We are in the middle of Passover week. Included in this week is the celebration of First Fruits or the day of the resurrection of Yeshua/Jesus. This is Nisan 16 on the Hebrew calendar. In 1 Corinthians 15:20 He is called "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." The New Living Translation says, "But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So, you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when He comes back." (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)
 
For life to spring forth we must first have death. This was demonstrated with Jesus who willingly went to the Cross to take our sicknesses and diseases, pain and sorrow, sin and guilt on His body. During the three hours between noon and three p.m., He felt the pain of His spiritual separation from His Holy Father because of what He was bearing. The first two verses of the prophetic Psalm 22 is a look at what Jesus would say as He hung on the Cross. "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving Me, so far from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry out by day, but You do not answer, by night, and am not silent." 
 
The "groanings" of Messiah are followed by a statement of truth and comfort in verse three of Psalm 22. In this Psalm there is a move from despair to faith in the truth of who God is. "But You are holy, enthroned in the praise of Israel." (NKJV) "Yet You are enthroned as the Holy One; You are the praise of Israel." (NIV) The word "enthroned" or "inhabits" in the KJV is the Hebrew verb "yashab" which means to remain or dwell. God is everywhere! Psalm 139:7-10 makes this clear. "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast."
 
As we contemplate Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, we should see a call to worship the Lord. That message began as Moses went to Pharoah to obtain the release from slavery for the children of Israel. "So, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, 'This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews says: How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me.'" (Exodus 10:3) Today our enemy, the devil, does everything he can to stop us from worshiping the One True God. Just as God broke the bondage of slavery for the Israelites, Christ broke the bondage of sin and sickness for us on the Cross. He was resurrected on the third day with a message of victory over death and a call for us to come near to worship Him.
 
Rabbi Jason Sobel tells us that "Passover reminds us that without God's intervention, Israel would still be in bondage." After the Exodus, Moses realized that what is most important for God's people is His presence. Moses said, "If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here...What else will distinguish us from all the people on the face of the earth?" (Exodus 33:15, 16) This question is still for today. We should be defined by the presence of God. That comes as we open our hearts to worship Him. Today we glory in the resurrection of Christ and His promise of eternal life for those who believe in Him. Let us make today and the weeks to come ones of His Presence through extravagant worship! 

​On the same day (Nisan 10) that every Jewish household was choosing their unblemished, spotless lamb for Passover, God brought Jesus into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey to present His Son as the pure, spotless Lamb of God. Large crowds met Him there and "took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting, 'Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!'" (John 12:13)
 
Four days later Jesus joined His disciples in an upper room for a Passover Seder. He was being obedient to the Scripture in Exodus 12:14 that says, "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance." At this Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer."  (Luke 22:15) God's plan was for His people to remember how He set them free from slavery in Egypt. He also knew that through the retelling of the Passover story, a connection would be made that His Son, Yeshua, is the Passover Lamb. He shed His blood that would be applied to the doorpost of our hearts for eternity. The blood of the lambs that was applied to the doorframes of the homes of the children of Israel was for protection from the death of the firstborn.
 
There has always been a battle over the power of the blood. It was Emperor Constantine who legalized Christianity but forbid the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus during Passover. The Church in Rome joined the battle and tried to stamp out Passover and pronounced a curse on Christians who celebrate it. Satan hates Passover because he knows the power of the blood. He also knows that it points to Jesus as being the Passover Lamb. The first time Jesus was introduced this way was by John the Baptist who said, "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)
 
On the original Passover night, the head of every household stood at the door of his house with a basin containing the blood of the lamb. He used a hyssop branch to dip into the blood and smeared it on the two doorposts and the lintel over the door. In doing this, he was making the sign of The Cross. The applied blood redeemed each family from the power of the death angel. Deliverance comes by the Cross of Jesus and by His shed blood!
 
At today's Passover feast there are four cups to drink. The first one is called The Cup of Sanctification, which represents the power of the blood to take away sin. The second cup is called The Cup of Judgment. Before drinking this cup, a drop of juice is taken out of it ten times and dropped onto a napkin—one for each plague. We are to remember that by the stripes of Jesus we are healed. The Cup of Redemption is the third one. Jesus said, "This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many." (Mark 14:24 - NKJ) The third cup would become the center piece of communion and spoke of the greater redemption and deliverance that humankind would experience through the forgiveness of sin from the Lamb of God. The final cup is called the Cup of Praise and is the one to remind us to rejoice because of our promised future. Truly, the Passover table was the birthplace of the Communion table.
 
The deliverance of the children of Israel came at the first Passover in the land of Goshen in Egypt. From this Passover table, a nation was born. The Passover table is a place from which one is sent out and the beginning of an annual reset as this is the time that God ordained to be the beginning of a new year on the Hebrew calendar. Yeshua, Jesus, reminds us of His position as the Passover Lamb at the Passover table and draws us into a new year of intimacy with Him. As Israel used the Passover feast to reset their year, Let us remember that God delivered us from the bondage of sin so that we can pursue a more intimate relationship with Him. Praise the Lamb!

​The "when" of Christ's birth is certainly not as important as the "why," but it is interesting to investigate. Most scholars agree that Christ would not have been born during December. The Bible gives us hints as to the season when His birth took place. Luke 2, verse 8, tells us "there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night." This suggests that Jesus may have been born when the weather was warm and conducive to having flocks of sheep out at night. Shepherds kept their flocks in a shelter at night during Israel's cold, rainy Decembers. Next, we read that Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem for a census. It is likely that the Romans would not have taken a census in the winter when traveling conditions were difficult. Those who traveled in December dealt with cold temperatures and roads that are in poor condition.



We know from Luke 1:24-36 that Jesus was conceived while Elizabeth, John the Baptist's mother, was in her sixth month of pregnancy. Zechariah, John's father, served in the Jerusalem temple with the priestly division of Abijah. While he was on duty, burning incense, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, telling him that he would have a son. Historical calculations indicate that Zechariah's service took place in mid-June. He would have returned home immediately after his service. If we assume that John's conception took place at the end of June, he would have been born at the end of March.



Luke 1:35 and 36 tells us that Elizabeth was six months pregnant when Mary conceived. This being the case, it is likely that Jesus was born at the end of September. Perhaps he was born during the Feast of Tabernacles when it is said that Messiah tabernacles with us. However, December 25 was selected as the date for celebrating Christ's birth by the Church in Rome during Constantine's reign. December 25 was the date that the pagans celebrated the birth of the sun, so the Church decided to celebrate the birth of The Son, Jesus, at the same time.



Now let’s look at the “why” of Christ’s coming. The prophet Isaiah makes this clear in Chapter 53, verses 5 and 6. "He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Verse 10 of Isaiah's discourse on why Jesus came to earth goes into more detail. "Yet it was the Lord's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life a guilt offering; He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hands." 



Our Messiah came to earth fully human and yet fully God. "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulder. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever…” (Isaiah 9:6, 7) This Christmas let us ponder what Christ did for us when He gave up the majestic splendor of heaven to come to earth. He came to give us salvation and reconcile us to God. He came so that we might "participate in the divine nature." (2 Peter 1:4) He came to demonstrate the love of God that is beyond comprehension. He came as the Prince of Peace and Immanuel, God with us. He is worthy of our praise and worship. Have a blessed Christmas.

​As Christians, we need to be aware of how Hanukkah and Christmas have similarities. Neither celebration is found directly in the Bible. However, in John 10:22 and 23 there is a reference to Jesus observing Hanukkah or the Feast of Dedication. "Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade." There is a footnote in my Complete Jewish Study Bible that says, "Not only did Yeshua celebrate Hanukkah, but He observed it in the same Temple that had been cleansed and rededicated just a few generations earlier under the Maccabees."
 
Basically, Hanukkah is a celebration of the deliverance of the Jews by God. It also became a time to express their hope of a coming Messiah. Jesus used His time at the Temple during Hanukkah to reveal His identity to the Jews gathered around Him. "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly," the Jews shouted. Jesus gave them the answer in His Hanukkah message. "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in My Father's name speak for Me, but you do not believe because you are not My sheep. My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand." (John 10:25-28)
 
Hanukkah recalls a military victory for the Jews. If Antiochus had succeeded in his campaign to destroy the Jews, there would have been no birth of a Jewish Messiah to a young Hebrew couple. The first miracle had to take place for the second miracle to come about—the incarnation of Christ Jesus.
 
Hanukkah demonstrates how God provided the miracle of light in the middle of dark times. Christmas brought us The Light of Christ. He was born into a world riddled with brokenness and darkness. Father God is the One who provided the Light from heaven to shine into our world. "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." (John 1:4)
 
It is miraculous that the Maccabees could conquer the Syrian army. Then the miracle of light came about as the Temple Menorah remained lit for eight days with only enough oil for one day. But the miracle of Christmas topped the Hanukkah miracles. We have a virgin birth of the Son of God. That birth brought forth "The Light of the World."
 
At the heart of both Christmas and Hanukkah are miracles from God. He brings us opportunities for new beginnings and for life everlasting with Him. He brings restoration and hope. "...The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5) Why not make this entire season a time for remembering and celebrating the goodness of God? He is The One who brings us victory through the miraculous and The Light of Life through His Son.

​The ninth month on the Hebrew calendar, Kislev, is called the month of miracles. This is because of the miracle of the oil that occurred during the second temple period. The altar of the Lord had been overtaken by Greek invaders led by Antiochus Epiphanes. That altar was desecrated when Antiochus decided to sacrifice a pig on the altar of burnt offering in 167 BC. In addition, he erected a statue of the Greek god, Zeus, on top of the altar. Then he looted the temple treasure and burned copies of the law.
 
Hundreds of years before this event occurred, the prophet Daniel wrote about it, calling it "an abomination of desolation" in Daniel 11:31. A priestly family of Israelites called the Maccabees would not sit still as their temple was being defiled, and so went to war against the invaders. After three years of battle, they overcame and recaptured the temple. The first order of business for this priestly family was to cleanse and rededicate the temple. Thus, we have the celebration called Hanukkah which means "Dedication."
 
A new altar was built and the temple restored. The priests remade the holy vessels and brought back the lampstand. The miracle of Hanukkah occurred as the Maccabees searched for oil to light the lampstand. Only one vial of oil was found that had been approved and sealed by the high priest. This would only keep the lampstand burning for one day. The priests decided to light the lamps anyway. To their delight, that one vial of oil kept the lampstand lit for eight full days, the amount of time needed to prepare more oil. It should be noted that the number eight is the number of new beginnings. How significant! This miracle happened during the month of Kislev. The celebration of Hanukkah begins on Kislev 25 on the Hebrew calendar. In 2025 that is December 15 on our Greek-based calendars.
 
The lampstand that was used in the temple had seven branches. The Menorah used today has nine branches, one for each of the eight days that the lampstand was lit and one center candle called the "Shammas" or "Servant" candle. It is the middle candle that is used to light the other eight candles. Those of the Christian faith should see the significance of the Servant candle and its position above the other candles on the Menorah. For us, it represents the Light of the World, Jesus. He made His identity clear in a declaration from the Temple. "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)
 
When Joseph and Mary came to the temple to bring a sacrifice of two turtle doves and to introduce Jesus, they encountered Simeon. The Bible says he was "just and devout," and was waiting to see the Lord's Christ. When he saw Jesus he took Him in his arms and said, "Lord, now You are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word: For my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel." (Luke 2:29-32 - NKJ)
 
It is revelation that turns on the light. As the "Servant candle," Jesus/Yeshua, came to light the world. He lights one candle at a time with the oil of His Spirit. As the Maccabees rededicated the temple, we must rededicate our temples. The world is becoming increasingly darker, which gives us the opportunity to shine even brighter. We have an unlimited supply of oil from the Holy Spirit that is meant to be used to glorify God and show the love of Christ to those around us. Jesus said, "You are the light of the world..." (Matthew 5:14) Why not be a part of this miraculous month by letting your light shine?

​With Thanksgiving upon us I want to give my thanks and praise to the Almighty God of creation who loves me like I was His only child. Through the years of my life, I have seen His constant faithfulness, and though I may not fully understand everything that He does, I trust Him because I see that "He has done immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine..." (Ephesians 3:20)
 
How does one give thanks and praise to the Lord? Psalm 22:3 says that God "Inhabits our praises," and that is my heart's desire. He made it clear to the prophet Samuel when he was going to anoint one of Jesse's sons to be king that appearance is not important to Him. "...The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)
 
If God is looking at our hearts, what does He see? Hopefully, our hearts reflect Psalm 9:1. "I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart. I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praises to Your name, O Most High." With the Psalmist, may we lift our hands to His Most Holy Place proclaiming, "The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy, and I will give thanks to Him in song." (Psalm 28:7)
 
When I contemplate the best way to give thanks to the Lord, I feel inadequate in being able to fully express my gratitude. This past week I have been listening to Brandon Lake's song "Gratitude." The words do convey my feelings beautifully. May I suggest that you listen to the music with the words to get the full effect:
 
Verse 1:    "All my words fall short; I got nothing new. How could I express all my gratitude?"
Verse 2:    "I could sing these songs as I often do, but every song must end and you never do."
Chorus:     "So I throw up my hands and praise You again and again 'cause all that I have is a
Hallelujah. Hallelujah! And I know it’s not much, but I've nothing else fit for a king      except for a heart singing Hallelujah. Hallelujah!"
Verse 3:    "I've got one response. I've got just one move with my arm stretched wide;
       I will worship You.
Chorus:
Bridge:       "So come on my soul. O don't you get shy on me. Lift up your song 'cause you've
                    got a lion inside of those lungs. Get up and praise the Lord."
 
It is true that our words may seem inadequate, but when they are delivered from our hearts to the heart of God, He is well pleased. King David wrote Psalm 138 to express his thanks to the Lord. It is a good one for us to adopt: "I thank you Lord, and with all the passion in my heart I worship you in the presence of angels! Heaven's mighty ones will hear my voice as I sing my loving praise to You. I bow down before your divine presence and bring You my deepest worship as I experience Your tender love and Your living truth. For the promises of Your word and the fame of Your name have been magnified above all else!" (Psalm 138:1-3 - TPT)

​The third of the fall feasts begins at sundown on Monday. Called Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles, its main message is that God desires to dwell with His people. Jesus/Yeshua is the consummation of the holiday as He "tabernacled" among us. Sukkot is the pinnacle of the Jewish calendar and is referred to by God as "The Feast." The week-long feast commemorates a time when God dwelt with His people in the desert. Moses reviewed the commandments for the Feast of Tabernacles with the Israelites before he left them. Here is how it is written in Deuteronomy 16:13-15. "You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress. And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates. Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice." (NKJV)
 
There are several themes to the festival of Sukkot that we will review:
Joy - God commanded that the Jewish people take four species (Leviticus 23:40) and wave them together before Him in rejoicing. The Jews use an etrog (large lemon-type citrus fruit), a palm frond, a willow and myrtle branch, and tie them together into what is called a lulav.
 
Ingathering - Sukkot is the celebration of agricultural harvest. This gathering of the harvest represents what will occur when the fullness of the Gentiles comes to faith in God and makes room for the return of the Jewish people to faith in their Messiah.
 
Dedication - In 1 King 8:2 we can read how King Solomon selected Sukkot as the time to dedicate the temple and bring the ark of the covenant into the inner sanctuary of the temple.
 
Light - During Sukkot four huge golden candlesticks were set up on the court of the Temple. Four young priests would climb ladders placed by the candlesticks as they carried about 7.5 gallons of pure oil to light the bowls at the top candlesticks. The light from those four candles lit the entire courtyard in the temple in Jerusalem. Many would dance in the night, holding bright torches and singing songs of praise to the Lord.
 
Water - In the last day of the festival the priest would go to the Pool of Siloam to draw water. They brought it back through the Water Gate and poured it on the altar. Prayers thanking God for the harvest rain would then be prayed. It was during this ceremony that Jesus declared, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." (John 7:37, 38)
 
Nations - Through the prophet Amos, God promised that He would raise up the fallen tabernacle of David. "In that day I will restore David's fallen shelter. I will repair its broken wall and restore its ruins, and will rebuild it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all nations that bear my name." (Amos 9:11, 12) The theme of Sukkot will be fulfilled according to Zechariah 14:16. "Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, The Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles." 
 
As the Jewish people are building their Sukkahs, or temporary booths, and live in them to remember their ancestors' journey through the desert, we must pray for them to be awakened to the truth of their Messiah who came to tabernacle with us.

One of God's greatest desires is for intimate communion with His children. Thus, He "created man in His own image." (Genesis 1:27) In the cool of the day God came to walk in the garden with Adam and Eve. God is still coming to meet us and looks forward to drawing near during the three fall feasts. Monday, at sunset, the shofar will be blown to signal the beginning of the Jewish new year 5786. The Head of the Year, or Rosh Hashana, is also called Yom Teruah, The Day of the Blowing. The ten-day period from Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, is referred to as "The Ten Days of Awe." These days are a time for introspection, repentance, and renewal.
 
Rabbinic Judaism memorializes Rosh Hashana as the time when the world was created. It is the beginning of the Jewish calendar year when counting the Sabbaths and the numbered years. Genesis 22, the chapter in the Bible that tells the story of Abraham's obedience to God when he was asked to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, will be read in synagogues. God will be praised for His substitutionary atonement (a ram in the thicket). For Believers in Yeshua, there is greater significance to this story as it was a foreshadow of what Messiah would do for us. "The Lord caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him." (Isaiah 53:6) Let us remember that the spiritual application of God's word for our lives has never changed. The blowing of the shofar 100 times is a mighty call to learn from the past and look forward to the future.
 
Considering the events of the past two weeks, I believe that there is a prophetic significance to the new year 5786. Many prophets will be focusing on the Hebrew meaning of the numbers in the new year, especially the six and eighty. The Jewish system assigns a numerical value to every letter in their alphabet. The sixth letter in the Hebrew alphabet is "vav" and is shaped like a hook or connecting rod used to join words or concepts together. Some call the connecting rod a hinge. When we look at Genesis 1:1 we see that "God created the heavens and the earth," and He connected them together. The prayer Jesus taught His disciples is written in Matthew 6. Verse 10 demonstrates God's desire to connect heaven and earth. "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus came to earth to restore the connection between heaven and earth through His redeeming blood on the Cross. Rabbi Jason Sobel points out that since the number six is pictured as a hinge pin, we are being called in this year to change. This is the year of the "turning point."
 
The blowing of the shofar is a wakeup call for us. The truth is that without repentance there is no revival. It is time for the Church to wake up and declare truth. This is shown in the number 80. Eighty is "pey" in the Hebrew alphabet. Hence, we are in the decade of "pey." The Church must raise its voice and speak truth for us to turn toward the Lord's direction. Let the shofar blast remind us to lift our voices to call for an awakening in our land. It is time to turn toward righteousness and justice. Without transformation our nation will falter. Patricia King, in her yearly assessment of what is to come in 5786, says we must avoid the evil that tries to hook us and be firmly connected to God. Divine alignment with Him will help us purify our hearts and keep our speech and actions in heaven's flow.
 
Let us declare this new year of 5786 as one of preparation for the coming of the Lord. We must be ready to go to battle for the plans and purposes of God as we prepare for His coming. 

​Our founding fathers knew that God was orchestrating the destiny of America. The plans they made for our future were heavily influenced by this truth. On July 4, 2025, our president started a celebration of the 250th anniversary of our nation which will occur on July 4, 2026. It is common, as we come to a crossroad, to look back in history and forward in time. We must learn from our past and plan for our future.
 
I hope that we can agree that our Founders were deeply influenced by Judeo-Christian principles. They recognized that God's hand was with our fledgling nation to protect and encourage us. They overcame impossible odds only by the help of God. The liberties that we have clearly come from the God of the Bible. On July 4, 1776, our nation declared through its leaders that it would no longer be a colony of England, but an independent nation. Leading citizens, at their own peril, signed the Declaration of Independence. Fifty-six members of the Continental Congress willingly placed their signatures on this document giving Britain notice that they would be the leaders of an independent country. The last sentence of the Declaration of Independence reads, "...for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."
 
In our 249 years of living out what some called "The Holy Experiment," we have had a multitude of challenges and struggles. Some of these have made us forget our "high calling" to take the gospel of the Kingdom of God to the ends of the earth. Others intentionally embrace a divisive spirit and worship false idols. Rifts between people groups in our country have tested the rule of law and made some forget the importance of personal responsibility and the dignity of an individual. The prophet Micah gives us direction through the words in Chapter 6, Verse 8 of his book. "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." 
 
On July 4, 1926, Calvin Coolidge spoke in Philadelphia, PA, to acknowledge the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. He said, "If we are to maintain the great heritage which has been bequeathed to us, we must be like-minded as the Founders who created it. We must not sink into a pagan materialism. We must cultivate the reverence they had for the things that are holy. We must follow the spiritual and moral leadership which they showed. We must keep replenished, that they may glow with a more compelling flame, the altar fires before which they worshiped."
 
The words that President Coolidge spoke in 1926 bear repeating. We must remain true to the principles upon which our nation was founded. As President Trump began to celebrate the anniversary of our country, he reminded us that "We are one nation under God." The milestone anniversary that is coming upon us could be an opportunity for a national reset. It is a reminder of the importance of our faith in God and that none of the blessings we have received can be maintained without thankfulness to Him. Our responsibility is to educate the next generation about our founding and the sacrifices that were made to secure our freedoms. We must reflect on our nation’s freedoms and give thanks to God for our Judeo-Christian roots and all the blessings that He has poured upon us. Let us remember what we are told in Psalm 33:12.
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord..." Amen!

​At its core, being a father means one who forms and nurtures another human being. What generates these actions is love. To experience true love, we must look to Father God. He is the One who takes immense joy in pouring out His love upon us. He tells us in Song of Solomon that He takes us to His banqueting table and that His banner over us is love. We were made in His image which means we are made to receive and give love. True love transforms a person.
 
Sadly, many in the world today do not understand the true meaning of love. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that if we "have not learned to love, we are nothing." It goes on to define love: "Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one's achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up. Love never stops loving..." (Verses 4-8 - TPT) 
 
May I suggest that it is the enemy of our souls who has twisted the meaning of true love. Because so many children have not received or are not receiving the love they were made for, they are buying into lies and looking for love in the wrong places. A primary purpose for fathers is to give their children love. Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, reports in an article from June 10, 2025, that nearly one-quarter of children live apart from their biological fathers. He writes, "A child without a dad is five times more likely to experience poverty, nine times more likely to drop out of school, and far likelier to battle identity confusion." I would also add that the terror organizations across the world have been able to entice young men into their communities who are looking for acceptance. These young people are confused about their identities and truth, so they willingly obey commands from mentally unstable leaders to carry out unthinkable violence.
 
For those of us who are Christians, we have a dual responsibility: We must abide in the love of our Father so that we can give that love away. John 15:9-13 quotes Jesus: "I love each of you with the same love that the Father loves me. You must continually let my love nourish your hearts. If you keep my commands you will live in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands, for I continually live nourished and empowered by His love. My purpose for telling you these things is so that the joy that I experience will fill your hearts with overflowing gladness! So this is my command: Love each other deeply, as much as I have loved you. For the greatest love of all is a love that sacrifices all..." (TPT)
 
Let's think about what Jesus did for us. Could it have been the love of our Heavenly Father that gave Him the strength to complete the call on His life? I believe so. Also, let us think about the depth of the love of Father God who was willing to sacrifice His precious Son. He did this for us! It is my prayer that we will spend part of Father's Day contemplating the great love of our Heavenly Father and that we would be intentional about loving someone else who is in our lives. Here is what Tony Perkins says about the great need in our country for father figures:  "America needs men who understand their purpose, love sacrificially, and lead spiritually." Amen!