PEN ART - REMEMBERING THE LOVE STORY OF RUTH

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

 Can't you just imagine lovely Ruth gleaning in the fields at the end of the barley harvest?  It is hot, tiring work, but she toils on, not allowing herself to become discouraged in her pitiful circumstances.  She, a widowed, destitute, lady who once reigned as a Moabite Princess, is out trying to find food to sustain her Mother-In-Law and herself.  She doesn't beg, she doesn't resort to breaking the law; she works!  She knows the work she can do will not bring her extra or money for her future security, but she goes out anyway, accepting what is sufficient to get them through a day, and working very hard for this little amount.  There is a sense that she is grateful for everything that The Lord provides.  How refreshing to see someone rising above mediocrity in the midst of troubles.   She has followed her Mother-In-Law to this strange new land with very different ways and customs.  She is a stranger and very much alone.   She meets Boaz, who has instructed his workers to let her gather barley from the leftovers of his field. 

It was the season of harvesting, when Ruth arrived in Bethlehem.  The long wait for the grain to grow was over, and it had grown into a field of plenty.  Boaz's crops were flourishing, much to his delight.  Growing barley, or any crop is never certain.  You never know the results of your farming until the harvest comes.   It is hard to see the growth of a harvest when the seeds are first put into the ground and the roots are just forming beneath the soil.  The whole growing process is unnoticed and unseen, but much is going on all the time; it just isn't visible.  Sometimes you just have to wait.  During this process the fields look empty and barren, even though there is life just waiting to spring forth, unknown and undetected. There are plants wanting to stretch through to the light, but they are unable to do so until the proper time has come.  So it was with the fields and so it was with the life of Ruth. 

It certainly seemed her life had become empty and barren.  She could not see the blessings that lay waiting in her future.  She had forsaken all she knew (the life of a royal princess) for a husband that she loved from another land.  She had left her home and customs and former religious beliefs to go with him, to  be a part of his home and his family, and had made the huge decision to worship his God, whom she previously had not known.   Even though she met Naomi's son in her own land, Ruth would have still been required to convert to the religion of her husband, who was Jewish.  It is this little fact that gives us our first glimpse into Ruth's strong character.   She did not just go through the process of conversion for the sake of the marriage certificate.  Ruth's sister-in-law seemed to be a lot less concerned about the sincerity of her vows, and she quickly left them behind after the death of her husband, but not Ruth.  Ruth was different.  Ruth believed in truth and honesty and loyalty.  Ruth truly converted deep in her heart.  Her love for The God of Israel was sincere and genuine.  She knew she had found something real.  When the hard times came she did not look back, and she never regretted her decision, even when life became very difficult.   She looked faithfully at the example that her Mother-In-Law, Naomi, lived out before her, and she became completely Jewish too. 

Though Ruth had given all, her husband died, leaving her with nothing.    She found herself widowed, childless, poor and destitute.  She left Moab and followed her Mother-in-law, Naomi, back to Bethlehem.  This was the land of Naomi’s birth.  In Bethlehem Ruth met the family Kinsman Redeemer; Boaz. In those days it was the duty of the Kinsman Redeemer to look after the whole family, especially the ones left behind when someone in the family died.  Three men in the family had died, Naomi's husband, Ruth's husband and Naomi's other son.  It was natural for Boaz to show his concern and look after Naomi and Ruth, but in this case, the feelings went deeper than concern.  While Ruth was in the process of gathering in the fields of Boaz, he saw her and fell in love with her.  He tells his workers to be sure to leave plenty of barley for her to gather.  He looked after her needs and protected her from harm.  He had her best interest in mind always, even to the point of considering that she might not even be interested in him as a husband.  Many think he was much older than Ruth.  When Ruth showed her interest in him; he took every action to make sure that her best interests were served, and not his own.

 In that day, it was the proper behavior of a servant to lay at their master’s feet in order to be ready for any command of the master.   So, when Naomi told Ruth to  lie down at Boaz’s feet as he slept on the threshing floor, she was instructing Ruth to go to Boaz in a totally humble, submissive way.  She was instructing Ruth to have the heart of a servant.  We can't  lose sight of the larger picture here, Ruth came to claim a right, the right of a Kinsman Redeemer. By law Boaz was her goel, her kinsman-redeemer, and she had the right to expect him to marry her and raise up a family to perpetuate the name of Elimelech (her former Father-In-Law, since Naomi was beyond the years of bearing a child).  This was customary for the time.  Wise Naomi counseled Ruth not to go to Boaz as a victim demanding her rights, but as a humble servant, trusting in the goodness of her kinsman-redeemer. Her humble attitude and actions said to Boaz, “I respect you, I trust you, and I put my fate in your hands.”

In those days many farmers lost their harvest to groups of thieves roaming the hills and randomly robbing the land.  There were big parties with dancing and festivals around the harvest, so the time was very public and never a secret.  Everyone knew that your fields were being gathered in.   Boaz was sleeping on the threshing floor that night in order to protect the harvest.  He was guarding it from thieves.  As instructed by Naomi, Ruth came softly in and lay down quietly at his feet, in the role of a servant.  He did not hear her approach, and was surprised to find her there upon awakening at midnight.  The words of Ruth as she spoke to him upon being found there were "take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative."  She shows great humility and submission with these words, calling herself a servant.  The words "under your wing" could be interpreted to be a request for Boaz to take her in marriage.  This Hebrew phrase is many times also translated as "spread the corner of your garment over me."   The custom of the spreading of a skirt over a widow as a way of claiming her as a wife is attested many times under the ancient laws.  This practice still exists today in some places of Arabia.  Even in our modern world, when a Jewish man marries a woman, he throws the skirt, or end of his talit, over her and this signifies that he has taken her under his protection.

God used the same phrase in relation to Israel in Ezekiel 16:8:  "I spread my wing over you and covered your nakedness.  Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you and you became Mine, says the LORD God." 

 So Ruth's words to Boaz were just a culturally relevant way to say "I am a widow, take me as your wife."  The fact that he was a close relative made this not an inappropriate thing for her to do.  It was bold, but not inappropriate.  Ruth understood this as she identified Boaz as her "close relative." 

This is the frightening moment when we find out that even though Boaz was a recognized goel (kinsman redeemer) towards Ruth, there was another goel closer in relation to her deceased father-in-law Elimelech. So, Boaz could not exercise his right as kinsman-redeemer unless this closer kinsman-redeemer relinquished his rights towards Ruth.  Boaz told her of this, being a man of honor who wanted everything done in order and in a proper way.  He did not send her home empty handed.  He gave her six measures of barley to take home while she waited on him to confirm the answer to her request. 

 Jewish traditions say that the six measures of barley given as a gift to Ruth were a sign of six pious men who would descend from her, endowed with six spiritual gifts: David, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and The Messiah.  I very much see this "gift" of six measures of barley from Boaz to Ruth as being symbolic of Jesus sending the Holy Spirit.  It is a lovely picture, but on with our love story........

Remember in the history of the Jewish people, during the days of Joshua, when Israel came into the Promised Land  the land was divided among all the tribes and then among the families. God always intended that the land stay within those same tribes and those same family groups, so the land could never permanently be sold. Every fifty years, the land had to be returned to the original family group (Leviticus 25:8-17.)  But fifty years is a long time. So God made provision for the land that was “sold,” that it might be redeemed back to the family by the kinsman-redeemer, who had the responsibility to protect the people, property, and posterity of the whole family.  This is why it was important for Boaz to contact the closest Kinsman-Redeemer.   

Boaz went to the gates of the city where business was always conducted seeking this closest kinsman to determine if he would want to make this redemption of Naomi's property.  Of course the man wanted to redeem the land, but then he found out it was a package deal.  To redeem the property would mean he must also marry Ruth and bear children to honor her deceased husband's and father-in-law's name.  He was not interested in this, probably because he already had children and was already married.  To take Ruth as his wife would complicate things and mean that he would need to distribute any of his current wealth to her children as well as to his present wife's children.  This did not appeal to him.  It would have weakened his fortune, not increased it.  He would have had more people to look after as well.  Boaz, of course, was elated!  It was the answer he had hoped for.  Right there at the gate, in the witness of many, Boaz redeemed the property and claimed Ruth as his wife.  And all the elders and all the people who were at the gate blessed the marriage.  They said:  "We are witnesses.  The LORD make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.  May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the LORD will give you from this young woman."  This was saying so much more than you may have read into it!  Rachael and Leah had twelve children between them and basically gave birth to the whole nation of Israel! This was quite a blessing declared over their marriage!

Originally, in the eyes of the world, Ruth seemed to be giving up on her best chance of marriage by leaving her native land of Moab and giving her heart and life to the God of Israel. But as Ruth put God first, He brought her to a relationship greater than she could have ever imagined. 

To Boaz and Ruth was born Obed.  To Obed was born Jesse.  To Jesse was born David.

David grew up to be the great King of Israel.  King David has a descendant by the name of Jesus!

How could they have known at the time that Ruth and Naomi returned to Bethlehem, that their journey would have been the act that set in motion the future reason for Joseph and Mary having to go to Bethlehem to register in the census at the birth of Christ.  It was the city of their ancestor, David.   From Ruth and Boaz's story comes the reason why Jesus was born in Bethlehem.   From Jesus being born in Bethlehem, comes the redemption of the Church and The Bride of Christ! 

This beautiful love story tells us in a million different ways  how  God’s plan is perfect and filled with love.  It speaks to us during those times when we can’t figure out what He is doing and everything seems to be so desperate.  The story tells us clearly that He still knows what He is doing. We are once again reminded of that famous scripture passage:  "all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28.) 

How clearly the story paints the picture of Jesus as our kinsman-redeemer.  We can see this is why He became a man and came to live among us on this earth. God might have sent an angel to save us, but the angel would not have been our kinsman. Jesus, in His eternal glory, without the addition of humanity to His divine nature might have saved us, but He would not have been our kinsman. A great prophet or priest might have been our kinsman, but his own sin would have disqualified him as our redeemer. Only Jesus, the eternal God who added humanity to His eternal deity, can be both the kinsman and the redeemer for mankind! 
 

We clearly see this picture of the nature of our Savior when we look at Boaz.  We can also see a picture of the church when we look at Ruth and Naomi's other daughter-in-law.  Ruth symbolizes the truly converted in the church, the True Bride of Christ.  Think of the fact that she found herself in a foreign country.  We know and are constantly reminded in the church by true men of God that we are all just pilgrims here on earth, just passing through.  This land is not our true home.  But while in a foreign country, Ruth found Boaz.  Just as we, even on this earth have found Jesus Christ, our own faithful Kinsman Redeemer.  He came to us when we were broken, tired, destitute, and He called us to become his followers.  

We, the true Church of Jesus Christ have humbly submitted our lives to Jesus, just as Ruth lay down in the form of a servant at the feet of Boaz.  We have not demanded our rights, but His mercy and goodness have come to us as a free gift.  He has kept our best interest at all times, even to the point of death on a cross.  The true Bride of Christ comes fully converted, out of love and devotion and in submission to the Groom, not just for the marriage certificate that brings its own set of rewards, but for the love of the Groom and nothing else. 

Sadly, the church has been robbed of its own by Satan and his helpers.  They have robbed and plundered the things of God for years, just as those thieves that roamed the land and robbed the threshing floors in Bethlehem.  They have no true ownership, but they come as thieves to kill, rob, steal and destroy.  Jesus, The Good Shepherd is constantly guarding His sheep, protecting his church, and in essence; sleeping on the threshing floor of the harvest. 

If only we would go to him with that same submissive attitude of a servant's heart just as Ruth did, what wonders might we encounter?  Has the church forgotten this lesson?  Do we not realize what a Kinsman Redeemer does for us?  Are we not aware that The Groom is coming in an hour that we do not expect, perhaps the midnight hour, just as the time when Boaz awoke to find Ruth laying at his feet?  Perhaps this is symbolic of Christ returning to rapture the church.  In that time, we will be covered by His cloak and protected from harm, just as Boaz spread his garment over Ruth on the threshing floor.  

To make this totally legal, Jesus had to die on a cross, giving his life as a ransom, buying God's people back from where we foolishly sold our souls away to the slavery of sin and the rule of Satan.  Because of the sin of the first man and woman, we have been born into a world claimed by evil, ruled by Satan.  Only the price of a perfect sacrifice could change that fact for us.  Jesus paid the price to redeem us as His people, just as Boaz paid the price to redeem Ruth.  It was not for want of possessions or ownership that he paid the price.  It was a total act of selfless love and kindness. 

While Ruth was waiting on Boaz to confirm ownership and redeem her, she had the gift of the six measures of barley almost like a promise that he would return.  It kept her and sustained her while he was away attending to business, making sure that all things were in order and kept legal.  We have The Holy Spirit, bestowing spiritual gifts from God on us everyday since Pentecost, since after the time that Jesus ascended into the heavens to go and prepare a place for us.  

Jesus stands at the gates now, making intercession for us, pleading our case before The Father, preparing a place for us to live with Him, just like Boaz bought back the property originally deeded to the husband of Naomi, who would have passed it on to his heirs, one of them being Ruth's husband who had died.  Now Ruth would have a wonderful home where she could bring her mother-in-law and they could live happily ever after.  The same is true of us, as The Church, knowing that Jesus is preparing a wonderful home for us in the place where His Father lives, where we will live forever with our loved ones and true family. 

There is an exciting wedding feast being planned at the Father's House.  It is being announced at the gates, even as I write this down.  Blessings are being spoken over this very sacred marriage that will happen one day in the future.  The vows of the engagement have already been witnessed by a great cloud of witnesses.  The elders and the disciples will all  be there when this wedding happens.  They will bless the marriage and it will prosper.  From the marriage of Christ and His Bride will come the greatest Kingdom ever, it will produce the children of God and Kingdom of God that will bless heaven and earth from a New Jerusalem, coming down from Heaven to a New Earth. 

Only Jesus can make the happiest ending to the greatest love story ever told.  Every now and then I love to stop and remember that from the pages of eternity, God planned to bring Ruth and Boaz together, and thus make Bethlehem His entrance point for the coming of Jesus as our true Kinsman-Redeemer, fully God and fully man.

PEN ART - MEMORIAL DAY POETRY

SOLDIERS AND PILGRIMS, PENTECOSTS AND MEMORIAL DAY

(Written By Sheila Gail Landgraf)

They came a marching through the land,

Many mocked, scourged, thrown in prison, stoned, slain by the sword,

Still they came marching on,

Ragged,

Destitute,

Afflicted,

Tormented,

Braver than the world was worthy,

They came a marching,

With a loud swooping sound, like that of a mighty wind,

With raging flames of fire burning in their hearts, 

driving them onward,

They came a marching through the land.

Onward,

Through deserts and mountains,

Through dens and caves of the earth,

Never seeing the final victory,

Yet knowing others would come after them and enter the promised land.

Medals were given and honors were spoken over their graves

Tears were shed in the memory of their valor

But there is a joyful celebration going on in an unseen place,

And the rewards being given are everlasting.

The Commander Of All will open His book,

And they will once again stand at attention.

He will note his observations of battles well fought,

He will remember those who kept His commandments.

And their crowns will all be solid gold,

The stars will light the sky in an amazing display of glory,

As they lay them at the feet of God,

And the stories of each soldier will be told.

Then the cherished words will fall softly on eager waiting ears,

“Well done, good and faithful servant.  You were faithful with a few things,

I will put you in charge of many things;

Enter into the joy of The Kingdom.”

STORY SAMPLES: EVERY TONGUE, TRIBE AND NATION

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

The descendants of the three sons of Noah settled in the Plains of Shinar.  They decided to build a great tower.  They wanted a tower that would be a beacon they could see from miles and miles away.  If they got lost, they could look up and see the tower and walk towards it to find their way home again.  If they needed to tell someone how to find them they could say “just follow the tower and you will find me.”  It all started out so simple, so uncomplicated.  They all spoke the same language and they all understood each other and worked together to get the tower built. Everything was all together before everything began to fall apart.

They kept making the tower taller.  They were never satisfied that it was great enough.  At first they reasoned by thinking the taller the tower, the closer they would be to God.  Soon that thought was over and they began to concentrate on how great and awesome the tower was.  As the tower got taller and taller the people began to be prouder and prouder of their work.  They all thought the success of the building was due to their own individual participation.  They all began to think they had special unique abilities to have built a tower as special as this one. 

The tower kept getting closer and closer to God, but the people kept forgetting about God and remembering how talented they were for building the tower.  Each group thought their part of the building was the very best part.  They began to speak about their work in their own ways, each group speaking more and more different from the others as the tower kept growing taller and taller.  Soon their work was all about building the tower.  No one gave another thought to getting closer to God.  It was just about the tower now.  It was just about how wonderful the people building the tower were.  

One man, a descendant of Ham named Nimrod, thought he was the most special of all the builders.  He was strong and powerful and he thought he could do anything.   He proclaimed that he was the greatest leader on earth and had a large group of people following him as he named himself their king.  He wanted the tower to speak of him and spread his fame all across the land.  He wanted to be known for being the great tower builder.  He pondered how he would use the tower as a symbol to bring the world together under his leadership.  He loved the control that the thought of the tower gave to him. Others working on the tower seemed to have the same idea, only they wanted the tower to stand for their works. 

The tower soon became nothing about God at all, but only about the pride of mankind.

One day while the tower was being increased they heard a horrible sound.  It got louder and louder.  Soon the loud noise replaced all of their talking.  They had all begun to babble.  Their languages made no sense at all.  They no longer could understand each other.  Everyone was babbling.  There was great confusion.   

The one language of the people of the earth that helped them to work in unison and harmony became shattered and broken into many different pieces.  Each piece was beautiful, yet each piece was broken.  Nothing could come back together again.
   

The people lost the hope of getting closer to God with the tower.  They soon left their work and divided into small groups without ever finishing their tasks.  Soon the tower fell down from neglect and lack of care.  Instead of a beacon it became known as the Tower of Babel.  Instead of becoming a symbol of comfort and hope what was left of the tower soon became a symbol of despair and decay, confusion and chaos.  The once lovely tower turned into a pile of rubbish.  Eventually it all turned to dust and blew away.  Not one piece of the tower remained in place.

Thousands of years passed by and the tower was forgotten.  

A man called Jesus came to live on the earth. 

He did not try to be the greatest.

He was very humble and kind.  

He did not demand that people follow him, but many different types of people loved him and followed him anyway.  He did not claim to be a great leader, and he only considered himself a servant. 

One day he died on a cross.

As he was dying they heard him pray; “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

His followers were very sad until they realized he was alive again!

In just three days they learned that He had risen from the dead!

They were full of joy and they walked with him to a mountain called Olivet and they saw him go up in the sky into heaven where God was.  He went up higher than any tower that could ever be built by men.  He was so close to God and they realized He was a part of God.

Those who followed him were amazed.  They were glad and they thanked God for having sent Him.  God sent them a gift to comfort them because they missed Jesus so much.

One day these followers of Jesus went to Jerusalem because Jesus had asked them to do so before he went to heaven to be with God.  The city was busy celebrating a great day of thanksgiving.  People had come from many different countries for the celebration.  They all spoke many different languages.

     

Suddenly these disciples heard a loud sound, like a mighty rushing wind.  It was God’s gift; The Holy Spirit.  They became so full of power that they seemed to be on fire.  Their tongues burned in their mouths.  They went out on the streets that were filled with the people from many different nations.  

   

No one expected to understand the disciples since they spoke different languages, but they

looked upon them and knew that they had come very close to God and God had come very close to them in a whole new way than He ever had before.  God had given them the promised gift of The Holy Spirit.  Jesus had made it possible for them.

   

Suddenly it no longer mattered that they all spoke different languages.  They all understood one another.

Each person heard in their own language.  

Each one understood what the other was saying, though they never had before.

The disciples began to speak to the people in the streets about Jesus.  They spoke of how He had died for the sins of all; how He had been buried; and how He rose from the dead.  Everyone heard the story in their own language and they asked, “So what should we do?”

Peter stood up and told them they should repent of their sins and believe in Jesus and be baptized.  Many people believed the messages about Jesus and they received The Holy Spirit too. 

And that was how God united (through Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit) what sin had scattered and broken.  

It was at the miracle of Pentecost where all the beautiful broken languages that had kept people divided for so many years united and came back together again because of Jesus Christ the Messiah and God's Holy Spirit.

  

The broken picture of the people of every tribe, language and nation that fell apart at the Tower at Babel became a pure new painting of every tongue, tribe and nation united under God.

What started the prophetic Table of Nations in Genesis (the first bookend of time) will end in Revelation (the last bookend of time.)  

What sin has scattered from the beginning of time will one day unite in one glorious song to The Glory of God.  

In the end God will reverse all the effects of evil and turn it to good.

In Genesis we read of Adam and Eve, in Revelation we hear of Christ and his Bride.  Those of mankind who at first were cast out because of sin have been covered by the garment of Christ and in the end will be invited back in to participate in The Marriage Supper of The Lamb. 

In Genesis Satan came to deceive mankind.  In Revelation we learn that God will bind Satan and allow him to deceive mankind no more. 

In Genesis men were only given dominion over the earth.  In the Revelation it is revealed that man will reign with Christ over Heaven and earth and the whole universe forever.

God’s glory will once again return to the earth when Christ returns and walks through the East Gate of Jerusalem.  He will forever be with His people; those who have repented, believed and received the precious gift of The Holy Spirit.  

Who would have thought that all of this has been planned by God from The Foundation of The Earth for the 70 nations who descended from the three sons of Noah?  This is yet another of the surprises of the miracles that came from Pentecost!

Do you have a Tower of Babel in your life? 

The curse of it can be reversed and you can live under the blessings of God again.  Do not wait for a thousand years.  Repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ.  He died for you.   Reach up and receive God’s Holy Spirit.  Your life will be forever changed.   Jesus died so you can experience the comfort and peace that passes all understanding.    

God has a gift for you. 

All you have to do is let go of your own plans and let God show you His. 

The Holy Spirit will be your guide.  

May the grace of Jesus Christ be with you always as you travel on and walk further and further into The Kingdom of Heaven.

SEASONS - JUGGLING DATES AND TIMES AND WAITING WITH PATIENCE FOR GOD TO REVEAL ALL THINGS

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Every year when spring rolls around, I ask myself if I’m going to have to do the juggling act again this year.  I’m referring to the way the church observes its holy days.  Some organizations prefer different days than others. There are so many different variations.  Everyone thinks they are right.  All can't be right.  Not only that, each year is different for all concerned.  Some days the celebration of The Resurrection falls close enough together for all parties celebrating to be doing it together.  I love those years!  I'm all for unity and I hate divisions, but nevertheless; it is sometimes necessary.

After years and years of study and prayer and day to day life experiences, I've chosen to live by the passages of scripture that seem to ring most true to me.  These words from God are found in Leviticus, Chapter 23:

Leviticus 23New International Version (NIV)

The Appointed Festivals

23 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.

The Sabbath

3 “‘There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord.

The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread

4 “‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times: 5 The Lord’s Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. 6 On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord’s Festival of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. 7 On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. 8 For seven days present a food offering to the Lord. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.’”

Offering the Firstfruits

9 The Lord said to Moses, 10 “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 you harvest. 11 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. 12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the Lord a lamb a year old without defect,13 together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil—a food offering presented to the Lord, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine. 14 You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.

The Festival of Weeks

15 “‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. 16 Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord.17 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.18 Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 19 Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. 20 The priest is to wave the two lambs before the Lord as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the Lord for the priest.21 On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.

22 “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God.’”

The Festival of Trumpets

23 The Lord said to Moses, 24 “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. 25 Do no regular work, but present a food offering to the Lord.’”

The Day of Atonement

26 The Lord said to Moses, 27 “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present a food offering to the Lord. 28 Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God.29 Those who do not deny themselves on that day must be cut off from their people. 30 I will destroy from among their people anyone who does any work on that day. 31 You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. 32 It is a day of sabbath rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.”

The Festival of Tabernacles

33 The Lord said to Moses, 34 “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord’s Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. 35 The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. 36 For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the Lord. It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work.

37 (“‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing food offerings to the Lord—the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings required for each day.38 These offerings are in addition to those for the Lord’s Sabbaths and in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the Lord.)

39 “‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. 40 On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 Live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters 43 so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”

44 So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed festivals of the Lord.

Notice that word "appointed" and ponder how many times in the scripture you hear "it has been appointed," then read the rest of the sentence that is worded "of The Lord."  

Hence, my problem with keeping the calendar of nearly all of the present day Christian churches.  Most of the world, both Catholic, and Protestant will be celebrating Easter Sunday on March 27th this year.  

Though I celebrate the Resurrection of Christ EVERY DAY; I follow the days from the above scriptures that have been kept by the Jewish people for years and years, ever since God first gave them.  They are not lost times.  There are references to when they started and every celebration since then.  When time was lost in the Exodus, God corrected the calendar by the way He gave the manna.  It fell for six days and on the sixth day they collected enough for two days so they could keep the Sabbath without any labor.  If they collected more manna on any other day than the sixth, it would spoil, but the manna collected for two days in order to keep the seventh day holy would keep until the end of the Sabbath.  That was God pulling his people back into his calendar.  

In the calendar that God gave His people there was no Easter Sunday, but there was a Passover week.  During that week with 7 days of unleavened bread, there was a day of an early first fruits offering, which coincided with the later reality of the Resurrection of Christ.  This day from the beginning has always been  a perfect picture of the resurrection of Christ.  

This particular year (2016) on that particular ancient calendar (which follows the moon, not the sun) Passover occurs on April 22 - 30th and the whole week (8 days - 7 days of unleavened bread and one day for Passover) is a very holy time when you decide to stop and follow the instructions God gave in the scriptures I referenced above. 

On the first day there is a Seder meal that remembers the Passover of ancient days when Moses led the children of God from Egypt to the promised land, and then we remember the parallel it shadowed, the fulfillment of the story and how Jesus led the people of God out of the bondage of sin.   

On the second day of Passover we begin to count the omer.   The omer was used by those same people in the wilderness who collected the manna.  They knew when they had an omer they had enough food for one day.   In other times an omer was a measurement to measure the grain from the first crop of the year that was offered up to God in the Temple in ancient times.  It was the early first fruits sacrifice, the one that always came first, before any of the other part of the crops were consumed by the people.  This amount was given to God.  For the Christian this is symbolism for the sacrifice of Christ.  It symbolizes His death, burial and ascending into heaven to offer His blood at the mercy seat.  

On this day, the day that we offer up the omer of first fruits, we start counting 50 days until Pentecost.  

Heaven receiving the sacrifice of Christ made the Holy Spirit possible.  The third day of the feast of unleavened bread is when we celebrate the actual Resurrection of Christ.  This would be 3 whole days and nights from sunset at Passover.  Christ rose from the grave on the 3rd day!  This is considered to be a High Sabbath.  The last day of Unleavened Bread is another high Sabbath of thanksgiving that ends the feast with rejoicing.

We totally believe all of the other elements that the Catholics and Protestants keep during Holy Week, we just think they happened in a different time frame.  We remember how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey and the people laid down their garments and palm fronds in the pathway.  We follow the steps of Christ during this week.  We consider how He cleansed the temple and cursed the fig tree.  We trace His steps leading up to the crucifixion too.  We think of how he washed the disciples' feet.  We remember all of these things, we just remember one thing more; that God set the dates for them to happen and they were fulfilled and played out just as He commanded from the beginning of the time that He began setting people apart for His Kingdom.  

I do not believe that the Church has replaced Israel as God's chosen people, but I do believe that the Church is the fulfillment of Israel being God's chosen people.  The church is made up of both Jews and Gentiles that believe on the name of Christ and follow Him.  It is not a building or an organization, but a body filled with God's Holy Spirit.  This is the fulfillment of every story that God ever gave to Israel.  Israel has not been replaced; but the purpose of Israel has evolved to include all the nations of the earth.   

In keeping the Jewish calendar days it is not my hope to become Jewish, but I hope for everyone, both Jewish and otherwise, to become Christian.   My definition of Christianity is "those who know Jesus as Messiah and are filled with God's Holy Spirit who are content to follow His Holy Scriptures and the example of Christ until the end of time, when they will then be with God forever and ever."  

 Christianity started out with a small group of people who had been Jewish but became believers in a Messiah named Jesus.  When they became believers they were no longer Jewish; they were Christians.  The Jewish nation as a whole has never believed in Christ as Messiah.  This conversion experience that many of them experienced did not mean their national identity had changed, it simply meant they now believed the gospel of Jesus Christ.  They became different from the other unbelieving Jews in that their religious identities became Christian even though their nationality was still Jewish.        These people are the Jewish people that my heart identifies with.  In keeping the same scriptures that God gave to THEM I am not trying to be Jewish, but trying to be like the first Christians.  At the time these scriptures about the holy days were written, no one could have believed in Christ, because he had not yet arrived on the scene, but God was using these days to show that He WOULD come.  These days are how God has taught His people from ancient times.   They were and still are VERY important and sacred. 

God used that nation (Israel) to teach us how to live His way.  They were the pattern of what was to come.  He chose these people to bring us, as well as them; The Messiah.  The Church now is in a continuation of all that Christ started.  I think that all we (the Church) believe has come from what God originally taught to Israel.  I do not think that Jesus's death, burial and Resurrection did away with the law; but that in these things Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law for us.  The law is still in effect; Jesus just paid our penalty for breaking it! 

Even though we will not have to pay our penalty, God still desires that we keep HIS laws.   Leviticus explains how God gave His law to His people.   He simply gives us grace now because of Jesus.  He began proclaiming that He would do this way before it ever happened through the giving of these days in Leviticus Chapter 23.   The ten commandments were written down as the best ways for us to live.  They were given for our own well being.  They were clearly written down and spelled out for our understanding. They are still in effect.  They were not abolished.  When God gave those commandments, He also gave us HIS Holy Days at the same time.  Like the commandments, they were clearly written down and spelled out for our understanding.  I believe they too are part of our best way to live before God.  

We can chose to ignore the law and live in sin and if we confess this God will forgive us and we will receive grace.  We can also make a conscious decision to try not to break the law again and God will bless our lives because of it.  Receiving grace is what happens when we fall.  Deciding to follow God's ways in the first place is a higher way to live.  It would mean that we chose to accept what God intended for us all along.  It is the path to greater blessings and fuller days.  How do I know?  I've lived both ways.  

Men make holidays, but God made Holy Days; days that He sanctified within our times; appointed days in which He desires to share festivals and feasts with us.  That last verse says it all with the words: "the appointed festivals of the LORD."  Not the appointed festivals of mankind, but God's festivals.  Not the appointed times of Israel, or any other nation, the appointed times of GOD.  If you are a child of God, these are HIS times.  They belong to God, not to any certain nation or people. 

 

So this is how I have come to treat the days appointed in Leviticus 23 as holy.  The days were still observed in the New Testament, both by Jesus and by the disciples. Some of them are mentioned in the Revelation to be observed in eternity.  Following the example of Jesus and His disciples has been appropriate for everything else, why would this be different?   

One thing changed; that was the need for an animal sacrifice.  Jesus died once for all.  He was the sacrifice to end all sacrifices.  Now we no longer need animal sacrifices, or any other sacrifice for that matter.  Jesus paid it ALL.  This did not do away with the feast or festivals, but it fulfilled them and gave them even deeper meanings.  Now when we keep the days mentioned in Leviticus 23 we remember how some of them have already been fulfilled and we look to the day of the fulfilling of the rest of them.    

Since these days were first given to the Israelites and they, via the tribe of Judah, have been accountable for keeping accurate and continuing times and dates throughout all the pages of history; I have chosen to follow their calendar in lieu of the other many calendars that the world has come up with.  Even this calendar could not be totally accurate, but it is by far the MOST accurate.    All you have to do is look at the historical records to see that men, in the name of God, have changed dates and times for their own purposes and rode the horse of religion to get their way.  

  

 Some holy days found on the secular calendar are totally different dates than those found on the Jewish calendar.  We have one group with the right calendar not practicing all of the right things and another group practicing the right things but on the wrong dates.  Very ironic that most people can't get the point of correcting this and bringing two rights together to make a WHOLE right.   Some years have the dates falling close enough that it isn't very noticeable.  We all seem in better harmony on those years, though it is actually deceptive in nature.  In some years there is no way to make everything mesh together properly and I have to fall out of step with all of my brothers and sisters.   It is sad to me that we allow Satan to divide us.   I try not to stress over this, and just allow grace to happen as God directs, but I’m always confronted with the fact that the devil is in the details (in more ways than one.) 

These subtle differences in dates and times seem like just another way to cause division among believers, but if you give into that notion and go with the flow in order to create unity, it just feels like another way for the devil to use human logic and cause us to follow false religious practices.  If you can't be true with God, you will not be true with anything.      

So what is the best solution?  

The world will not change completely until Christ comes again and sets everything straight.  For me this is one of those times to just do what I think is right before God and try not to make an issue over it.  I just try to stand for the truth without being hateful or disruptive and wait for God to bring grace and peace into anything that I chose to do in His name.  I’m reminded once again of having the heart of a child in all things.  I am also reminded of the fact that nothing is going to happen to any believer that has not already happened to Christ.  It is nothing new to be persecuted and hated for believing in the things that God has made plain to you.  All Christians have experienced this on some level.  It is an open door to testimony.  One of the strange ways that God brings good to all situations.   

When I taught little children simple and uncomplicated bible stories that we called “Godly Play,” we always ended each lesson with some very effective “wondering” questions.  These questions were designed to help children learn to think through the scriptures for themselves and to process the stories on a deeper, more personal level than what was just on the surface.   Hence they wound up really following God and really working out their own salvation with God instead of just going through rote motions formed from the ideas, expectations and suggestions of other human beings.  

The “wondering” questions were designed so that each child could ponder the facts in the story from their own level, and not have to compete with those who were ahead of them, or lag behind because of those who were behind them in the spiritual learning process.  They could think through things by wondering aloud at the things God had shown them from what ever level they were living in at in the time. 

If something had been taught out of order or erroneously, this thinking-through process would open their eyes and bring them back to the truth without them having to be corrected or humiliated publicly or proclaimed wrong in front of all the other children.  They could then decide how to have the convictions to act on the truth that God had shown to them.   It made learning a delight instead of a chore.   The children were always discovering something new and/or proving tried and true things.


So often I see where this process could be very helpful for many adults.  Sometimes, in spite of all our best efforts and good intentions, we hit a learning snag and we perceive the truth to be something that it is not.  We have to wonder aloud with God until we come up with the correct answers.  Then we have to decide to be convicted enough to act on the answers that God shows to us.

This is often the way it goes with some of us when it comes to dates and times and seasons within the church calendar.  

I face this issue almost like a personal dilemma each year that Passover comes way after Easter on the secular calendar. 

I have to go back and ask my own wondering questions in order to clear the cobwebs from my mind and direct my heart into a direction that I feel pleases God.  

Isn’t that what worship is supposed to do; please God? 

 But often it seems that we are bent on pleasing men first.  Take this season as an example.

We all clearly teach that Passover was a type and shadow for the Resurrection.  Without the understanding of the Passover the Resurrection would not make sense.  The parallel comparisons are so clear – the blood of the lamb over the doorpost – the blood of Christ over our hearts; the death angel “passing over” those who had the lamb’s blood on their homes and the defeat of death because Christ died in our place; like the death angel who granted life instead of death to all those first born sons who acted in faith and were willing to believe and follow God in the details of their lives during that first Passover.

 So much is clear, but one thing that is completely clear in the scriptural account is the fact that before resurrection can come; we must go through a Passover. 

This year your secular calendar will not show that order.  The calendar will show Resurrection coming before Passover.  I have many wonderful devoted and godly friends who are Catholic, but the truth is that the Catholic Church, long ago, moved Resurrection Day's date on the calendar and declared that the calendar would be calculated by the phases of the sun instead of the phases of the moon as had been the custom for so many hundreds of years.  Now instead of acting in unity under the declaration of God’s instructions, we all must live in a confusing state of reversal where the days on our calendars for some years have a Resurrection coming before a Passover.  So some of the groups in order to eliminate confusion from their misleading chose to also move Passover into the new Resurrection week they had created.  It is sort of like when you tell one lie, you have to cover it with many more in order to help people believe your lie. 

Later, the Protestant Church chose to use the SAME dates of the Catholic church, though not to the same detail.  The shortened the lie, but  the deception of the dates lived on.  Everyone ignored that God chose "appointed times."  They changed God's dates and times.   

There were some however who did not confirm.  Those who had all along been following ancient time just kept following Passover from the phases of the moon and counting the days around Passover from the old ancient ways of counting. Those who kept keeping God's time God's way were Jewish people who didn't even believe in Christ!  Now that is irony.  Oh my, what a mess!  

If something isn't broke, we shouldn't try to fix it!  Constantine made a HUGE mistake in trying to use religion to unite the people.   At least the Jews had the good sense to recognize God as the Keeper of all times.  

 This confusing state would never have happened if we all had simply kept time the way God first established it so long ago.  We had to go and change it, just like we have tried to change so many other things that God set into motion from the beginning of time.  A little change here, a little change there....eventually we will not be telling the same story.  When we do this, we hit snags that just won’t work out right.  If we stick together and follow our current calendars this year, we will have to have a Resurrection almost a month before a Passover; and this just isn’t good theology.  If you are Catholic, your Passover has been rearranged in order to coincide with your Resurrection date.   Your theology will be correct (MOST OF IT) but your "appointed time" will still be wrong.   Oh dear!

The church (both Catholic and Protestant)  just goes marching right on through the season with their man made changes, expecting everyone to just swallow the falsehood and believe that God was the one who made the changes.  If you question this, well you just might have an “authority” problem.  

Just who has the FINAL authority anyway?  Wouldn't that still be God?     

Still, in my “thinking-through” process, I can’t help but realize and acknowledge that this rearranging and moving around of all the dates and times simply can’t be pleasing to God and I don't think it should be done!

 

Without a Passover you cannot have a Resurrection!  Resurrection simply cannot occur without a Passover first!  God is a God of order and this is the order that He set in motion.  The night before He was crucified, Jesus confirmed this by having the Passover.  Three days later He celebrated The Resurrection.  It doesn’t work backwards!  It only works going forward.

 

The wondering questions of the children have brought my feet back to steady ground once again this year.  For a few years the dates on both calendars were close enough together that it didn't make a huge difference.  This is leap year - and the times don't ever match up on a leap year.  It is simply one of those times when my worship will have to be out of step with my Christian brothers and sisters. 

I have made the choice to keep Passover with the Hebraic thinkers who have kept the calendar forever.  When I say "forever" I mean way before the Catholic Church ever existed.  In case you haven't figured this out yet, there was a Christian Church even before the Catholics existed.  The forming of the Catholic Church was actually the first great schism.  They forget to mention that part in the catechism classes.  God taught First Fruits to Adam and Eve right after the fall, and I believe they passed this on to their children.   My celebration of the Resurrection Day will be on the day of Early First Fruits which occurs soon after the Passover.  It will be about a month after the dates that most Protestant and Catholic churches are celebrating the Resurrection for this year.  

Ironically, those old ancient Hebraic believers who kept the days originally did not even know why they did so!  More ironically, the Jewish people who keep the correct dates today STILL don't understand the whole truth.  They miss that Jesus is the Messiah.  ALL of the Holy Days point to Jesus as Messiah.  It is amazing to me that people can celebrate these days year after year and not see that; but it happens. 

Without knowing what they were doing; they celebrated the death, burial and resurrection of Christ for years and years before it even happened!  They were simply following God's instructions.  They, in their ignorance, were still a lot smarter than us today with all of our modern intelligent ways.  How ironic it all seems.   I'm not trying to be Jewish folks, I'm just trying to be as accurate a Christian as possible.  I'm simply trying to follow the scriptures in whole with accuracy.  Please don't misunderstand the motives.  Aren't Christians supposed to follow ALL of the scriptures?  Why do we chose to ignore a HUGE portion of our bibles?  The answer is that men have changed what God said to make things more convenient for men.  Since it was allowed for so many years, many have become blind to the truth, and that is just what Satan wanted to happen.  

Another question we would always ask while teaching children was:  “I wonder if we took out just one little element of this story; would we still have the same story?   

The logical conclusion was always an emphatic “NO!”  

You simply can’t change the stories and still have the same story.  

God gave ONE true story of the Resurrection.   We must be true to that one story – you can’t have a Resurrection without first going through a Passover. 

Another wondering question we would sometimes ask was:  “I wonder if there is more to the story than what we just heard?” 

Many times something very obvious would surface when we asked this last important question; some would become aware of something that had not been seen or noticed before.  It was as if a bright light suddenly came on and everyone could see more clearly in the light. 

The “something further” or the “more to the story” that I see in relation to the calendar of the church is that God planned out His times in an order to teach us His story.  If we mix the order, the story is lost.  And there is a BIG “something else” to consider.   That “something else” is vitally important to all of us who know and love Jesus Christ and want to worship God with all our hearts.  It is called Pentecost!

Can you have a Pentecost if you get the Resurrection before the Passover?

 

Look at the words of Jesus.  What did Jesus say to his disciples regarding Pentecost?  In Luke 24:49 He said:  Wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me, for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 

In John 14:26 he says:  “But the Advocate, The Holy Spirit which the Father will send in my name will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said.”  So right after the Resurrection (when the early first fruits had come both physically to the land and physically and symbolically in the form of the Resurrection of Christ) the people who had faith went up to Jerusalem to wait on God to send The Holy Spirit. 

Why?

Because that was what they had always done after an early first harvest.  They went up to the Temple to offer the first fruits of their labors to God.  They took their Omer of barley and gave it first before they ate of their crops, then they waited for 50 days.  They counted them off on the calendar and they waited.

 Why?  Why were they waiting? 

They didn’t even know!  

They simply had faith.  

They were ignorant of the truth; they only had faith.  We are not ignorant! We have no excuse for our actions.  We are living on the other side of truth.  The sacred times that God set in motion happened just when He had said they would!  WE CAN KNOW.  All they knew was that God had commanded that they keep the days in this certain order and they were acting in faith.  When the symbolic first fruits offering was fulfilled in the form of Jesus and the Resurrection proved its truth, they knew to go to Jerusalem and wait for 50 days.  In 50 days, if they counted correctly from the day of early first fruits (Resurrection Day,) they would come into the time of Pentecost.  They would find themselves in the time of a much greater harvest.

The meaning became very clear when Jesus told them the instructions in person AFTER the Resurrection had occurred.  It became even more clear when on that very 50^th day they received The Holy Spirit from Heaven!  Their eyes were opened.  

What a day it must have been!

 None of them would have been there if the Resurrection had come before the Passover.  

Their timing would have been off.  

They would have missed Pentecost and would not have received God’s Holy Spirit. 

Unless they counted their time in the way God had shown them, they would have missed the biggest day of Church history. Take that to an individual level.  Unless we learn to count our days with the purposes that God has given us, we will miss our life's mission from God.  Like little first graders learning addition, we much learn to count!  I'm not sure about you, but I don't want to miss anything because I didn't pay attention to what God had instructed and put my faith into something that a man had devised instead.   I know the real teacher, personally.  I'm listening to His words and no other.  There are days that are still to be fulfilled.  I want to be in the place where God has instructed doing what God has instructed when those days come.  I'm going to abide by the scriptures!  

Folks, you cannot have a Pentecost without a Resurrection, and you cannot have a Resurrection without a Passover.  God first gave the order to the Hebrews, then later Jesus gave us (the Church) the proper order by the way He lived out His days.  It is God's math. The Son will always confirm the Father.  

If you look at your calendar from the view of the way men have changed it over time; you will not see all of the lessons that God intended for you to see. You will miss things.  Your spiritual math will be wrong.

 

Does this mean I will look down my nose at those who dress up and go to worship God on Easter Sunday so that they can thank Him for the Resurrection?  No, absolutely not!  

I will thank God they know Him.  I will thank God for saving them.  I will praise God that they BELIEVE in Resurrection.  

The main pieces of the puzzle are still in place.  Their salvation is sure.  Even though they have chosen the name Easter, I do not believe they are worshiping a pagan god, but I think they are truly intending to please the God of Heaven who sent Jesus Christ.  The intentions are right. God looks at the intentions of the heart. As long as they truly don't know or understand, I don't think God will hod it against them.  Grace.  

Also I do consider the fact that it is appropriate to celebrate resurrection on any day and every day.  Resurrection is just that wonderful.  It is appropriate to worship all the time – 24/7 if you choose; especially if you are thanking God for raising Jesus Christ from the dead!  Never a problem! 

So, no, I’ll not point my finger and be critical.  I recognize these people as saved sinners just like me.  I'm not better.  I make other mistakes and miss the mark in other ways.  

I don’t even mind, and do enjoy having baskets and dying eggs and setting little bunnies all over the place to speak of the spring season's arrival.  These are simply children’s games.  Spring does bring new life and it is proper to celebrate that!  God created all of this beauty and I worship Him for the blessing of each season.  I celebrate every season that God made with all of its symbols and signs.  The little chicks and bunnies and eggs are just earthly things though, not idols.  They hold no magic.  As long as I do not put pagan worship into these things, they will not be pagan.  They will simply be reminders of spring and nothing more.   They will not be misused at my house, nor do I think they will be misused at the homes of my friends.  We all understand the difference between children’s play and reality.  We know the difference between Jesus Christ and the Easter Bunny.  One is real; one is a fairy tale.  As long as we have our facts and priorities in order; we are okay.  We must not let these earthly things take over so much that we lose our focus on Christ and The Gospel and the heavenly things.  That would turn them into idols.  There must be balance in our lives, but I think we can manage that.  

When we get down to teaching the WHOLE truth, down to the tiny little details; I’ll stick with the gospel every time in explaining to my family what really happened and what is really important.  It is all recorded right there in the scriptures.   They can clearly see the focus of my heart.  They will know that the world celebrating Easter Sunday is not the same as us celebrating the Resurrection on Early First Fruits after commemorating the Passover. They will have the whole story in the right timing in their minds and hearts exactly as it did happen.  They will know the concept of the "appointed days."   I will celebrate Passover on the dates that have been counted for millenniums from ancient times, in the sacred spaces that God gave instructions for them to happen.  I do believe that God has given sacred, appointed times.  It is God's time, not my time.  He is living outside of it, but I am still inside of the times that He has appointed.   I have no right to change what times He chose to make sacred.   Passover will always come before Resurrection.  I will remember Early First Fruits in the proper order during the Days of Unleavened Bread and right after Passover.  We will begin counting the days up until Pentecost on the day of Early First Fruits and we will count the 50 days until we come to the space in time that God appointed to be Pentecost.  There is even MORE to count after that - but this is enough for this article.  



The time leading up to Pentecost is a growing season and we will be growing as we go.  We are only human though; so it IS possible we may be off here and there occasionally, and it will not be able to be helped.  God gives grace when it is needed.   We will still be following and teaching God’s truth and tending to the parts of our lives as best we can in His ways and with His instructions that are higher than ours.  It isn't at all about being legalistic, but about following God as close as we can.  God looks at the intentions of the heart and He knows we will be following his instructions as best we can within the knowledge that He has given to us.  This is true for everyone, no matter what days they decide to keep.  Everyone must make their best decision and remain true to what God shows them.  

Will others point their finger at us?  It might happen, but we won’t worry about it. (When I say "we" I mean whoever is in my house worshiping with me when these days take place.)  

What is important to us is to follow God and ignore the ways that men try to change God’s plans in order to meet their own ways.  God has never been about convenience.  Narrow is the gate and few there are who find it.  Sometimes this will seem inconvenient.   God is always the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow.  He never changes.  His word will always hold true.

Has God put it on your mind to think through these things?  That could be a sign that He is showing you something new.  Some people never feel led to consider or question what everyone else is doing.  It could be that God just has something different for them to achieve.  God only holds us to what He has shown us.  If you are a parent you might come closer to understanding this.  Do you ever trust one child with something that you would not trust another child with?  If so, it probably isn't because you love one more than another, it is just because one child has a clearer understanding of what you are doing.  

Some of us, for some reason, have just given a lot of thought as to why these dates were changed in the first place.  Yes, it was men using God’s name to accomplish their own goals, but even more; it was Satan using men who allowed themselves to think more like Satan than God by following another man's thinking instead of the scriptures.  Some have considered this and yet they simply must measure out grace to those who feel the matter is unimportant.  Truth and grace, they both are used in God's balancing process.  They both matter.  

We learn to live with each other in grace and much emphasis is put on this fact for those of us who are actually thinking and examining our lives as we are counting through the 50 days  leading up to Pentecost.  Our passion also teaches us a lesson in patience.  Everything in life is about waiting on God; for when The Holy Spirit comes, He makes all things plain. 

The Holy Spirit teaches us and reminds us of all the things that Jesus said and did.  That is all we really need to know to do what is right. Each man will be held accountable to God for their own actions.

Spring is full of such decisions!

The day is coming when no one will have to ask the wondering questions.

When Jesus returns and sets the earth in order, we all will be in the same place and we all will have the same level of learning at the same time.   In the meantime, we can keep perfecting and practicing love.  Love overcomes anything.  Love works in all circumstances.   It is the cure for healing those who disagree on things that are not basic to salvation.  Love is the glue that holds God's children together. 

In the Second Coming we will all stand before a God who will tell us exactly what He meant and what He still means.  He will know how much our hearts have comprehended.  He will know what He directed us to do during the days of our lives.  We all have been given different tasks.  It all fits into one plan though.   Hebrews 8:11 speaks of this:  “No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.”  

That will be a most glorious day!  

There will be no need for a calendar at all!  

Keep looking up folks.  Eventually time rights all wrongs and heals all wounds.  Love overcomes a multitude of sins.  There is One who is never wrong, and He is coming back.

May the joy of The Resurrection fill our hearts with wonder!