Passover

Passover is on Friday. Many of you may be thinking I thought that was Good Friday, it is, but it is also Passover. Sunday is First Fruits. I know it's Easter, but it's also First Fruits this year. You see we celebrate the Biblical Feasts. Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Pentecost are the spring feasts. Over the years we've gotten many questions about why we celebrate these feasts. I don't really want to get into the theology or proving to you that it's something that Christians should do, if you are really interested we would be happy to talk to you and direct you to some great resources. I just wanted to share a bit about my heart and how we have rediscovered God's appointed feasts.

Five years ago we moved to Michigan and celebrated our 1st Easter with my sister's family. We colored Easter eggs and did an egg hunt. Honestly I've always found Christian holidays lacking. Hope that doesn't offend anyone, but it's been true for me. I found that usually we just celebrated the secular aspects of it. I mean what do eggs and decorated trees have to do with Jesus? I went to church Easter morning and sometimes even did lent and Advent, but it all felt like I was reaching. Like I was trying really hard to find meaning that wasn't there. Once again please don't read anything into this, that's just how I felt. I didn't grow up in a home rich with tradition on these days so maybe that has a something to do with it.

Anyway, back to my story. On this Easter my sister and I decided we wanted to make it more about Jesus' death and resurrection. We decided we'd try doing our own Seder (the Passover dinner). We picked up a simple Christian Seder guide and convinced our husbands to go along. It wasn't amazing, but it was meaningful. I remember telling my sister this was the 1st Easter that I really felt like I had  celebrated Christ.

At around the same time some good friends of ours in TN were beginning to celebrate all the feasts. We visited these friends on a trip and were really interested in what they were telling us. They invited us to join them for the feast of Tabernacles. They camped in their field for a week and did everything outside. We decided to try it out for a few days with them. I mean we like camping, and we loved hanging out with these friends.

Once again it wasn't amazing, but it was profound in it's own way. We learned a lot about Tabernacles and the other feasts. We froze, got bored, had sleepless nights with our baby, but we also felt true community. Talked about meaningful things. Felt like maybe we got a little taste of heaven that week.

We went home determined to try out this whole feast thing. Jason took off work each feast day and we fumbled through each one. We're still trying to figure the whole thing out. We don't believe you must celebrate the feasts, we aren't becoming Jews, and we understand Jesus frees us from the law. But, we have found profound meaning in these observances. We understand things about Jesus we never knew before. We see how God has used these appointed times throughout history and wonder what He will do next. Jesus' death on Passover, his resurrection on First Fruits, the gift of the Spirit on Pentecost. Some scholars believe Jesus' birth happened during Tabernacles.What will He do on the Day of Atonement and Feast of Trumpets?

The effect on our children has been profound as well. God tells us to teach our children about these feasts and answer their questions about why we do them. Our kids do a leaven hunt instead of an Easter egg hunt, they talk about how we eat crackers instead of bread for a week because God told us to, they know Jesus was resurrected on 1st Fruits, and the tongues of fire came on Pentecost, they blow their trumpets on feast of trumpets, and can't wait for Tabernacles so we can get together with old friends and build a booth with daddy.

We have been blessed by these feasts and feel like our lives have taken on a different rhythm because of them. Over the years we've introduced various friends to the feasts and hope they have been blessed by them as well. So, that's a bit of insight into my heart on the feasts. I hope it's given a bit more clarity for those of you who have wondered. Thanks for sticking with me through this long post. Happy Passover, First Fruits, and Feast of Unleavened Bread :).



Quick update on Erin, in case you read my last post. She's doing better, but not done yet. She went home but had to go back in the hospital. God has answered so many prayers for her, still praying He continues to heal her. Please keep her and her family lifted up.