With Passover past and the Feast of Unleavened Bread almost complete, I wanted to take a minute to share a bit about the Omer, otherwise known as Firstfruits. Today is the fifth day of the Omer and tonight will be the beginning of the sixth day. What on earth is the Omer? LOL It's something that I have enjoyed more than anything in the past few years and am honestly just beginning to wrap my brain around. So bear with me as I do my best to explain it here.

G*d outlined His festivals to the children at Mt. Sinai. One of these holy times is the counting of the 49 days beginning with the day after the Passover Sabbath (in our mind, that is the day after the high Sabbath which is the first day of Unleavened Bread). The first day is called the Early Firstfruits where sheaves of grain are lifted and waved before the L*RD. The final day is called the Later Firstfruits where a similar process takes place. This final day is called Pentecost by Christians and Shavuot in Scripture. It is the day that the Spirit was sent to the believers and the day that Peter spoke to all the pilgrims who came to Jerusalem for the festival in Acts 2. It seems rather vague to those of us who do not have a solid foundation in the Hebraic roots of Scripture. Even as we are learning, it is hard to understand. It is enough to know that this is a time set apart by HaShem and is important for us to take seriously. When we obey, understanding will follow. This has been my experience.

1 Corinthians 15:20 and 23 tell us that Yeshua is the firstfruits of those who will be resurrected. It is therefore important to see how the resurrection of our Master links Him to the historic Feast of Firstfruits. Some say He rose on the day of the Early Firstfruits. Others say He rose the day after. It all depends on how the first day of the Omer is counted - different traditions interpret the Leviticus 23:9-11 passage differently. It matters little whether it was the day of or the day after, He rose during the counting of the Omer either way. THIS is the celebration of His resurrection!! And, it isn't a one day event. ;-)

It was during this counting of 49 days, the counting of the Omer, that the Master appeared to His disciples and taught them. It was during this time that He appeared to over 500 people at one setting, as well as to His chosen disciples and close friends. It was during this time that He ascended into heaven to be seated at the right hand of the Father! This is a powerful time indeed! It is a time of anticipation of the great work that is expected on Shavuot/Pentecost. Even before Messiah had come it was a time of anticipation and quiet soul searaching.

So, speculate with me for a minute. What were the disciples doing during these 7 weeks? What were they studying together, what was tradition of the time? From what I have learned, Psalm 67 is read daily at the time of the evening prayers. Psalm 119 is read in the synagogue for the observant followers to meditate on as well. Is it possible that these are the main Scriptures that the disciples were meditating on during this time and the Scriptures that were being expounded on as the risen Master would teach them? I am sure that He opened up ALL the Scriptures to them, but I am also convinced that these two Psalms were very important as well.

Psalm 119 is what I have studied every year at this time and it has been the most precious time of worship of my whole year. I love this Psalm and by Shavuot, I will have it memorized again. :~) This is the first year that I am reading Psalm 67 as part of my counting. It is amazing! The theme of harvest, of letting the nations be glad and sing for joy as all the earth fears Him speaks not only praise to the Creator, but of inclusion of the nations in the worship of the G*d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

I have found a few good links that further explain the Omer/Firstfruits and I'll put them here in my blog for anyone who is interested to read. This one is a quick read that I just found today. I enjoyed it and think you will too. This one is also a good article that I read in a magazine and wanted to share. For a study on Psalm 119, thiswill take you to a study resource.

I hope that this little introduction to the Counting of the Omer will be helpful and that the links provided will help anyone who is interested in learning more to do so. As I said, this is the most special time of year for me and in years past I couldn't put my finger on exactly why, other than it had something to do with my Master's resurrection and waiting in anticipation for Shavuot. While I cannot put into words how my understanding of this has grown, all I can say is that "it clicked!" and "now I get it!", at least more than before. Understanding follows obedience. :~)

**edited because I can't count *rolleyes* **

Jenny,

The Unleavened Bread we made was from a recipe in FFOZ's Passover Encounter Seder book. I'll copy it here for you:

Ashkenazic (Eastern European) Unleavened Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups of the flour of your choice (I used whole wheat flour)

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp honey

2 eggs

1/2 cup warm water

1 tsp sea salt

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add eggs, honey, oil, and water to the flour mixture and knead until smooth. Divide and form mixture into golf-ball size sections with hands greased with olive oil. On a floured surface, roll each ball into flat, round circles. If you would like the dough to bake crisper, prick holes in the surface; otherwise, it will bake as thicker flatbread. Place on a pan or stone in oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Our Passover Seder was wonderful! I'm posting some pictures because I know that there are a few friends who visit here and have asked me to share more about how we celebrated. So, here's pictures along with some explanations.

Some of our highlights this year were: The Matzah turned out the best this year of any previous year. I think I found a recipe we'll stick with and one that we all enjoy! The meal itself was amazing, we've never enjoyed a meal so much. The Seder we used was the same one we used last year but it was so much more meaningful this year than last. It seems that just like a lot of other things, the Master uses the same things to teach us new things about Him. We actually had dessert this year. :~) Banana splits! That's always a highlight. And we finished our Seder before midnight.

We try to use our Menorah on special days so we dug out some left over Hanukkah candles to use with our Menorah. Next to the Menorah on the top of the piano (in the dining room) is a model of the Temple. When we did our Temple study it was a huge help for us to visualize what we were reading.

This is the table as it was set early in the afternoon. Elijah's place setting was next to me, which irked DS quite a bit. LOL He wanted to sit next to Elijah if he were to happen to come. :~) John came in the spirit of Elijah and is thought to have been born at Passover time - Elijah did come! (Luke 1:12-17) Yeshua made it clear that before His return that Elijah would return and restore all things (Matthew 17:10-13). So we, like many non Believing Jews, anxiously await the return of Elijah.

The table is set with our regular dishes as I don't have special dishes or silverware. We only have a set of 4 special glasses, so we pass one cup at a time rather than having four cups for each person. The seder tray is a gift from a dear friend and we were thrilled to be able to use it this year. The Matzah Tosh and it's matching Afikomen bag are also displayed on the table. What deep and rich symbolism in each item on the table!

As soon as DH got home from work, he put the "blood" on the door (pictured below) and then he started our leaven search. Here you can see the table more prepared than in the picture above. He searched every room with a flashlight and a feather that DS had plucked from one of his chickens. :~) He said it had to be a special feather and since we couldn't find a single feather anywhere else (one year we had found an eagle feather outside!) DS went to the source of feathers - the chickens. LOL

DH searched everywhere - the cupboards, the bookshelves, under the stereo/TV cabinet, even the tops of the door frames. I had forgotten where I had hid two of the pieces for him to find, I knew we hid 7 pieces but I could only remember where 5 were! LOL We found them...

It was a great object lesson for the Spirit searching for sin with the Light and gently removing it. He was slow and methodical and diligent. DS was ready for "Hurry, quick I found it. Let's move on!"

After the final pieces were found we went out the side door and we each took the papers that we had written down the leaven we have discovered in our hearts over the past few days and deposited them into the bag that DH collected the hidden and now found pieces of leaven. We took them outside to our fire pit and burned it.

Before entering the house we stood outside and read the story of the Exodus, about Moshe giving the Pesach instructions to the children of Israel, and their obedience. We read about their flight from Egypt and through the Sea of Suf (Red Sea). DH and I pointed out that the blood of the lamb on the doors in Egypt was the symbol for the Destroyer to pass over those homes. Just the same, the blood of The Lamb, our Master Yeshua, is applied to our hearts and is the symbol that saves us from eternal death. We passed under the Blood of the Lamb and into our house.

When we entered the house we came next to this doorway. This doorway represents the Sea of Suf and the Mikvah, or baptism, that the children of Israel were brought through upon their departure from Egypt. Just like the children of Israel, the next step after the application of the blood of The Lamb is Mikvah/Baptism. With the death and resurrection of The Master our baptism symbolizes our death to sin and the old man and our being a new creation in Him. Israel was given a new life after the Mikvah in the Sea of Suf, Yeshua began His ministry after a Mikvah given by his cousin John who came in the spirit of Elijah.

After our Mikvah we entered the dining room and I lit the holiday candles. We began our Seder and had a wonderful time of remembering. I hope that these pictures give you a little idea of what Passover/Pesach is like at our house. Today is Pesach and this evening marks the beginning of The Feast of Unleavened Bread, Matzah. Tomorrow is a high holy day, a shabbat. We will spend the day together, basking in His presence and His holiness. What an awesome G*d we serve!!!

In 2001 we were introduced to the Festival of Passover at our former church. It was interesting and we learned how so many elements of this ancient festival pointed to our Messiah and how He fulfilled these signs so wonderfully. After a while we began a regular family Bible study where we discovered more about Passover, almost by accident. We decided to try to keep Passover as a family that year to learn more about our Messiah in 2003. It was absolutely amazing! We decided to keep Passover every year after that. Then two years ago our current church taught about Passover as well. It seems that everywhere we look, more and more Christians are learning about and participating in God’s festivals.

Since the year we first kept Passover, we have made some decisions based on our family studies. We have decided that we will keep the festivals that God outlined at Mount Sinai in Leviticus 23. There are many reasons behind our decision to keep these festivals but the primary reason is when God gave these divine appointments to His children He intended them to be kept by all His children, forever. We feel that because we are grafted into the vine of Israel by our faith in Messiah, Who is the Root of that vine, that they also apply to us. The early church also kept these festivals, as is evidenced in Scripture. Each and every festival is a direct link to our understanding our Messiah and an incredible object lesson for us to learn more about Him. He is revealed so incredibly beautifully in each of these appointed times.

Over the years that we have kept God’s feasts and holidays to worship Him we have also began to celebrate the man made holidays and traditions less and less. There are several reasons for this decision as well, but our primary reason is that we feel convicted that the days God appointed should be a much higher priority to us than the traditions that came about later.

I include this little note in our Passover greetings this year to explain a little about why we are doing things different than most. We wanted to openly share our decisions with our friends and family as we learn and grow. We are more than willing to discuss just how we came to these decisions if anyone is interested in such a conversation.

Let us all celebrate our freedom at this season with joy and thanksgiving for all He has done for us! It is by His death and resurrection that we are offered salvation, it is a joyous and thankful season indeed.

Today is the festival of Purim. It is so named because Haman, the bad guy, picked this date to be the day of the massacre of the Jews by rolling dice, which were called pur. You can read about the entire event in the book of Esther in the Bible.

It is customary to celebrate today and rejoice in the saving power of G*d. It is customary to send gifts to others, espically the needy, and to celebrate with a feast (or at least a nice and special dinner). When the book of Esther is read aloud to the family, when the name of Haman is read the listeners are to boo and hiss in order to drown out his name. When Mordecai's name is read, it is customary to cheer to give honor to this wise and devoted man. Children can dress up in costume and act out the story as if it were a play as well, and have noise makers to use throughout as well. It is a time of fun and celebration, and most of all - teaching the children. Who doesn't love to have fun while learning? :~)

I'll include some links to some sites if anyone is interested in participating in any Purim activities today or to save for another time. Today and tomorrow are days to celebrate Purim, but honestly, these things can be celebrated anytime. When is it a bad day to celebrate His deliverance?

Purim, A Christian View at BiblicalHolidays.com, Purim activities and studies from Torah Family Magazine. A Virtual Purim (not from a Christian perspective).

These two links are for the tombs of Esther and Mordecai: Tomb Link 1 Tomb Link 2

Persian Kings in the Bible and links to more information on Persia in the Bible.

In our family, we are finishing up our study on Iran and Persia. We're excited to celebrate today and reflect on what would happen in our day if (and when) it is the Believers turn to be persecuted like the Jews in Esther's day. What would happen in our world today if there was a death sentence for all Believers simply because they are Believers. What would we do? How many would falter? How many would remain true and pure? I heard a quote yesterday on TV, the first time I've ever seen Zola Levitt's show, and he said that a missionary from the Sinai Desert said something along these lines (I'm sure I'll misquote both of them, so keep in mind this is the just of the statement and not word-for-word what was said), "It is natural for the church to be persecuted. Persecution is what keeps the church strong and on the right path. The church of the west (the American church) has grown flabby and weak."

Well, Hanukkah ended a bit ago. You'd think that I'd be able to get to writing about it sooner, but - here I am several weeks later. Better late than never, right?

So, why Hanukkah? We have studied Hanukkah a little each year for the past 3 years. At first we just studied to learn about what it was. It couldn’t really a Jewish Christmas, like so many seem to think, could it? What was the deal with it anyway? Is it in the Bible and if so, how come we never knew that before? So we got some books, did some research and had a blast. This past fall we decided, Wes and I, that we would keep Hanukkah as a regular part of our year from now on. Let me explain why without going too much into a history lesson. Hanukkah is technically the Festival of Dedication and is in honor of the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem after Antiochus and his army tried (oh, how they tried) to squash and annihilate the Jewish people and their religion. The people were threatened with their lives if they did not give up their religion and convert to a new religion. They were killed if they kept the laws of G*d, and it wasn't a quick and easy killing either. It was nasty and horrible and vicious. A little band of fighters took on the huge army, the little band grew and grew into a larger band - still smaller than the army of Antiochus. In short, the little band won and work was started to rebuild the Temple and consecrate it again. Hanukkah, or the Festival of Dedication, is the annual celebration of the rededication of the Temple after the war was won.

Hanukkah is a holiday with a theme of not giving up, not compromising, staying true to our Creator G*d even when it looks like we might suffer horribly. It's a perfect holiday to keep!

I got an idea from an article I read from the Torah Family Magazine. We decided to do something similar to what this family wrote about. We each drew names of our family out of a hat - all 7 of us. It was to be a surprise and nobody could tell anyone who they had, not even tell mom! Everyone had to spend their own money, a guideline of $20 (the kids picked the amount, we were going to say $10!), and everyone had to do some serious thinking about who they were buying for.

Once that was established, the rules were set. The ONLY one to know when the exchange would be was Dad. It could be anytime during the 8 day celebration, day or night. Why? Well, if the church is the bride and Yeshua is the bridegroom and His return is patterned after the Hebrew wedding traditions - wouldn't it be fun to pattern our gift giving after that? We talked about the virgins waiting for the bridegroom, some were ready and some were unprepared and had to go get more oil in the middle of the night. We talked about ourselves being the bride and the question was asked, "What kind of bride do you want to be for the Messiah? Will you be prepared? Will He be pleased or will He feel like Hosea?" We talked about how the bridegroom begins to build a house for himself and his bride after the 'engagement' is official and his father is the one who decides when his son is ready to be married. This whole time the bride is waiting anxiously every day, because any day could be the day he comes to get her. Once the father decides it's time, he gathers together the wedding party and they travel to meet the waiting bride. So only the father knew and could decide when our gift giving would take place in order to remind us that only the Father knows when the Son will return and that we had better be ready - not in town buying oil at midnight.

Once he announced it was time, everyone was to scramble to the living room with gifts in hand, ready to exchange them. We started with the youngest children first, giving their gifts to the ones whose names they drew. DD#2 was so excited, she was bouncing and almost screaming! LOL Everyone was excited, and everyone knew where to be as soon as the call was given. We were so blessed by the giving of our kids! Only the oldest two boys spent close to the spending guideline! The two youngest went way over - all for their sister and brother. Everyone was so pleased with their gifts, you could tell that much thought was put into what to buy. But one of the most important lessons of the gift giving part was that the kids all were discussing one day, when Wes and I weren't in the room but could still hear the conversation, how they were more excited to give the gift than to see what they were getting. They all had put so much time, thought, and energy into their gifts that they just couldn't wait for their brothers/sisters to get them. That blessed us.

Each night of Hanukkah we did our regular Bible reading and a separate family study. We talked about the theme of holiday being "No Compromise" and read stories about Hanukkah heroes who refused to compromise their faith or their actions before G*d and their fellow believers. We learned a lot and had some great discussions. And of course, the gifts. :) Since Hanukkah was at the same time as Christmas this year, we saved the Christmas gifts and gave them as Hanukkah gifts - one gift per person per night. That way, rather than getting a ton of gifts in one sitting it was stretched out for 8 days. The kids said they liked that arrangement much more anyway.

This being our first “real” Hanukkah, we were thrilled and inspired to refuse to compromise. In years past we had lit candles and had studied the holiday enough to understand that the legend of the oil is just a legend, that the first recorded mention of the miracle of the oil was significantly later than the original accounts in the Books of Maccabees. You’d think that if such a great miracle actually happened that they would have mentioned it at least once in the original account. So the oil wasn’t a focus of our Hanukkah, but fodder for the children’s stories and videos we enjoyed throughout the week.

Next Hanukkah will be a great one too, unless the Bridegroom comes first!!!