Tag Archives: Purim

Kerstetter Chronicles: April 2016

Six wise and experienced leaders sat around the table. They listened eagerly to our testimonies and our passion to share the Gospel with our beloved Jewish people. They smiled with understanding as we described the steps that God laid out before us to lead us here. They said it’s clear we have been called. And they hired us to do our dream job.

After more than a year of serious consideration and prayer, while BJ has worked as a student missionary with Chosen People Ministries, he has been offered and has accepted the role of full-fledged missionary. The position is contingent on his finishing school, so he will continue to work in ministry part-time as he completes his studies at Moody Bible Institute.

Also, as a crucial part of our training, we will spend most of this summer in Israel! We will join a short-term team with Chosen People for several weeks of outreach and humanitarian aid work, based in Jerusalem, folloOutreach Israelwed by four weeks of intensive Modern Hebrew study at Tel Aviv University. During this time we will also try to reconnect with Israeli friends we made in South America. Please pray that God will be working in their hearts before we see them next, and also for the funding needed for this trip. We need to raise $2,500 outside of our Chosen People ministry fund to be able to pay for Hebrew studies and some travel expenses.

Besides our exciting transition with Chosen People, this last month has been filled with outreach and learning opportunities. We celebrated Purim by distributing gift bags of treats and literature to Israelis who work kiosks in the Chicagoland malls. Through that we were able to have some really good conversations. This is a challenging group to connect with, so please pray for follow up opportunities with them.

Also, that week BJ did a wonderful job leading Passover Seders at four churches. And I had the pleasure of leading a Passover Seder for the children at our church here in Chicago! But since Passover is actually in April this year, we are looking forward to celebrating it some more in the coming weeks!

It is an incredible honor to represent you in sharing the Good News of Messiah with Jewish people, and educating the Church about the rich Jewish roots of our faith.

Thank you for the vital part you play in it all!

BJ and Carissa Kerstetter

Five Things I Want My Friends to Know About Purim

Purim is coming up next week! You may be very familiar with the biblical story of Queen Esther, but since many Christians are less familiar with the Jewish traditions surrounding Purim, I asked my good friend, Lea Dickinson, to write up a guest post about this special holiday.

 

 

For those of you, who have never heard of Purim or have been curious to learn, here are five points to give you a quick overview!

  1. Purim, like many Jewish holidays, celebrates God’s preservation of the Jewish people. An ancient holiday that is still being celebrated by Jewish people this very day, Purim commemorates the freedom of the Jewish people in Persia from destruction. Haman, an evil man, plotted to destroy the Jewish people. If it weren’t for Esther’s bravery and her Uncle Mordechai relaying the message to Esther to go to the King, the Jewish people would have been wiped out, much like the Holocaust. We celebrate Purim because we are thankful that we were not annihilated and that God sustained us.

 

  1. Jewish holiday – Jewish calendar. Purim is celebrated every year on the 14th of Adar, which is a Jewish month. On the Gregorian calendar, the date of Purim changes, but on the Hebrew Calendar it never changes. As it happens, this year Purim lands on March 23-24, the same week as Easter, even though you might be celebrating Passover at your church!

 

  1. “The whole megillah.” It is traditional to go to the synagogue for a reading of the whole book of Esther, or as we call it, the Megillah, (which literally means “scroll”) on Purim. It is also traditional as one reads to loudly “Boo” the name of Haman and to shout “Yay!”, when the names Mordechai or Esther are read. The reason we do this is to blot out the name of Haman. Try it with your family! It’s fun!

 

  1. Purim is sometimes called the Jewish Halloween, but it’s meant only in the sense of wearing costumes. Purim is a time of celebration. And what better way to celebrate than dressing up?  Children and adults alike will dress up as one of the characters mentioned in the book of Esther, and those who are less traditional may wear any kind of costume.

 

  1. Hamentashen! It’s not a celebration without food! At Purim, we eat delicious hamentashen, which are cookies in the shape of a three pointed hat (said to be Haman’s hat, or ears, depending on who you talk to) that are filled with a filling of choice. This is a traditional dessert that is always eaten on Purim, and it’s very easy to make! Follow this link for Carissa’s family recipe and try it for yourself! And if you have a Jewish friend, they would be delighted to receive a basket of hamentashen from you next week! Happy Purim!

 

Lea Dickinson

Lea Dickinson

Lea Dickinson has a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, with a minor in Jewish Studies and Islamic Studies from San Fransisco State University. She and her husband, Mikael, are Jewish believers in Jesus and are passionate about reaching fellow Jewish people with the truth of Jesus the Jewish Messiah. She currently serves as the Evangelistic Coordinator at Shema Yisrael Messianic Congregation in Michigan.

Hamentashen for Purim: A Ziegler Family Recipe

Poppy seeds get every where. Flour dusts the counter tops and I somehow managed to get apricot jam in my hair. But the buttery fruit and vanilla scent coming from the oven is worth it. Many years growing up, my family celebrated the holiday of Purim by baking hamentashen. It’s a little tricky to learn the pronunciation, and it can make a mess of your kitchen, but they are delicious and fantastically versatile. I think next year, I’ll try a nutella filling. What do you think?

As tradition has it, these jam and nut filled gems are meant to resemble Haman’s hat, or ears, depending on who you ask. Either way, they’re a fun way to celebrate! So, here’s the family recipe. Double the batch and have plenty to share! They make a great goody basket to show the love of Jesus to your Jewish friends, or to educate your Gentile friends about Jewish culture and the need for love and restoration from the Church to Jewish people. This is such a fun and easy way to make a difference!

Ziegler Family Hamentashen (from Bubbe Dorothy Ziegler)

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

zest of one lemon

1/2 juice from lemon

1 cup oil

1 tsp baking soda

3 tsp baking powder

4-5 cups flour (use just enough to make soft dough)

Beat eggs very well. Mix sugar and salt and add gradually to eggs. Add lemon and oil. Add enough flour to make soft dough which can be kneaded. Knead until smooth. Roll dough on lightly floured board. Cut into 2-3 inch circles with cookie cutter. Place 3/4 tsp filling on the center of each circle. Fold edges into the center to make three corners, and pinch the corners together, forming a triangle. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

For filling you may use the traditional recipe below, any flavor of jelly or jam, or come up with your own creative filling!

Raisin & Nut filling

1 lb. raisins

1 cup honey

3/4 lb. walnuts or pecans

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

A little water to blend

Grind nuts & raisins together. Add remaining ingredients and blend with a little water.