Recently I took some questions about the upcoming Biblical holiday of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits. I wanted to share them here for others wondering the same things!
What can I do to start preparing?
Get the dates put on your calendar and free yourself up from work! Be intentional about how you want to spend this time.
Make plans to celebrate with others if you can. Look into gatherings that are a doable distance for you to travel to or start making plans to host something yourself.
Check out these posts on what you can do to start preparing now, and how to host a Passover Seder.
Why should Christians keep Jewish holidays?
These holidays are Biblical! They were given to ALL the tribes of Israel (not just Judah, or the Jews) and everyone who chooses to follow YHWH and to be grafted into his people. There is absolutely nothing in Scripture about Passover and the rest of the set apart times being only for Jewish people.
The Messiah kept the Biblical feasts, and they were a significant part of his life. New Testament believers kept them and Apostle Paul expressly told us to keep them!
So Can one take part in the feasts without the ceremony or do you have to have a Haggadah?
A Haggadah or formal ceremony is not at all necessary to participate in Passover! Most of the elements of a traditional Passover Seder are man-made. While those can be meaningful, they are not Biblical requirements. If you want to keep it simple you could do foot washing, communion, and Scripture reading.
My husband is not familiar with the Biblical feasts...would it be the right thing to do to celebrate for the first time this year?
This year is a great time to start! Keep it simple and focus on doing what you can without worrying about man-made traditions or getting everything "right." You will learn so much by studying the feasts and participating in them!
When do you begin the process of getting leaven out of your home?
About a month or so before the feast I start taking note of how many leavened products I have on hand to start using them up before Passover. I try to keep them in certain places in my kitchen and freezer to make it easier to gauge how much I have and to have fewer surprises later. Last year I used up/removed the last of my leavened products the day before Passover. You can do it sooner if you want to, but you don't get extra points for it!
What's the difference in celebrating Passover/First Fruits vs Easter?
This is such an important question!
We are commanded to keep Passover and told not even to utter the name of Easter.
The Messiah was killed on Passover and resurrected on First Fruits. Neither event happened on Easter.
Passover is in the Bible, Easter is not.
Many Easter traditions are expressly prohibited by Scripture.
See this post for more!
Can we eat rice during Unleavened Bread? No grains, right?
Unleavened Bread doesn't mean going grain free! Unleavened bread/matzah is made with grain. What you want to avoid is leaven, which is mainly taken to mean yeast and sourdough starter for bread.
Some people avoid mixing all grains with water (such as cooking rice), but I don't really see that in Scripture. Most people believe that rice is okay to eat during Unleavened Bread.
Do I need to remove never been opened yeast packets?
My understanding of the Scripture on this is that we should remove things that have been leavened, but are not required to remove leavening agents themselves.
The Israelites removed natural sourdough starter/leaven, but they would have kept their flour and water - which is what leaven is made from. In my opinion, if it's not something that's leavened and you won't be using it to leaven anything then it can stay.
Of course I always encourage people to study what Scripture says instead of focusing on man's traditions.
There are always debates about the dates every year - do you go by when the barley is harvested in Israel?
Personally I go off of Leviticus 23:11 which says First Fruits is the Sunday after Passover.
What are you supposed to do on First Fruits? I have never quite understood this.
First Fruits is the day the Messiah was resurrected so it is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate that! It is also when the counting of the fifty days to Shavuot begins.
Blessing your spiritual leaders, as well as foreigners, orphans, and widows is appropriate for this day. As is giving an offering, recognizing the provision of YHWH in your life, worship, and feasting!
See more on how to celebrate First Fruits in this post.
How do you make it fun and meaningful for the family?
Ask older kids what they think. Including them in the planning can help them to get on board. If they haven't celebrate before explain the significance of these times and ask what they think they can do to honor them.
Make it meaningful by talking about all the amazing ways YHWH has provided, and if you can, share ways that you have seen YHWH provide in your life as well as theirs to help them feel more connected to the exodus and the works of the Messiah.
Make this time memorable for kids- take time off from school and work to be together, travel to a group celebration, do a volunteer project, give gifts, have a formal meal, make lots of good food, invite others to join you, play games, read the pertinent Bible stories, and watch cinematic versions of them.
Maybe let each child pick a family activity to do during Unleavened Bread - it doesn't necessarily have to be spiritual, just something fun for them to look forward to!
What books do you recommend to learn more about these?
Edward Chumney's The Seven Festivals of the Messiah was very helpful when I was first learning about the set apart times.
How would you explain to a newbie in short what to do and how to honor this time?
Remember the awesome sacrifice of the Messiah as our Passover lamb, his resurrection, and the miracles YHWH performed when he freed his people from slavery.
Honor that with a Passover meal and/or communion. By removing the leaven from your home during Unleavened Bread, and bringing an offering on First Fruits. As well as remembering and sharing the work YHWH has done in your life.
Related posts:
A Beginner's Guide to the Biblical Holidays
How to Celebrate First Fruits
Preparing for Passover
Six Things You Can Do Now to Get Ready for the Spring Feasts
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