Sunday, May 1, 2011
Passover and Feast of Unleveaned Bread 2011
Oh how we wanted to be in Jerusalem this feast. As we began to prepare the children with questions and readings about the exodus they began to ask how we would celebrate. It is a wonderful thing to respond to that question directly from the word of God.
What does the word say about this feast, we will start there. My thoughts this year were different from the past two years. Before, I focused on Jesus being our sacrifice and how I receive salvation through this gift. This year I thought more and more about how the Israelites felt in Egypt and how they decided to obey the instruction given through Moses.
One of the first hebrew words our family learned was Sh'ma. Translated it means, listen, consider, obey. We translate it in our blessing as Hear.... Hear oh Israel, YHVH our God, YHVH is one. Blessed be his glorious name forever world without end.
The Israelites that night had to Sh'ma. I again felt the Lord asking me to listen, consider and obey his word.
That is why we began to celebrate the feasts. We know only a few who keep the feasts but it seems that they began with understanding what the feasts meant and how they pointed to Jesus as our Messiah. I started to celebrate because I knew that Jesus kept the feast and I see the instructions right there along with the ten commandments. I think the feasts are very important to God and although these feasts were not passed down to me as a tradition, he did allow me to live in America where Bibles are plentiful. He has put in my heart a longing to worship him in spirit and truth and a desire to search out his ways.
This Passover changed my life. I felt like those Israelites who still wanted a piece of Egypt. They were slaves but remember, they were strong and were settled in this land. They began to miss the stability of Egypt. Wow, this is how I feel. Can I just be a simple Christian with simple ways? Can I stop where I am, take my salvation and just endure until the end? Well, yes but again I ask what kind of bride is God looking for? Do I look like the land I live in or do I look like the bride of Christ? This question keeps me pursuing righteousness.
I want to be the Israelite that did not look back. I want to run from my Egypt in full sprint to the Promised Land.
I want the important events in my life to be the same as the important events in the life of Christ. He was our Passover Lamb. He said to do this in remembrance of him. He also told the disciples to stay in Jerusalem. I remembered Jesus this Passover and I am anxiously awaiting as the disciples did. I look forward to my next feast with him.... the feast of Shavout/Pentecost. Great things happen through obedience. Knowledge is necessary but God wants an obedient people. He is looking to pour out the Holy Spirit on all who show up in obedience. My prayer is that I would count these 50 days to Shavout and catch a glimpse of his harvest.
So as we sat on the floor with the kids and reminded them that God brought the Israelites out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm I found myself telling them to just obey God. He will fill them up with his holy spirit and many will come to know the Messiah through their obedience. What a great lesson that we learn in feasting with God.
What does the word say about this feast, we will start there. My thoughts this year were different from the past two years. Before, I focused on Jesus being our sacrifice and how I receive salvation through this gift. This year I thought more and more about how the Israelites felt in Egypt and how they decided to obey the instruction given through Moses.
One of the first hebrew words our family learned was Sh'ma. Translated it means, listen, consider, obey. We translate it in our blessing as Hear.... Hear oh Israel, YHVH our God, YHVH is one. Blessed be his glorious name forever world without end.
The Israelites that night had to Sh'ma. I again felt the Lord asking me to listen, consider and obey his word.
That is why we began to celebrate the feasts. We know only a few who keep the feasts but it seems that they began with understanding what the feasts meant and how they pointed to Jesus as our Messiah. I started to celebrate because I knew that Jesus kept the feast and I see the instructions right there along with the ten commandments. I think the feasts are very important to God and although these feasts were not passed down to me as a tradition, he did allow me to live in America where Bibles are plentiful. He has put in my heart a longing to worship him in spirit and truth and a desire to search out his ways.
This Passover changed my life. I felt like those Israelites who still wanted a piece of Egypt. They were slaves but remember, they were strong and were settled in this land. They began to miss the stability of Egypt. Wow, this is how I feel. Can I just be a simple Christian with simple ways? Can I stop where I am, take my salvation and just endure until the end? Well, yes but again I ask what kind of bride is God looking for? Do I look like the land I live in or do I look like the bride of Christ? This question keeps me pursuing righteousness.
I want to be the Israelite that did not look back. I want to run from my Egypt in full sprint to the Promised Land.
I want the important events in my life to be the same as the important events in the life of Christ. He was our Passover Lamb. He said to do this in remembrance of him. He also told the disciples to stay in Jerusalem. I remembered Jesus this Passover and I am anxiously awaiting as the disciples did. I look forward to my next feast with him.... the feast of Shavout/Pentecost. Great things happen through obedience. Knowledge is necessary but God wants an obedient people. He is looking to pour out the Holy Spirit on all who show up in obedience. My prayer is that I would count these 50 days to Shavout and catch a glimpse of his harvest.
So as we sat on the floor with the kids and reminded them that God brought the Israelites out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm I found myself telling them to just obey God. He will fill them up with his holy spirit and many will come to know the Messiah through their obedience. What a great lesson that we learn in feasting with God.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Feast of Tabernacles 2010 - Jerusalem
We started our journey to Jerusalem on September 1st. Our first stop was in Switzerland with 9 days of backpacking down through Italy with a flight to Amman, Jordan. We finally arrived in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. What a sight, like nothing I could have imagined. This was my first time in Jerusalem but it was not hard to notice the branches on every patio and roof top. Restaurants had sukkas ,as well as, tops of apartments. For a whole year I have been obeying the scriptures without any preconcieved ideas of the "how to's" meaning that because I was not handed down any traditions to honor the feast, I simply followed the scripture. As you have seen in other posts, sometimes we just had a bar-b-que to celebrate. I know that the LORD is happy that we care about what he cares about, but it sure was nice to actually see a temporary dwelling in Jerusalem.
The Feast of Tabernacles also known as Feast of Booths or Sukkot, falls in September and October, the 15th-21st of Tishrei. The people of Israel seemed to be very joyful, maybe because during this time we were commanded to rejoice!!!
John 7:37-38 tells us how Jesus proclaimed from the temple during this time of feasting saying, "if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." This is one time that we know Jesus was in the Temple to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. We also know that Zechariah 14:16-19 speaks of all nations coming up to Jerusalem to worship for the feast during the Millennium. What a day when I will see Jesus in Jerusalem and I will be feasting with him.
Scripture references for the Feast of Tabernacles: Lev. 23:33-44; Num. 29:12; Deut. 16:13-15
-our families celebration-
Monday, October 25, 2010
Passover-The Last Supper
Passover, or what some of my friends call the last supper, was special this year. This was our first Passover meal in our own home. We still went to a Passover seder at our friends, Adrienne and Kenny's home where we celebrated Passover for the first time ever last year. This year I also had a Passover meal with the kids at the church. It was such a good feeling to share what I had learned over the past year with many children I had taught in Sunday school over the last few years.
We talked about the names of Jesus and how we call him the Lamb of God. I then told them the story of all those who obeyed God in Egypt. They put the blood on their doorposts and were saved from death that night. I reminded them how important it is to obey his commands even when we do not fully understand.
Obedience was hard for the Israelites, just as it is hard for us sometimes but as we draw near to him, he draws near to us. James 4:8
Jesus took bread and when he broke it said, "do this in rememberance of me."
He also took the cup after supper and said, "this is the new covenant".
Matthew 26:26 - 1Corinthians 11
Paul teaches about this and how we are to keep the Passover just as Jesus instructed us to remember him at this time. These are pretty clear instructions, not to mention that we were commanded to keep this day and teach it to our children in Leviticus 23.
This is one of the few references to children in the Bible, so I take it pretty serious when I consider what I teach our children.
With this instruction we decided to obey in our home.
The children now understand the story of the Exodus as well as how Jesus is the Lamb of God.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all knowledge
Proverbs 9:10 and Proverbs 1:7 states that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all knowledge or wisdom. Fear is often looked at as negative but I was thinking of all of the positive reactions of fear in our lives. I thought of how I save money in fear of running out,
I try not to speed in fear of getting a ticket,
I try to eat healthy for my weight and health,
I pay my bills so that I have electricity, car and home,
I did my homework so I would make the grades and not be benched
I respected my parents out of fear!
Many things we do out of fear are good and beneficial. Fear truly keeps us in line. It helps us to be wise and work hard. Fear is good when you are fearing in the right way. I will define fear of the Lord as standing in awe of Him to a point that you will obey immediately and completely because you know that He is good and faithful. I trust Him with my life. In fact I am more fearful to live life without my Father in Heaven. We all need more of this awesome fear of the Lord. His ways are clear and perfect.
Deuteronomy 30:11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.
15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws;
I try not to speed in fear of getting a ticket,
I try to eat healthy for my weight and health,
I pay my bills so that I have electricity, car and home,
I did my homework so I would make the grades and not be benched
I respected my parents out of fear!
Many things we do out of fear are good and beneficial. Fear truly keeps us in line. It helps us to be wise and work hard. Fear is good when you are fearing in the right way. I will define fear of the Lord as standing in awe of Him to a point that you will obey immediately and completely because you know that He is good and faithful. I trust Him with my life. In fact I am more fearful to live life without my Father in Heaven. We all need more of this awesome fear of the Lord. His ways are clear and perfect.
Deuteronomy 30:11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.
15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws;
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