​There is a divine order to the fall feasts. God planned that repentance would come before celebration because repentance leads to joy. Sin holds us back from God's purposes in our lives. When we have cleansed ourselves through repentance before God, we are freed from the hindrances that stop the Lord's blessings from flowing. When we repent before the Lord a door is opened for times of refreshing to come. Consequently, five days after Yom Kippur the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot takes place.
 
After getting right with God, the Jews celebrate in fellowship with Him for seven days and nights. Preparation for this feast occurs through the building of a sukkah or tabernacle. This dwelling was frequently constructed of broken branches. The roof of the Sukkah is to be open enough for its occupants to see heaven from earth and pray for the meeting of the two. It is a reminder that God takes us from the wilderness and bring us into the Promised Land. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:12) This is what brings us into intimacy with the Lord. The Feast, as it is often called, is the culmination of the seven yearly feasts. It is the seventh of seven yearly feasts occurring in the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar. The number seven is the one of perfection and completion.
 
There is a greater significance to this Feast. God's great desire has always been to dwell with us, His people. What He planned is described in John 1:14. "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father full of grace and truth."  In essence, God came to dwell in a temporary body so that we could get to know Him and He could draw us closer to Himself.
 
When the priests in the temple called their people to join them in the celebration of Sukkot there were two main themes:  Light and Living Water. The festival included illumination of the temple by placing four enormous gold candlesticks about 75 feet high in the Court of Women. There were four golden bowls, filled with pure oil, on top of the candlesticks that were lit for all to see. It is reported that when the lights from these candlesticks shown, every court in Jerusalem was lit up. Did Jesus not say, "I am the light of the world?" (John 8:12) He lights up our lives and calls us to be lights to the world.
 
The other part of the celebration was called "The Water Libation Ceremony." The priests drew water from the Pool of Siloam, walked through the Water Gate at the temple, and then poured the water over the altar. This was a significant sacrifice, because Israel would have been without rain for six months. Prayers of thanksgiving to God for the fall rains to come would then be prayed. It was during this portion of The Feast that Jesus declared who He is. John 7:37, 38 says, "On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, '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.'"
 
Why don't we let Jesus light up our lives and quench our thirst for Him in this season of the Feast of Tabernacles?

​Saturday, October 12, was a Yom Kippur like none other. There was a convergence of events that only God could have put together. Humility was the foundation for them as described in 2 Chronicles 7:14, 15. "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sins and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place." The holiest day on God's calendar is Yom Kippur or The Day of Atonement. It was the only day when the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies to make a blood offering for the sins of Israel. It was and continues to be the one annual day that God summons His people to repentance and renewal. Today we understand that God removed ungodliness and poured out redemption through the blood of His son, Jesus. His sacrifice removed our sin and shame for all time. The sacred Day of Atonement is to be one of fasting and prayer in acknowledgement of who God is and what He has done.
 
Joel 2:12-16 expresses God's heart for HIs people. "'Even now,' declares the Lord, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning.’ Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity...Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly..."
 
In 2017 God set into motion another event that He wanted to happen on the Washington, D.C. Mall on the Day of Atonement. He gave His servant, Lou Engle, a dream of one million women coming to the Mall to pray for the next generation and our nation. At the time, Lou did not realize this would be The Day of Atonement. All he had was a date and an understanding that "the Lord was opening a door of opportunity for the saving of our nation." He was encouraged by his friend, Pastor Francis Frangipane, who had studied the history of revival. Francis learned that an organized prayer movement preceded every revival except one—The Jesus Movement of the late sixties. He spoke with God about this mystery and was told:  "I answered the prayers of a million mothers." Those prayers broke the chains of evil that tried to capture our youth.
 
Remembering how Queen Esther, along with Mordecai and the Jews in Persia, had fasted and prayed for their nation, Lou knew that another Esther moment was before America. He was greatly encouraged when he realized that the target date was The Day of Atonement. Lou set up a web site to explain what God was up to. The site explains that the "public battle for the revival and reformation of America" would occur at the seat of the US government. It was Esther's intercession before the king that saved the Jews from genocide. “Now, her story has become the divine template and inspiration for every generation who lives under the shadow of anti-Christ legislation, persecution, and anti-family ideologies which threaten to destroy the very social fabric and foundation that a nation was built upon, was preserved by, and by which it prospered."
 
The God-given, "holy prescription" to heal our land is still Joel 2:12-16. This prescription was followed yesterday at the D.C. Mall on Yom Kippur. The assembly of about 250,000 people consecrated themselves in what was called a "Global Esther Moment." In a posture of humility, sins were confessed, repentance took place, and the spirit of Ishtar (one of rebellion, sexual immorality, and perversion that is trying to possess our nation) was broken. Decrees were made to agree with the Kingdom of Heaven. The ten-hour gathering concluded with communion where we were reminded that we are a Covenant people, led by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is time for us to take back our nation! Who knows if we were not put into our positions for "such a time as this?"

​It happened on October 7, 2023, a special Sabbath day called Simchat Torah (Rejoicing in Torah), the eighth and last day added to the Feast of Tabernacles. In Israel, this day is celebrated with dancing in the streets and the synagogues with Torah scrolls. It marks the end of the annual cycle of public reading of Torah. The end of Deuteronomy is read, the scrolls are rewound to begin a new cycle of reading, and the beginning of Genesis is read. There is great joy and excitement on this day.
 
I imagine that Simchat Torah will never be the same in Israel because last year the Israelis were attacked by Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip in an unprovoked assault at the beginning of this day. At the end of the day twelve hundred Israelis were murdered, and two hundred, fifty victims were kidnapped. The brutality of the terrorists from Gaza is difficult to comprehend as many were raped, tortured, and terrorized.
 
The outcome of the Sabbath attack on October 7 was the beginning of a war that still rages. Other players have come into the fray including Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels from Yemen. All these terror groups are encouraged and supplied with weapons and ammunition from Iran. Whenever there are conflicts of this nature innocent people get caught in the battle and suffer from injury, loss of life, and displacement from their homes. Even last week, Iran upped the ante by sending about two hundred missiles into Israel. The threat of a regional war is very real. Those who are living in the aftermath of October 7 have been traumatized and bear the scars and injuries from their losses, both internally and externally.
 
Add to this situation the fact that antisemitism has been on the rise. This mindset is global! Chosen People Ministries published a report that confirms that antisemitism has tripled in the last twelve months against Jews living outside of Israel. It is my opinion that the growing display of antisemitism is demonically inspired. With the one-year anniversary of the attack on Israel being upon us, how should Christians respond?
 
Scripture must be the foundation of our commitment to the Jewish people. Our Messiah handpicked Jews as His chosen people. However, "...His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out of two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross by which He put to death their hostility." (Ephesians 2:15,16) According to Genesis 15:18, God's first covenant with Abram declared that His descendants would have the land of Israel. However, years of lies and prejudice have fueled hate against the Jews and Christians.
 
We are in a spiritual battle led by Satan himself. History shows how he has attempted to irradicate the Jews in every generation because God chose His people to be His instrument of redemption and blessings for all nations. He also ordained that our Messiah would come through His covenant people. As Isaiah 62:1 says, "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch." We must stand for the Jewish people and pray for them along with others who need to know the love of Jesus. The Jewish New Year, Day of Atonement, and Feast of Tabernacles are upon us. Let us pray for the tender-loving mercies of God to be poured out upon all people, but especially those hurting families in the Middle East.

​The Biblical feasts are called God's appointed times. The Hebrew word for a God appointment of a feast is "Moed." When Moses had appointments with God, he would meet Him at the "tent of meeting" or the "Ohel Moed." Thus, Rabbi Jason Sobel calls the Biblical feasts "a tent in time." On Wednesday night at sundown a new Hebrew year will be upon us, the year 5785, and this is a time to go to our “tents of meeting” to connect with God.
 
I believe that the Old Testament feasts have much to reveal to the Christian Church and that it would be to our benefit to study them. In doing so, we would see that the Jewish New Year is a significant time to meet with God. Here is what it says in Leviticus 23:24, 25. "Say to the Israelites: 'On the first day of the seventh month (Tishrei) you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the Lord by fire.'" The Jewish people believe that the world was created on this day and call it by the names Rosh Hashanah (Head of the Year) or Yom Teruah (The Day of Blowing).
 
The blowing of the shofar at the beginning of the year is a call to intimacy for God's people. It is time for those who love God to encounter Him and to prepare for the next sacred festival called Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. There are ten days in which to do this. These ten days are called "The Days of Awe." It is significant that on the two days of the New Year the shofar is blown 100 times on each day. This is a call for God's people to prepare for the year to come to remind us that God has made an everlasting covenant with us. One hundred is a significant number in that it stands for fullness in terms of a measure, reward, and recompense.
 
There is also a connection between the number 100 and Abraham and Isaac. On Rosh Hashanah the story of Abraham being called to sacrifice Isaac on Mt. Moriah is read. It is called the "Akedah" or the "binding" in Hebrew. Abraham was 100-years old when he climbed up the mountain with Isaac. His righteousness with God stands as an example to all of us. We should ask ourselves, "Do our human failures merit atonement?" The story of Abraham and Isaac points us to a deeper understanding of God's infinite mercy and grace. He sent us Jesus as our "ram in the thicket."
 
The blowing of the shofar is meant to be a reminder of the ram caught in the thicket as a sacrificial substitute. The horn of a ram is what is blown to herald the new year. God promised Abraham a blessing of abundance because of his obedience. That blessing was passed down through the generations. God said, "I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities or their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." (Genesis 22:17, 18) In Genesis 26:12 we see how Isaac benefited from this promise. "Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him." Today we are still reaping the benefit of this promise because we are Abraham’s descendants and have faith in the Lord.
 
The mercy or grace of God should hit home for us as we go into the new year 5785. Five is the number of grace and redemption, and this year we get a double portion. As we enter the new year, let us consider blessing God by worshiping Him for sending us a Savior.

​It is said that during the month of Elul (sixth on the Hebrew calendar) God draws closer to us to help in our daily walk. The 40 days from Elul 1 to Tishrei 10 (Yom Kippur) is meant to be one of repentance so that we can return to God. The Jews blow the shofar daily as a warning to return to God in repentance. This period of time is called Teshuvah. The root word of this is "shoov" which means to return.
 
Sunday morning at our church, The Crossing, we had a demonstration of Teshuvah. Worship time was particularly beautiful and led us to the tender heart of God. He whispered into the heart of our Senior Pastor, George, who decided to forego preaching so that we could spend the rest of our time together in worship and repentance. One by one people from the congregation came forward to confess their sins for all of us to hear. The sweet presence of the Holy Spirit was palpable.
 
Wanting to be sensitive to The Spirit's leading, it was decided that we would meet every night for a week to focus on worship and repentance. Stories of past revivals reveal that they mostly start with repentance. The first night Pastor George read from Joel 2. "Blow the trumpet in Zion, sound the alarm on My holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble for the day of the Lord is coming...'Even now,' declares the Lord, 'return (Teshuvah) to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.' Rend your heart and not your garments. Return (Teshuvah) to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love and He relents from sending calamity." (Joel 2:1, 12, 13) This is our heart’s cry for ourselves and our nation.
 
We are aware that as we turn to walk on the path of repentance so that we can come closer to the Lord, our enemy wants to put a monkey wrench into our plans. God gave me a parable about how he sabotages our movement forward on Tuesday morning. I got into my car to drive to work. As I put the car into drive and applied the gas, a horrendous screeching and scraping noise was produced. I put the car into reverse and was able to move without any problems. However, the minute I tried to go forward the awful sound returned, and it was difficult to move towards my destination. My husband kindly returned home to give his assessment of the situation. He decided we would have to get the car towed to be repaired.
 
After calling AAA, a tow truck arrived. As the driver got into my car to move it forward there was no sound or difficulty. He left without my car. My husband discovered the reason for our problems afterward. On the blacktop under the car was a large black walnut that had been stashed up inside the car by a local squirrel. I actually saw the squirrel go under my car but never imagined what havoc he would create. The rubbing of the metal against the walnut was so intense that one side of the nut was flat and smooth.
 
This is how the enemy works in our lives. He attacks our souls and makes it difficult for us to move forward but easy to move backward. To stop his interference in our lives we must repent for allowing ungodly behaviors in our lives, declare Isaiah 54:17, "No weapon forged against us will prevail..." and "worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness." (1 Chronicles 16:29, Psalm 29:2, and 96:9) This is what will give us victory in our season of Teshuvah.

​One of the traditions of the Jewish community during the holiday of Shavuot is to read the book of Ruth from the Bible. The story takes place during a difficult time in Israel. A famine in the land caused many families to leave their homeland in search of a place that had food. A man named Elimelech, from Bethlehem, took his family (his wife, Naomi, and sons Mahlon and Kilion) to Moab. While there Elimelech died. His sons had taken Moabite women (Ruth and Orpah) as their wives, but they too died within the tenth year of their sojourn. After these events, Naomi heard that God had come to the aid of her people, so she made plans to return to Bethlehem. She instructed her daughters-in-law to return to their families, but Ruth insisted on caring for Naomi and made her a promise:  "...Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried..." (Ruth 1:16) This was indeed a sacrificial vow!
 
When Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem, "The House of Bread," it was the beginning of barley harvest and the season of Shavuot where the Israelites would renew their commitment and dedication to God and celebrate His provision. The laws of Israel allowed widows and poor people to glean the crops missed by the reapers. It was an opportune time for Ruth to come to Bethlehem. Not only was she able to collect food for Naomi and herself, but she was in the field belonging to Boaz, a relative of Elimelech. Through the events of harvest, we see that God had a plan of restoration.
 
As Ruth faithfully cared for her mother-in-law, she was noticed by Boaz who willingly watched over her. He encouraged her with his words. "May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." (Ruth 2:12) Two Psalms remind us of what Boaz said. Psalm 57:1b, written by King David, says, "I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed." Psalm 91:4 declares, "He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge..."  
 
For Ruth, gleaning in Boaz's field was so productive that Naomi questioned Ruth about its location. It was then that she realized that Boaz was a kinsman-redeemer for her family. This man could volunteer to care for the extended family. The transaction did take place on the threshing floor where the grain or inner kernel of the crop is separated from the chaff or outer shell. The barley or wheat would be thrown into the air so that the lighter chaff was blown away in a processp called winnowing.
 
It seems to me that what was taking place at the threshing floor was also taking place in Ruth's life. She had been separated from everything she knew—her family, her homeland, and any security. In the spiritual realm, God was winnowing Ruth to prepare her for a life with God-ordained purposes. She was completely unaware that she was stepping into a family whose line would play a part in the birth of the Messiah of Israel. After Boaz arranged to marry Ruth, she conceived a son, Obed, who is David's grandfather.
 
This story of self-sacrifice and sorrow turned to joy happened because seeds of love were planted by two desperate women in an extremely difficult situation. By following the God of Israel, they were able to play a part in God's plans for redemption and restoration. Like Ruth, sometimes we feel like our lives are on the rock-hard threshing floor. It is during these times that we must remember that the Lord is lifting us up to reveal the kernel of our hearts. He removes the outer shell to expose the core gifts He placed within us so that He can bring us into an expanded inheritance where He can use us to partner with Him in the growth of His Kingdom. God still restores and redeems so that "Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them." (Psalm 126:5)

​God calls them festivals or feasts. They are explained to us in the book of Leviticus, Chapter 23. Three times a year, Jewish men were commanded to go to Jerusalem to give an offering to the Lord. Passover or Pesach, Pentecost or Shavuot, and Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot are called "Pilgrim Feasts" because of the requirement for men to present themselves before God. All three of these feasts have to do with harvests and honoring God's provision, The feasts, in Hebrew, are called Moedim, which means "Appointed Times."
 
At sunset next Tuesday, the celebration of Shavuot will take place. Beginning on the day of Firstfruits or the day Jesus was resurrected and the day the firstfruits of the barley harvest were brought to the synagogue, Jews began to count:  "Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the Lord." (Leviticus 23:16, 17) We can read about the expansion and fullness of Shavuot in Acts, Chapter 2. What happened in the upper room in Jerusalem reenacted what happened on Mount Sinai.
 
Some of you may be asking why we should be celebrating Shavuot next week when the Church did so on Sunday, May 19. This is because the Church's traditional celebration of the resurrection of Jesus follows the Greek calendar instead of the Hebrew one. Their fifty-day count started much earlier than the one that started the second day of Passover. Since I grew up in a traditional church and understand the difference between the two calendars, I choose to remember both dates and believe all Christians should do likewise. On the Hebrew calendar, Shavuot falls on the sixth day of the third month of Sivan.
 
Initially, Shavuot was a celebration of the wheat harvest. Added to it was the remembrance of this time when Moses received the two tablets with the laws of God written on them. Two is a significant number during this festival. Two loaves of bread with leaven in them are waved before God as an offering and can have several meanings. They could represent the two tablets of Torah containing the ten commandments. We could also conclude that they refer to two gifts--the gift of the law and that of The Holy Spirit. (Ruach Kadosh). Others believe that the two loaves are symbols of Jew and Gentile as the one new man written about in Ephesians 2:15. This reminds us that God fulfilled His covenant with Abraham to bless all nations through him. (Genesis 12:3) Since leaven symbolizes sinful humanity, we are reminded that the Body of Christ or The Church is made up of sinners but redeemed by the Lord.
 
God selected the day when the people in Israel would be gathered to celebrate the wheat harvest to pour out HIs Spirit. Acts 2:1 says, "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place." The description of this continues in Acts 2:2-4. "Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violet wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." This is a picture of what happened on Mount Sinai. "Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire." (Exodus 19:18)
 
When Moses came down from the mountain, he saw the Israelites worshiping a golden calf that they built. Three thousand people died on that day because of their sin. However, on the day when the Holy Spirit was released, three thousand Jews became believers in Yeshua. Redemption has always been God's plan. Shavuot has been compared to a wedding for it was on this day that the Jews became "The Bride of Messiah." The Spirit of God wrote the law on the hearts of His people as Jeremiah 31:33 prophesies. The law of love became a priority. As we remember how God empowers His people during this season of Shavuot/Pentecost, let us thank Him for the harvest, recommit ourselves to His Word, and celebrate the gift of His presence through the Holy Spirit.

​God allows tests in our lives to prove our faith. Brian Simmons and his team of translators explain in a Genesis 22 footnote in The Passion Translation that "...The word 'tested' is derived etymologically from a word that means 'elevated banner' like a flag flying high above ship or a victory banner elevated over an army." The test that Abraham took made him great—so much so that he is called our Father of Faith. (Romans 4:11, 12) Abraham’s son, Isaac, was included in this test of faith. How so? Let's look at the story of God testing the faith of Abraham in Genesis 22. (I will be quoting from The Passion Translation.)
 
"God said, 'Please take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom I know you dearly love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him up to me as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will show you.’" (Verse 2) Do not miss the significance of a burnt offering! It was a complete one in that everything was consumed by the fire. Only ashes remained after the burning. You could call this a sacrifice of total commitment. Also, it is interesting to note that Moriah means "chosen by Yahweh." Moriah comes from the root word meaning "sight" or "vision." This location is inside the present-day walls of Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount, where God would have Solomon build the Temple.
 
Abraham and Isaac's journey to Mt. Moriah took three days. When the Mount was in view, Abraham told his servants to remain so that he and Isaac could go and "worship." Worship involves sacrifice. The wood for the offering was placed on Isaac's back. (This is a foreshadow of Christ carrying His cross.) Abraham carried the "knife and fire." This brings to mind God's requirement that each of us must carry the flame of God to truly worship Him. When Isaac questioned the whereabouts of the sacrificial lamb, Abraham responded, "My son, God will provide Himself the lamb for the burnt offering." (Genesis 22:8 - NKJV) Arriving at their destination, father and son must have had a terrifying moment. But Isaac allowed himself to be tied and laid on the altar of sacrifice.
 
As Abraham took the knife in his hand to plunge it into his son, he heard the angel of the Lord call out to him. "Do not lay a hand on the boy or harm him, for now I know you are fully dedicated to me since you did not withhold your son, your beloved son, from me." (Verse 12) Not only were Abraham and Isaac confirming their faith in God, but they were allowing God to be "The Resurrected One." Obedience brings provision at the eleventh hour and deepens one’s capacity to obey.
 
God came to Abraham with a ram for the burnt offering. He called the place where the sacrifice was given, "The Lord Will Provide" or "Jehovah Jireh." Not only did Abraham receive the provision for his sacrifice, but he also got a promise: "I will greatly bless you! I will make sure your seed becomes as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand of the seashore. Your offspring will take possession of the city gates of their enemies. Because you have obeyed me, the entire world will be blessed through your seed." (Verses 17, 18)
 
We are Abraham's seed (Gal. 3:29), dear ones, and God continues to refine our faith. This means that we will have to go through tests that make no sense. He requires us to be obedient in following His instructions even when we do not know the details of what is involved. However, we can trust that the outcome will be glorious because Father God always provides for our needs and grows our faith in the process.

​It is called Yom Habikkurim in Hebrew and means The Feast of Firstfruits. "The Lord said to Moses, 'Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain of harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf. The priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.'" (Leviticus 23:9-11) The children of Israel kept this feast not knowing it was a portend of the future.
 
The yearly Hebrew calendar for months begins with Nissan. The Lord intentionally placed it in the spring when new life is emerging. He said, "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of the year." (Exodus 12:2) On the tenth of Nissan, each family would bring into their home a year-old, spotless male lamb. The lamb was to be slaughtered on Nissan 14 and the blood from that lamb placed upon the tops and doorframes of their homes. The reasons they did this was to protect themselves from the judgment plague of the death of the firstborn and to initiate the beginning of the Passover Festival that is to be celebrated yearly. Later, they followed with a firstfruits celebration on Nissan 16.
 
Through the celebration of Firstfruits, the Israelites were to bring before the Lord the first and best of their harvest. Frequently they brought a sheaf of their barley harvest for the priest to wave before God. By bringing this offering, the people were declaring their trust in God for the coming harvest. The dates of these festivals are the same ones that our Passover Lamb, Jesus, was crucified and rose from the dead. Messiah said, "A single grain of wheat will never be more than a single grain of wheat unless it drops into the ground and dies. Because then it sprouts and produces a great harvest of wheat—all because one grain died." (John 12-24 - TPT) A footnote in The Passion Translation attached to this verse gives the Aramaic translation: "If it dies, it will bring forth a great rebirth." Jesus, the sacrifice for our sins, was accepted on our behalf by the Father as the perfect sacrifice, and He was raised to new life by the power of the Holy Spirit.
 
1 Corinthians 15:20-22 explains that Jesus is our Firstfruit offering: "But Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." Romans 6:4 adds to our understanding: "Sharing in His death by our baptism means that we were co-buried and entombed with Him, so that when the Father's glory raised Christ from the dead, we were also raised with Him. We have been co-resurrected with Him so that we could be empowered to walk in the freshness of new life." (TPT)
 
Jesus is our Passover Lamb and our offering of Firstfruits. Since we are in the month of Nissan, it is time for us to acknowledge what the Lord did for us. When we give God our first and best offerings, we are saying to Him that we are setting this aside as an act of worship and devotion to Him. While Firstfruits is no longer tied to growing grains and produce, we can demonstrate our devotion to the Lord through our time, resources, and love.
 
We have a promise in Proverbs 3:9, 10. "Glorify God with all your wealth, honoring Him with your very best (firstfruits), with every increase that comes to you. Then every dimension of your life will overflow with blessings from an uncontainable source of inner joy." (TPT) Not only is Jesus remembered as our resurrected King on Nissan 16, but it is the day when God's people practice what is called "Counting the Omer." (Omer means sheaf.) In the counting, the Lord's faithfulness is acknowledged daily. This occurs for fifty days until the next harvest when the Holy Spirit was poured out. Through this counting, we have a special opportunity to draw close to God daily. Here is how I count the Omer: I keep a gratitude journal and record my blessings in it daily. Maybe recording this daily thanksgiving to the Lord would bless you as it has blessed me.

​Before HIs death, Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples. He told them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." (Luke 22:15) Long ago, when the children of Israel were still in bondage in Egypt, God established a yearly calendar for His people that was centered on the Passover remembrance. He instructed the Israelites to bring a spotless lamb into their homes on the tenth day of the first month, Nissan. At twilight on the fourteenth day, the lambs were to be slaughtered and their blood placed on the sides and tops of the doorframes of their homes so that the angel of death would pass over their homes. God's people were to eat a special meal and prepare for their deliverance from bondage. In Exodus 12:17 we are told, "...Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come." Robert Stearns of Eagles' Wings ministry puts it this way:  "This historic event is important because it was commissioned by God in Exodus.”
 
Passover begins at sundown tomorrow. Jesus was crucified after celebrating the Passover with His disciples. You may wonder why we celebrated Resurrection Sunday a month ago. My only explanation is that man evades God's domain, and such is the case with this festival. In early 300 A.D., it seems that the churches around the world had disagreements about the divinity of Christ and the time to celebrate Easter. Emperor Constantine wanted peace, so in 325 A.D. he called together Christian bishops for a meeting known as the Nicene Council. Passover is a festival meant to memorialize Christ's death, but the Council wanted to focus on His resurrection. They also wanted this celebration to occur on the same day of the week every year. To do this, they decided to sever the connection to Passover by using a different calendar. To justify their decision, blame for Christ's death was placed squarely on the Jews. The Council's secretary wrote, "...It appeared an unworthy thing that in the celebration of the most holy feast we should follow the practice of the Jews, who have piously defiled their hand with enormous sin..."
 
In accordance with the Nicene Council, the focus on the death and sacrifice of Jesus Christ was diminished. Those saints who desired to live according to God's word in keeping the Passover had to do so secretly. The Church began blending pagan cultures with Easter, and this day was fixed as the first Sunday after the full moon of the vernal equinox. Years of following the Gregorian calendar has cut the Church from Her Jewish roots and created a division that is hard to overcome.
 
Tomorrow night Jews will be preparing their Passover meals called a Seder. Jesus reclined at a table after HIs disciples prepared for their own Seder. Afterward, Jesus would shed His blood on a cross and remove our sins so that we can have eternal life with Him. "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
 
God established the holy season of Passover so that we would remember that Jesus is our Passover Lamb. The Israelites were instructed to remove leaven from their homes during Passover because this is a symbol of sin. Apostle Paul instructed the Corinthians, "Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us keep the Festival, not with old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth." 
(1 Corinthians 5:7, 8)
 
May I suggest that during this Passover week we meditate on God's Word and the matchless gift of God to us in His Son, Jesus Christ, the pure and spotless Lamb of God?