The Biblical account of the Jewish Exodus from Egypt has been one of the most inspiring stories for the oppressed, enslaved and downtrodden through out history. From the American Revolution to the slaves of the American South, to Martin Luther King’s “Let Freedom Ring,” the narrative of the Exodus provided countless peoples with the courage to hope for a better future and to act on the dream.

Moses’s first visit to Pharaoh demanding liberty for his people only brought more misery to the Hebrew slaves; the Egyptian monarch increased their torture. The Hebrews would not listen any longer to the promise of redemption. Now, let us pay heed to this strange verse in Exodus, in the Torah portion Vaeira:

So G-d spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and He commanded them to the children of Israel, and to Pharaoh the king of Egypt, to let the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

G-d is charging Moses with two directives: Command the people of Israel and then command Pharaoh the king. However, the verse is ambiguous: What did G-d command Moses to instruct the people? The message for Pharaoh is clear: Let the children of Israel out of Egypt. But what is it that Moses is supposed to command the people themselves?

The Jerusalem Talmud says something profoundly enigmatic:

G-d instructed Moses to command to the Jewish people the laws of freeing slaves.

The Talmud is referring to a law recorded later in Exodus: If a Jew sells himself as a slave, the owner must let him go after six years. He is forbidden to hold on to the slave for longer. This was the law Moses was to share with the Israelites while they were in Egyptian bondage.

Who is free?

The answer to this question is profoundly simple and moving, and is vital to the understanding of liberty in the Biblical imagination.

Before Pharaoh can liberate the Jewish slaves, they must be ready to become free. You can take a man out of slavery, but it may prove more challenging to take slavery out of a man. Externally, you may be free; internally you may still be enslaved.

What is the first and foremost symptom of bring free? That you learn to confer freedom on others.

The dictator, the control freak, or the abusive spouse or parent, does not know how give others freedom. He (or she) feels compelled to force others into the mold that he has created for them. Uncomfortable in his own skin, he is afraid that someone will overshadow him, expose his weaknesses, usurp his position or make him feel extra in this world. Outwardly, he attempts to appear powerful, but, inwardly, his power is a symptom of inner misery and confinement.

Only when one learns to embrace others, not for whom he would like them to be, but for whom they are, then can he begin to embrace himself, not for whom he wishes he was, but for whom he is. When we free those around us, we are freeing ourselves. By accepting them, we learn to accept ourselves.

Who is powerful? He who empowers. Who is free? He who can free others. Who is a leader? He who creates other leaders.

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power,” Abraham Lincoln said. Ask yourself, do you know how to celebrate the soaring success of your loved ones and constituents? Do you encourage them to spread their wings and maximize their potential? Can you allow others to shine?

Pharaoh may set you free physically. But former slaves can become present tyrants. People who were abused often become abusers themselves. It is what they know about life; it is the paradigm they were raised with. They grew up in abuse and slavery, so they continue the cycle with others. The first Mitzvah the Jews had to hear from Moses, before even he can go the Pharaoh to let them go free was: One day you will be free. Remember that freedom is a gift; use it to free others.

Celebrate Passover – The Holiday of Freedom – with Chabad. We have a place for you at our Seder. To reserve, call Rabbi Tzvi at 347-410-1106

Rabbi Tzvi Dechter is the Director of Chabad of North Broward Beaches. New location soon. For all upcoming events please visit www.JewishLHP.com.

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

The Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBiFF) concludes this evening at the Cinemark 20 Palace in Boca Raton with the screening of Silver Skies, a film which premiered in South Florida six months ago at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. As a member of the ensemble cast, Florida’s suntanned ambassador George Hamilton appeared at the screening.

Having played Hank Williams in the MGM production of Your Cheatin’ Heart in 1964, I asked Hamilton that night about the buzz related to Tom Hiddleston’s portrayal of the Alabama Legend in the now-released biopic I Saw the Light. Hamilton was very complimentary to Hiddleston and said, “This will be a different film. Being an independent film, they will be able to show things that we were unable to show with a big studio.”

To the producer’s credit, the new Hank Williams film does not get as down and dirty as it could in retelling the life of this country music legend. During the opening credits, the immaculately dressed Hank Williams sings a signature tune, as if he were giving a concert from heaven.

The film flashes back to 1944 when Hank is married to Audrey (Elizabeth Olsen) by a justice of the peace in a gas station on a rainy night. The next scene features him in a performance that is interrupted by a jealous husband, upset with Hank’s song lyrics. These two abutted scenes best describe the final nine years of Hank Williams’ rollercoaster life.

With the deaths of John Belushi, Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse we’ve all witnessed the tragedy of talented artists slain by personal demons.

Hank Williams was no exception. Given his medical ailment (Spina bifida), professional demands (touring 11 months of the year) and shattered domestic life (Audrey’s singing ambition marred by a total lack of talent), a sensitive man like Williams was doomed to fail.

The saying goes, “country music is three chords and the truth.” British Actor Tom Hiddleston’s performance serves this country music principle. The womanizing charm and alcoholic despair is given a unique vulnerability by Hiddleston’s dignified performance. He is matched every step in the way by Olsen’s balanced performance as Audrey, who is part lover, part shrew.

George Hamilton’s You’re Cheatin’ Heart was produced with Audrey Williams’ supervision. I Saw the Light is based on the book, Hank Williams: The Biography by Colin Escott, George Merritt and William (Bill) MacEwen in an effort to cite objective sources.

While Hank Williams III (the singer’s grandson) has denounced the film and Hiddleston’s performance, I Saw the Light provides a fine introduction to music that has stood the test of nearly seven decades.

Let me share with you a few of my favorite places to eat here in South Florida. (Trust me; I have a point.) When I want a great burger and fries, there’s no place I love more than Flanigan’s Seafood Bar & Grill. Pizza, now that’s a toss-up because, with so many New England transplants in SoFlo, there’s a plethora of great pizza stops. I’ll give my shout out to Big Louie’s and Mizner Pizzeria. Last, but certainly not least, a true staple of the southeastern states, the “Pub Sub” from the Publix Deli. Can you find a better sandwich?

It’s easy to want to share with you my favorite food stops, but there is one thing I cannot do and that’s tell you how great the food is at the Olympia Flame Diner. Why? Because I’ve never stopped in to have a bite. I’ve heard excellent reviews. I’ve seen pictures of the place when I Googled it for this article, but, the fact remains: I have no first-hand experience.

I imagine the above logic makes sense. Few people — if any — review movies they haven’t seen. So allow me to insert what author and speaker Jon Acuff calls a “Jesus Juke” — radically altering the course of conversation toward Jesus.

Are you consuming your Word daily? Do you spend intentional time in the presence of our Lord hearing from Him through meditation on His Word? Are you experiencing Him personally—without ceasing?

Matthew 28:19 commands us to “… go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

I have to ask, how can we fulfill this great commission with any authenticity and authority if we have yet to truly experience the life-changing message of the Gospel first-hand?

Joshua 1:8 says, “Study [the Word] continually. Meditate on it day and night so that you will be sure to obey everything written in it.” When we do so, He promises to “draw near to you,” James 4:8.

Think about that; the Creator of all the galaxies and beyond wants to draw close to you.

To put that in perspective, I’d like to draw from the science presented by Reverend Francis Chan. The speed of light travels at 186,000 miles per second … yes second! A light year then is a measure of the distance that light travels at that 186,000 mile per second for a whole year. That’s far! So how many light years would it take to travel from one end of our galaxy – the Milky Way Galaxy, the one in which our solar system resides – to the other? 100,000 light years. Let that sink in. Still not impressed? Scientist estimate there are 350 billion galaxies like our Milky Way in space. And somewhere, tucked deep within our universe, is Earth, where the Creator of those galaxies and beyond desires to draw close to you in a personal — first-hand — relationship.

It is then, and only then, when we will be able to understand our identity in Him, able to venture into a lost world in desperate need of a Savior. With authority, fervency and joy, we will share what we know about our faith, not from having only read a Yelp review, but from our personal experience: a changed life. In this depth of knowing Him, others will come to know Him, too. He is a relational God who has given us the ultimate text message: His Word. Read and respond; for you have been set apart for His purposes. And because of your obedience, His will will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

C.J. Wetzler is the NextGen pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach. Before transitioning into full-time ministry, CJ was a commercial airline captain and high school leadership and science teacher. For questions or comments, he can be reached at cj@deerfieldfirst.com.

By Gary Curreri

Like many of the other players in the tournament, Deerfield Beach’s Marilyn Guisti played for a cause and the competition.

“It is very important to support women who are being battered and hopefully this will give them a lot of confidence to do what they have to do,” said Guisti, who was one of 128 golfers in the sold-out field for the 4th annual Women’s Invitational Golf Tournament to Benefit Women In Distress-Broward at Colony West Country Club in Tamarac. “It is very special to be with friends and help women who are being battered.”

Delray Beach’s Tina Ostrowski agreed. After she hit her tee shot into the rough at Colony West Country Club, she looked at her teammates and shrugged her shoulders.

“That was a bad one, but the practice swing was good,” she said with a laugh. “I am a new golfer, so this is only my third tournament, but I am here with dear friends and we are here to support a wonderful cause. It’s great to be a part of it and I look forward to supporting it [for] many years to come.”

Nancy Hersey, Kathy Constantine, Mechelle Brown, and Shauna Federico won Low Gross honors in the tournament with a 63, while Cheryl Johnston, Pat Reid, Lora Hoffman, and Jen Gallaudet captured Low Net honors with a 43.2.

Pompano Beach’s Jan Parke, who chaired the event with Alberta Bove and Penny Eppy, said the fourth annual event has raised more than $37,000 during its history, including a record amount of $16,417.68 this year. That total easily surpassed last year’s previous total of nearly $6,000.

“It’s grown by the number of players and the amount of money we are donating to Women in Distress,” Park said. The Colony West Women’s Golf Group hosted the event. “I feel it is an important tournament. It is a tournament by women to help women and Women in Distress is a really important charity.”

The first year, the tournament drew 84 players and raised a little more than $4,000. The tournament sold out for the second consecutive year with 128 players and has been held at Colony West Country Club all four years.

Parke said men have approached her suggesting a coed tournament.

“We haven’t gotten to that point,” Parke said. “I know there is another tournament in the fall for Women in Distress that is a coed tournament, so ours is a spring, women’s only tournament.”

Parke said one of the things that stood out this year is the support of the community and the sponsors.

She said there were more auction items and drawing prizes. There were awards for low gross and 1-6 for low net. They received gift certificates. The Low Gross and Low Net winners each won a foursome at the course.

Events Coordinator for Women in Distress Eileen Trower said there are 3 to 4 main events and then smaller “third party” events such as the Colony West tournament. There are more than a dozen third party events annually.

“This isn’t considered a main event; however, it is gradually getting closer to that,” Trower said. “The money covers everything…the organization offers [to] the women in the shelter, women in the outreach program…just any of the women, men or children that live in our facilities. It helps in so many ways.”

The shelter consists of 132 beds and there is an outreach program. Both operate at capacity.

“As soon as someone leaves, there is someone else who comes right into the facility,” Trower said. “It is very gratifying to know that there are people out there willing to support the organization. It is just amazing. Just the work that goes into organizing something like this is just incredible and we are so thankful for that.”

“It does bring awareness to domestic violence,” Trower added. “Events like these, the ultimate goal is to stop domestic violence. With everyone doing events like this, the awareness and the monies brought in to help the individuals we serve, will help us end domestic violence for everyone.”

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Cinema Paradiso courtyard [503 SE 6 St., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301], Cinema Dave will attend the screening of John Ford’s masterpiece, The Searchers, starring John Wayne, and give a post-film discussion.

Acclaimed by the American Film Institute, this film inspired modern film titans like Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino. Beyond breathtaking visuals and a compelling story, The Searchers is an American treasure that has withstood the test of time.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Despite the phenomenal box office, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will not stand the test of time. While not hating the movie as much as mainstream critics, viewers of Batman v. Superman are not as exuberant leaving the big screen as they were leaving Star Wars: The Force Awakens or Miracles from Heaven.

A direct sequel to Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice deals with the destruction created by the invaders from Superman’s home planet. Billionaire Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) lost employees who were collateral damage when General Zod (Michael Shannon) and Superman (Henry Cavill) flew through the Wayne Enterprise Building.

In the guise of his secret identity — intrepid reporter Clark Kent — Superman is concerned about the vigilante behavior of this Batman, Bruce Wayne’s covert identity. Lurking in the passive-aggressive background like a Siamese fighting fish is Lex Luthor (Jessie Eisenberg), whose jealousy of Bruce Wayne and Superman plants the seeds for more mutual destruction.

Batman v Superman has some golden character moments portrayed by a strong supporting cast, most notably Diane Lane, the adorable Amy Adams, Larry Fishburne and Kevin Costner. The big letdown in this film is the showdown between the Dark Night and the Man of Steel.

The emotional connection one feels earlier in the film is lost amid the overblown special effects, which might have looked great on a giant IMAX screen. When released on DVD, Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice’s dullness will abound due to distracting technical flaws.

PBiFF opens

The Palm Beach International Film Festival opened last night. It has films in venues from Palm Beach Gardens to Boca Raton’s Cinemark Palace. The Cinemark Palace will close PBiFF with Silver Skies, a George Hamilton comedy that premiered at last year’s FLiFF.

Check out Ovation, which will be screened on Friday, April 8 and Wednesday, April 13. Directed by Henry Jaglom, Ovation is a romantic comedy about a stage actress who falls for a television star.

For information, visit the PBiFF website, www.pbifilmfest.org.

By Emily Rosen

ERosen424@aol.com

www.emilyrosen424.com

Bet you never heard of Cades Cove, an enclave in the Great Smokey Mountain Range in Tennessee, pioneered in the 18th century by Cherokee Indians. Wikipedia has recorded its rich history, but nowhere is there any mention of the 1987 adventure of Ivy and Emily, rolling blissfully in the lineup of haystacks placed in the heart of this mountainous retreat … hundreds of haystacks deftly linked together like railroad tracks, for what possible purpose remains a mystery to this day. It does not matter.

What does matter is that Ivy, at age 30, and Emily, at age 60, spent a few hours off the trail rolling, lolling, giggling and squealing like 6-year-olds, sniffing the tangy, earthy scent, enduring the stray strands of dry twigs adhering to our warm up suits, (it was November) inebriated with mountain air and becoming completely mindless in the ecstasy of the moment —two city girls — women — who had never before been up front and close to a haystack. Okay, so it wasn’t sex. But some experiences come damned close.

When we came down from our high, walking toward the car to continue our road trip from Westchester County in New York to our Los Angeles destination, it went like this:

Emily: “Ivy, when you’re 60 and I’m 90, we’ll have to do something like this again.”

Ivy: “That’s a promise.”

Ivy had been my son’s live-in girlfriend. They broke up amicably and she decided to move to California to be close to her parents who had recently relocated there. She packed up her tiny Honda Civic, with her art supplies and personal effects, and mapped out her solo route to the left coast.

“Ivy,” I said when she announced her plan to me (she and I had become buddies). “Do you really want to take that trip alone?”

“Are you kidding? I’m dreading it. I wish I could find someone to go with me.”

Thus, we became the two generation, cross-country travelers of the late ‘80s. That trip has already been recorded in all of its quirky iterations, stops along strange by-ways, plans made and tossed, and remade, sketching the richness and diversity of people, culture, landscape and noteworthy encounters.

Twenty nine years have since passed. Ivy and I have kept in touch. For the curious, neither she nor my son have married – much to the betterment of any who might have succumbed to either of them. Both are happy in their singlehood, but that’s another story.

The e-mail I received from her a few weeks ago said, “Emily! We waited 29 years. My parents aren’t well. Who knows what next year will bring. I don’t want to wait another year to keep our promise. Let’s do it NOW!”

And so, plans were made. We’re meeting in Phoenix in May en route to Sedona, a different one of our enchanted places. Ivy is in charge of finding the haystacks. If that doesn’t work, there are plenty of mountains to climb.

Passover matzah has always been divided. One part of our people, let’s compare it to the smaller part of our matzah, still stubbornly sitting at the “seder table”. They sit around the table of their ancestors, following the traditions, continuing the rituals, studying the laws and telling the story. This is the smaller part of the matzah, the minority of our people, which refuses to get up from the Passover table and find other alternatives for life and for happiness. Yes, they sometimes sit there with closed eyes, half asleep, but they are present. These are the Jews who wake up each morning remembering that we are part of a long narrative — beginning with Abraham, culminating with Messiah — and we ought to live our lives inspired by this narrative. They don a tallis, wrap tefilin, go to the synagogue, pray to G-d and send their children to Jewish schools to receive an intense Torah education. These are the Jews who celebrate Shabbos, eat kosher, would not eat a meal outside of a Sukkah or wear a garment made of wool and linen.

The larger part of the matzah — the majority of our people — have wandered from the seder table, into foreign pastures. They have found alternatives to Torah. Indeed, most of our nation remains ignorant and, in many ways, apathetic to our heritage and its wisdom; millions of our brethren feel alienated from our people and its story.

And the split of the matzah continues. We continue to be a divided people. The small part of the matzah often looks with disdain at the larger piece of the matzah: “I am at the seder table; you are lost and estranged;” while the big part of the matzah often looks at the small piece of matzah with bewilderment and pity, wondering how it manages to remain so isolated and detached from modernity and the new world.

Here we will discover the secret of the Matzah. Open your hearts…

The Rebbe’s Calling

April 19 marks the 114th birthday of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (1902-1994), who was born in Ukraine, just days before Passover. Growing up at the height of the revolutions which swept the world and captured the hearts and souls of millions of Jews, the Lubavitcher Rebbe observed firsthand the “matzah” being split, fragmented, broken and then almost completely consumed by the flames of Stalinism and Nazism.

The larger part of the matzah may be absent from our seder table, but it is still matzah; our matzah may be divided, but we are still one matzah. Millions of Jews may be absent from the seder table, but they may never be forgotten. Most importantly: we cannot conclude our seder if we do not bring back the larger piece of matzah which has been gone from the seder table.

The small piece of matzah will never be capable of reaching the culmination of its seder if it will not reach out to its brother-matzah and bring it back to the seder table, recognizing the truth that we are one people and each of us has a place of dignity at the eternal table of Jewish history and consciousness.

This, the Lubavitcher Rebbe believed, was the mission of our time. The seder is almost complete, the story is almost finished. Messiah is at our doorstep. The meal has been eaten, and we have had our share of maror, of bitter herbs and suffering.

And now we must remember the Afikoman. We must search for the Afikoman (matzah), and, with much love and sensitivity, bring it back to the table, and let it reunite with its own essence, with its own story, with its own soul.

Only then will we be able to conclude our journey and truly be “Next year in Jerusalem.”

Please encourage unity in your family in your community, in your country and in our world!

If you need a place for the Seder please contact the Rabbi at chabadoflighthousepoint@gmail.com or RSVP for our Community Passover Seder at www.JewishLHP.com.

Rabbi Tzvi Dechter is the Director of Chabad of North Broward Beaches. New location soon. For all upcoming events, please visit www.JewishLHP.com.

By Gary Curreri

When it comes to the expansion of the South Florida Baseball School, Bruce Charlebois said his prayers have been answered – literally.

“We have wanted to run a home school division, which is something that we have been praying for a long time and God has answered that prayer with Marc (Carpiniello) and his family,” said Charlebois, owner of the school and head baseball coach at Highlands Christian Academy, where the school is located. “We have also started a softball division this year and that has been another desire of ours for years.

“That is ridiculously great!” Charlebois added. “People believe in our system and we have been able to help in the area of character and baseball training throughout the years and people are investing in us. Again, it is a miracle that we get to do this and people love us enough to invest in what we are doing.”

Charlebois, 49, of Deerfield Beach, said the school is celebrating its 20th anniversary and adding a home school division was just a natural progression.

Carpiniello, 45, also of Deerfield Beach, said the home school division for children ages 6 to 13 began a few months ago with a Tuesday camp and just three players. It has since grown to 14.

“I think it is more of a want, than a need,” said Carpiniello, who home schools his children, Vince, 7, and Jami and Justin, twin 6-year-olds. He coaches his children in several leagues and about 30 games each, however, there are not many practices.

“Even though my kids adapt quickly and make friends fast they are still not in the same circles as most of the other boys since they are home schooled,” Carpiniello said. “With our program, we do a little skill training with them and then break into a wiffle ball or tennis ball game. We will then do some speed and agility, and then some baseball. We will also focus on the pitchers and catchers a little bit. I think it is huge for the kids to be able to play with their friends. They like that they have a league of their own.”

The South Florida Baseball School recently broke ground on a brand new state-of-the-art, 6,000-sq. ft. indoor hitting and pitching facility, currently being built with completion expected by June. They have also added “Rookie Ball” for kids ages 2-5, a softball division, clinics for little league players and coaches.

“The hitting and pitching facility is a game-changer for us as far as the academy goes,” Charlebois said. “It will be built where the exiting hitting area and bullpen area is. It is down the left field line.”

Charlebois said the schedule varies depending on the time of the season.

“We have home school stuff available at any time during the day – from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and our prime time schedule is available from 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. during the week,” said Charlebois, who also offers private lessons, small groups and team workouts. “We have Saturdays all day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. We also have winter and summer camps. We had a three-day power camp during winter break.”

Looking back over the 20 years, is there one thing that stands out?

“For the baseball academy, the best memory would, honestly. be God bringing Marc and his family into our lives,” Charlebois said. “His excellent wife Janis has built our website and is doing administrative work for us.

“We have done a lot over the years,” he added. “We have guys in the big leagues with Mike Fiers (Houston Astros) and Michael Taylor (Washington Nationals), both guys who trained in our academy. We also have a number of guys who are in pro ball or Division 1 in college.”

For more information, visit southfloridabaseballschool.com, or call 954-326-2373.

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

“They don’t have much talent, but they got a lot of guts,” said my Aunt Virginia about a garage concert my cousins and I held on a backyard in Westfield, New Jersey, circa 1990. Encouraged by a family reunion and fueled by a keg of beer, we sang all forms of American tunes and Italian folk music. We were good, or so we thought. The video revealed a definite lack of vocal talent.

Set in an age before the advent of video recording (early 20th Century), Marguerite features a protagonist who believes she is an opera diva. Unfortunately for Marguerite (Catherine Frot), she is tone deaf and she cannot hear the limitations of her vocal intonations. However, she is a high society patron of the arts, so the Hoi Poloi crowd tolerates Marguerite’s scratchy vocals because of her generous donations to the arts.

In this narcissistic age, a film like Marguerite is very timely. The first half of the movie is very comedic as we watch hypocrites praise Marguerite to her face, but mock her behind her back. For the first 90 minutes, Marguerite is a satirical comedy; however, this film is over two hours long.

When Marguerite hears her first criticism, the film becomes more serious. To prove herself, she takes lessons from a second rate opera singer. Her goal is to sing at a opera house in Paris for a charity benefit. Marguerite concludes with many motifs that one expects from a five act opera.

While fictional, this film is based on a true story about a delusional American dowager who thought she could sing opera, but she sounded like Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer. This French language (with English subtitles) film won multiple awards at the Venice and Cesar film festivals. Marguerite opens tomorrow.

With the Lenten Season over and the further onslaught of Summer Blockbuster movies impending, take the time to see Miracles from Heaven. Based on a true story, Jennifer Garner stars as the mother of a sick child with a stomach disease. After many painful medical examinations and procedures, the daughter returns home and falls into a hollow oak tree. What happens next is a profound mystery.

After seeing the noir Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice with its computerized claustrophobia (more next week), Miracles from Heaven seemed like a breath of fresh air with amazing cinematography celebrating life. With the appearance of a special butterfly and a soulful rendition of George Harrison’s “Here Comes the Sun,” Miracles from Heaven is the best feel good movie of the year.

T. S. Eliot famously wrote that “April is the cruelest month.” I beg to differ. For me, April is a month overflowing with hope and with promises fulfilled. In the northern hemisphere, it’s the beginning of springtime, and if you’ve ever lived on the cold side of 40 degrees north latitude, then, with the coming of April, you’ve paid your winter dues and are ready to enjoy the first blooming of the cherry blossoms.

I’ve long held a completely unsubstantiated belief, that when our Lord rested on the seventh day of Creation, it just happened to be on a beautiful day in April, and, when He saw what He had made, He declared: “it was very good.”

Yes, our Lord’s Creation is spectacular in April, but we may miss the whole divine show if our thoughts turn to other Aprils – those past, present and future – and the memories of losses and fears that may come to mind. Any Biblical-optimism generated by the wonders of Creation can be a challenge to defend, in the face of our own doubts, and to the skeptics of our world. Remember Saul on the road to Damascus, who could only see a god of anger and was blind to the God of Love.

Our God knows this about our thought process and that’s why He never leaves our side even if we think we’re meant to go it alone and all talk of hope and promises aren’t in the cards for us.

When such thoughts make their appearance, we need to be reminded that, if God permits “a time to weep and a time to mourn,” he also provides “a time to laugh and a time to dance.” Holy Scripture is teeming with stories of the self-inflicted tribulations of flawed humankind, and how our God redeems us with His love when we turn to Him. The story of our redemption is a golden thread that runs through the Bible from beginning to end.

We find an early stitch in this golden thread in the Book of Genesis; there, we learn what happened to Adam and Eve, our first parents, when they made their ill-fated choice to disobey God. They were driven from an earthly paradise in the Garden of Eden, but not before God gently clothed them against the elements of a cruel world. Yes, there are also cruel times in each of our lives, often engendered by the poor choices we make; but our pathway through these cruel times may be successfully navigated when we follow the directions our Lord lovingly lays out for us.

We find another stitch in this golden thread in the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah. He wrote of the Hebrew’s disobedience leading to the Babylonian Exile and to their losing all hope of ever returning to their homeland. Their longing to return is offered as a prayer in Verdi’s stunningly beautiful “Va, pensiero” which is sung by Hebrew slaves on the banks of the River Euphrates in the opera Nabucco. God did lead the Hebrews home to their beloved Jerusalem and enabled them to rebuild their city.

There may be times in each of our lives when we feel an estrangement from friends, family and home and can’t see any way for a re-connection. During these times, we need to remember the power of prayers and that they are like the ever-returning spring. They never leave our lips without the promise of our God’s providential reply.

And, finally, with each spring, God’s golden thread leads to the remembrance of the singular event in the story of our redemption that overflows with hope and with promises fulfilled – the glorious Resurrection of our Lord on Easter morning after he was savagely crucified on Good Friday. Yes, although we also experience times of suffering in this life, the promise of Easter is that we will also rise again to life eternal with our Lord. Is April the “cruelest month”? I don’t think so, especially when we kneel at the foot of the Cross and look up at our risen Lord and all the hopes and fulfilled promises that entails.

Rev. M. Tracy Smith, SSA, Rector is from the Saint Peter’s Anglican Church, 1416 SE 2 Terr., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. For more information, call 954-695-0336. Wednesday: Morning Prayer at 10 a.m., Sunday: Holy Communion at 10 a.m.