jewish feasts, additional resources,
side-by-side Jewish/Christian calendars, glossary, and pronunciation guide.
Although easy to read, this book overwhelmed me with its
scope and depth. I read it because I wanted insights into Jesus’ life and my
own debt to and connection with God’s chosen people. What I got was realization
of how little I know about this—and new appreciation and admiration for how the
Jews honored God’s character and actions through their feasts. The
overwhelm-factor of Moments & Days
will probably be less for Christian readers of different backgrounds. I didn’t
have many pegs already in my brain on which to hang the new knowledge I gained
in Moments & Days.
My favorite part of the book (on pages 183 and 184) shows
the heart challenge of each holy day by saying what each invites us into. For
example, “Yom Kippur invites us into a discipline of intercession.”
Our moments and days are sacred gifts. Psalm 90:12, “Teach
us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom” fuels Van Loon’s
quest to help her readers steward the fragile, brief, precious time God gives
them.
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1 comment:
Thanks for your engagement with the book, Jane!
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