If I asked you what action verb is associated with the three holy day seasons, what would you say? For the Days of Unleavened Bread, we are to eat unleavened bread for seven days. It’s not about getting leaven out - that should already have been done before the holy days start! It’s about taking in of Jesus Christ, eating the unleavened bread which represents living our lives God’s way, subsisting on His word, seeking Life because that’s what truly sustains us. Eating should be the obvious verb to focus on - it’s inherent in the name of the Feast.
For the Feast of Tabernacles, the action verb is again in the name: we are to dwell in temporary dwellings, tents, tabernacles, for seven days. It reminds us that it is God who brought us out of slavery to sin. He is our Redeemer and Savior. Furthermore, we’re not to get too comfortable in this world. Don’t get too settled because, if we’ve been redeemed and we belong to God, then this world is not our home. We’re looking for God’s kingdom. We’re aliens and strangers in this land. We want to dwell in Christ. We want to walk in His ways. We want to be found in Him always.
So what about the Feast of Weeks? Pentecost? Again the verb is in the name. We are to count. And as we count for seven complete weeks - during the spring harvest - we should again see Jesus Christ and our relationship with Him. It is in
participating in God’s holy days that we learn more about Him and who we are in Christ.
So what did you learn as you have been counting these past few weeks?
It’s really to get busy with the harvest, or life, or stuff, and neglect to count every day. Quick! Without counting on your fingers from last sabbath, what day of the count is it?
The days can pass by very quickly. Suddenly you’re at Pentecost and you find yourself wondering where all the days went! If you didn’t make a conscious effort to number the days, they are gone in the blink of an eye! And so isn’t it the same way with our lives. If we don’t make a conscious effort to make each day count, to intentionally choose those things which draw us closer to God, our days can slip by like sand through our fingers - and we have nothing to show for it.
The harvest is hard. Just as the plants have to be weeded, watered, and cared for - if you want a good harvest - we need to be diligent in our own lives. We need to weed out the habits and choices which are choking out our fruitfulness to God. We need to water our relationship with God with prayer, Bible study, meditation, fellowship with like believers. We need to intentionally care for our pursuit of holiness. Otherwise, we will have missed the opportunity to be fruitful for our God.
Just because the days are hard or discouraging or exhausting, we can’t give up. We have a goal in mind, in sight! As Winston Churchill adjured: Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. Or as the seven churches of Revelation were similarly adjured: to him who overcomes . . . We overcome obstacles. We don’t doubt God’s goodness. We don’t rely on our own strength. We don’t expect life to be too easy. We are in preparation for service in God’s kingdom and we must persevere regardless of the obstacles and difficulties before us.
God expects you to rest. Even in the midst of the harvest, even when you have more things to do than you can shake a stick at, God expects you to observe the Sabbath. It is a gift to you from your Heavenly Father - to rest physically from your labor, to remember to rest in Him for your strength, to be exhorted and encouraged by your church family. The sabbath is not optional. It is not a lesser commandment. It is one of God’s Ten Commandments. And God expects you to love this gift that He has created for you each week.
Life rarely goes as planned. When you’re in the midst of the harvest, one of the busiest seasons of the year, it sometimes feels like you have more to do than can possibly get done. And! You may plan to do one thing, but, as you begin, you find two things
that have to be done first. It’s easy to get frustrated and try to work faster. That doesn’t usually work well. Remember Ziggy? My American lit teacher in high school had a poster of Ziggy that said, “The faster I go the behinder I get.” Just keep calm and carry on. The unplanned detours of life are not a surprise to God. So put your trust in Him and do the next thing.
Never forget the value of a well-timed word and an expression of gratitude. When life gets busy and we get frazzled, we tend to focus on the next thing we need to do, sometimes forgetting that everyone else is experiencing a similar state of frazzled-ness. AT&T’s slogan is very important: reach out and touch someone. Let the people around you know how much you appreciate them - not just their efforts - but them, as fellow travelers in the Way. We could all take a page from Barnabas’ play book and be a son of encouragement to those around us. It can make a huge difference.
We have just a few days left before the Day of Pentecost will have fully come. I hope you’re counting. I hope you’re evaluating how you live each day to the glory of our Great God. I hope you have fruit to harvest for Him. I wonder what you’ve been learning. Wanna share?
For the Feast of Tabernacles, the action verb is again in the name: we are to dwell in temporary dwellings, tents, tabernacles, for seven days. It reminds us that it is God who brought us out of slavery to sin. He is our Redeemer and Savior. Furthermore, we’re not to get too comfortable in this world. Don’t get too settled because, if we’ve been redeemed and we belong to God, then this world is not our home. We’re looking for God’s kingdom. We’re aliens and strangers in this land. We want to dwell in Christ. We want to walk in His ways. We want to be found in Him always.
So what about the Feast of Weeks? Pentecost? Again the verb is in the name. We are to count. And as we count for seven complete weeks - during the spring harvest - we should again see Jesus Christ and our relationship with Him. It is in
participating in God’s holy days that we learn more about Him and who we are in Christ.
So what did you learn as you have been counting these past few weeks?
It’s really to get busy with the harvest, or life, or stuff, and neglect to count every day. Quick! Without counting on your fingers from last sabbath, what day of the count is it?
The days can pass by very quickly. Suddenly you’re at Pentecost and you find yourself wondering where all the days went! If you didn’t make a conscious effort to number the days, they are gone in the blink of an eye! And so isn’t it the same way with our lives. If we don’t make a conscious effort to make each day count, to intentionally choose those things which draw us closer to God, our days can slip by like sand through our fingers - and we have nothing to show for it.
The harvest is hard. Just as the plants have to be weeded, watered, and cared for - if you want a good harvest - we need to be diligent in our own lives. We need to weed out the habits and choices which are choking out our fruitfulness to God. We need to water our relationship with God with prayer, Bible study, meditation, fellowship with like believers. We need to intentionally care for our pursuit of holiness. Otherwise, we will have missed the opportunity to be fruitful for our God.
Just because the days are hard or discouraging or exhausting, we can’t give up. We have a goal in mind, in sight! As Winston Churchill adjured: Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. Or as the seven churches of Revelation were similarly adjured: to him who overcomes . . . We overcome obstacles. We don’t doubt God’s goodness. We don’t rely on our own strength. We don’t expect life to be too easy. We are in preparation for service in God’s kingdom and we must persevere regardless of the obstacles and difficulties before us.
God expects you to rest. Even in the midst of the harvest, even when you have more things to do than you can shake a stick at, God expects you to observe the Sabbath. It is a gift to you from your Heavenly Father - to rest physically from your labor, to remember to rest in Him for your strength, to be exhorted and encouraged by your church family. The sabbath is not optional. It is not a lesser commandment. It is one of God’s Ten Commandments. And God expects you to love this gift that He has created for you each week.
Life rarely goes as planned. When you’re in the midst of the harvest, one of the busiest seasons of the year, it sometimes feels like you have more to do than can possibly get done. And! You may plan to do one thing, but, as you begin, you find two things
that have to be done first. It’s easy to get frustrated and try to work faster. That doesn’t usually work well. Remember Ziggy? My American lit teacher in high school had a poster of Ziggy that said, “The faster I go the behinder I get.” Just keep calm and carry on. The unplanned detours of life are not a surprise to God. So put your trust in Him and do the next thing.
Never forget the value of a well-timed word and an expression of gratitude. When life gets busy and we get frazzled, we tend to focus on the next thing we need to do, sometimes forgetting that everyone else is experiencing a similar state of frazzled-ness. AT&T’s slogan is very important: reach out and touch someone. Let the people around you know how much you appreciate them - not just their efforts - but them, as fellow travelers in the Way. We could all take a page from Barnabas’ play book and be a son of encouragement to those around us. It can make a huge difference.
We have just a few days left before the Day of Pentecost will have fully come. I hope you’re counting. I hope you’re evaluating how you live each day to the glory of our Great God. I hope you have fruit to harvest for Him. I wonder what you’ve been learning. Wanna share?
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