I recently posted the Top 5 reasons why you should read my book. As the Fall feasts are rapidly approaching, I think now is the time to start preparing – and I do like to be prepared!
#5 – LEARN NEW RECIPES
Earlier this week I posted a video (you can view it on my website) where I made up a Fruity Couscous that I think will work really well for Rosh Hashanah. Each of the biblical feasts have foods that are relevant and have significance. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. It is a day of great celebration. The Hebrew calendar is different than the western calendar, so this year Rosh Hashanah falls on September 25. On the Hebrew calendar, this is the new month of Tishri. It is thought that God created humanity on this day. Foods for this day of fun celebration include fresh seasonal fruits. Apples and honey are significant foods for this festival. Food is fun, and a wonderful way to help tell the story of God.
#4 – DIG DEEPER INTO BIBLE STORIES
Did you know that Jesus celebrated all the feasts as he was growing up in Nazareth? Why is this significant? Jesus was a Jewish boy, in a Jewish family, in a Jewish community. He grew up learning the stories of the Hebrew people and during his three-year ministry often used references to the Torah in order to help people understand more about God. Jesus used parables, and stories to point people to God.
#3 – GET CULTURAL CONTEXT FOR THE GOSPELS
During Jesus’ time on earth, he experienced all of Jewish life! All of us have a variety of cultural backgrounds. We may or may not know much about our own personal histories. These histories are fun and very much enlightening, to discover. History helps us understand ourselves. How much more so to dig into the history and context of biblical times, to go way below the surface, to gain a much richer understanding of the Bible and the story of God! Using the biblical feasts as a backdrop we can learn so much more about Jesus, and God’s plan for his people as well as all of humanity! Jesus used signs and symbols to convey his message. Learning what that means adds so much more to our understanding of God’s story.
#2 – SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE
As I mentioned above, gaining a deeper understanding of the cultural context of the Bible helps us understand how we fit into the story of God today. My father, the pastor, used to say, “the New Testament is in the Old, contained. The Old Testament is in the New, explained.” Learning how the whole of the Bible is connected gives us a richer, deeper understanding of what God is doing in us and in our world today.
#1 – GROW DEEPER IN YOUR FAITH
And lastly…and more importantly, as you discover through the practice of the biblical feasts God’s plan for our salvation you will see that his perfect plan was laid out from the beginning of time. Learning that God not only chose a people through whom to enact his plan of salvation for the whole world enables each of us to see ourselves in light of that plan. When we choose to accept God’s perfect plan for our salvation, through the work of Jesus our savior, God’s son, we can draw closer to the Creator of the universe and give glory and honor and praise to him whom all is due!
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