Happy Passover + Lunar Eclipse!

Happy Passover to all my Jewish readers and Christian observers! I hope you are blessed this season as you recall the miracle of how God passed over the Israelites when His judgement came upon the Egyptians as they were holding them as slaves. Most people are familiar with the Exodus story, featuring Moses as God's chosen one to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promise Land. If not, be sure to check out one of these movies or documentaries detailing the epic historic event!



FOR THE KIDS





While I have mixed feelings about this documentary, it was an interesting, in-depth look at Moses the man, his potential emotional state through the course of his life, as well as additional speculation of events based on Jewish tradition.


Also, don't forget to check out the full lunar eclipse tonight. Also known as a "blood moon", due to the light of the sun reflecting off the earth which gives it a copper or red tone (depending on where you are viewing it from). It will be most visible at 3am EST / 12am PST. But if you happen to miss this one, another will soon follow on October 8th 2014, the night of another Jewish holiday, The Feast of Tabernacles (or Sukkot).

CBN Celebrates Rosh Hashanah

CBN will be airing a celebration of Rosh Hashanah tonight at 7pm EST, featuring a series of speakers and special performances by Paul Wilbur, Messiah Company Dancers and Masterworks Dance Troupe! Christians who are interested in Jewish feast days may want to tune into this special live event, which will air on CBN.com. If you happen to live in the Virginia Beach area, admission to this event is free! Paul Wilbur is a Messianic singer-songwriter and worship leader. I had the immense honor of performing alongside him when he visited our previous church in Michigan a few years ago. He has an immense passion to share the love of God (Yeshua) with his fellow Jews, through his gift of music! Here is a video advertisement of the program tonight:

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In case you missed it, here is the broadcast in its entirety!

Happy Rosh Hashanah!

Tonight at sundown, Rosh Hashanah will begin with the sighting of the new moon! Rosh Hashanah is a sacred Jewish festival, also known as the Feast of Trumpets or the Jewish New Year. It begins with 100 shofar blasts (made from a ram's horn) and lasts 2 days and 2 nights. The Feast of Trumpets is one of 7 feasts given by God in Leviticus 23 of the Holy Scriptures. According to verse 24, it is to be "day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts". The Feast of Trumpets is also mentioned again in Numbers 29:1-6. It is then followed by the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles for a total of 10 feast days, also known as Yom Kippur.

An audio sample of the shofar blasts:

Jewish people continue to celebrate this sacred holiday every year, which includes a traditional holiday feast of challah bread, pomegranates and apples dipped in honey. It is also considered a time of reflection, renewal and repentance. Some go to a lake, river or sea to recite prayers and symbolically cast their sins into the water, leaving old shortcomings behind and starting the new year with a clean slate.


Though Christians are not required to observe Torah law, it should be of great interest due to its Biblical context. The Jewish feasts are not only a time to honor God, but are also considered "appointed times" and as Paul tells us in Colossians 2:16-17, "are a shadow of things to come". Four of the 7 feasts were fulfilled with the death (Passover), burial (Feast of Unleavened Bread) and resurrection (Feast of First Fruits) of Christ and the day of Pentecost (Feast of Weeks). Prophetically speaking, there are still 3 Jewish feasts to be fulfilled in the Second Coming of Christ, which includes the Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement & Feast of Tabernacles. To learn more about Rosh Hashanah and its traditions, check out the graphic chart and links below!

Rosh Hashanah on Wikipedia

Judaism 101: Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah on Chabad.org

Hebrew4Christians: Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur

CBN: Rosh Hashanah

Happy Rosh Hashanah!

Happy Rosh Hashanah to all our Jewish readers! Whether you are Jewish or Christian, Rosh Hashanah is a part of your spiritual heritage. Also known as The Jewish New Year, it is celebrated on the first and second days of the Tishri (seventh month of the Jewish year), which falls on September 16th through the 18th this year. Like the New Year celebrations we are familiar with, it is a time for introspection on the year past, as well as making new resolutions to improve upon the year ahead.

For more on this Jewish celebration, check out a previous post we did on the holiday! Celebrate Rosh Hashanah

The Festival Of Lights

Today marks the beginning of the 8 day Jewish holiday, The Festival Of Lights, also known as Hanukkah (or Chanukah). Although I am a dedicated Christian, I still feel it is important to acknowledge the Jewish roots of Christianity and honor many of its customs. But to be honest, over the years I was never all that clear on what the Hanukkah celebration was all about. Growing up I got the impression that it was just the Jewish version of Christmas. I knew about the Menorah, Dreidel and the 8 days of gift giving (which I was honestly quite envious of), but I didn't really understand how it all tied together. I found the article, Hanukkah In A Nutshell, from Chabad.org, to explain it quite well. Here is a portion:

Chanukah -- the eight-day festival of light that begins on the eve of Kislev 25 -- celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, of purity over adulteration, of spirituality over materiality.

More than twenty-one centuries ago, the Holy Land was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks), who sought to forcefully Hellenize the people of Israel. Against all odds, a small band of faithful Jews defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth, drove the Greeks from the land, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to the service of G-d.

When they sought to light the Temple's menorah, they found only a single cruse of olive oil that had escaped contamination by the Greeks; miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days, until new oil could be prepared under conditions of ritual purity.

So, what does that mean to those of us who are Christians? According to Susan Perlman, Executive Director of Jews for Jesus, "The purpose of the celebration of Hanukkah is to welcome the Messiah. Peace is the Messiah. We light candles of peace to renew our faith in the ultimate triumph of peace over war. And we rededicate ourselves and our efforts to bringing this about." Still, she points out that although the observance of Hanukkah, unlike Passover or Rosh Hashanah, is not among the festivals required by the Hebrew Scriptures it is still worthwhile to celebrate it. Not merely to pacify Jewish children who might feel deprived because Santa Claus does not deliver to Jewish homes, but because it teaches us about the God of Israel, the God of peace and the God of power. That is something both Jews and Christians can come together on. To learn more, check out the article, Hanukkah: The Light of Two Faiths, and may we all seek the heart of God in this blessed holiday season!

Celebrate Rosh Hashanah

Whether you are Jewish or Christian, Rosh Hashanah is a part of your spiritual heritage. Also known as The Jewish New Year, it is celebrated on the first and second days of the Tishri (seventh month of the Jewish year), which falls on September 18th through the 20th this year. Like the New Year celebrations we are familiar with, it is a time for introspection on the year past, as well as making new resolutions to improve upon the year ahead.

In the Bible the holiday is referred to as Yom Ha-Zikkaron (the day of remembrance) or Yom Teruah (the day of the sounding of the shofar) and can be found in Leviticus 23:24-25. One of the most important observances of this holiday is the sounding of the shofar (traditionally a ram's horn) as a call to repentance, and all religious services are a call to reflect on God's sovereignty. It is customary for people to not work through the holiday, treating it as a Sabbath.

To Christians, it is known as the Feast of Trumpets, and can be observed as a time to reflect on the resurrection and return of Christ, as well as a time for self reflection, similar to how we observe the Lord's Supper.

Another popular tradition of Rosh Hashanah, which I'm sure we can all share in, is eating apples dipped in honey to symbolize hope of a sweet new year. I'll eat to that!


You can read more on Rosh Hashanah by visiting these websites:
Rosh Hashanah on Judaism 101
Rosh Hashanah on Wikipedia
Rosh Hashanah on CBN