The Spring Feasts of God's calendar are always a wonderful time for new beginnings. Most of the time, they sneak up on me - the same way little blossoms of clover spring up from the ground when I least expect it. But once the festivities start, they just don't stop! Not only do we celebrate Passover, but we also celebrate the Feast of Matzot on top of it! It would be easy to think that Pesach and Matzot are the same thing since they overlap on the calendar. But really, they're two parts of a whole event with one purpose: to bring us through a deliverance process of our very own.

We are commanded in Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23 to remember the Passover, taking care to celebrate it with lamb, bitter herbs, and unleavened bread. Its one of the very first official commandments to the Children of Israel, one that has endured thoughout the centuries. But we observe the Passover because it is an annual reminder that we who were once far off have been brought near and that God's faithfulness has endured throughout all our generations. 

Daniah, my mom and our ministry founder, recently shared a beautiful teaching on the Passover elements that is sure to bless you. Download our app and watch it today! 

As a refresher, the feast of Passover is all about the lamb - using it as an atoneing sacrifice to protect and shelter the Children of Israel. Meanwhile, the feast of Unleavened Bread is all about Matzah - using it as a constant reminder that deliverance is on the horizon! And what the Children of Israel experienced back then is still available today, epecially with the Feasts showing us the pattern of God's deliverance.

Let's start with Pesach! Sacrificing the Passover lamb was a step in the process of deliverance. It's all about recognizing that you are not enough to bring about your own freedom. Freedom has a cost. And freedom for the Hebrew people took their obedience and action. 

The Feast of Matzot is another step in the process of deliverance. It's about recognizing that deliverance isn't always comfortable. To be rid of the creature comforts, like a warm piece of fluffy bread - especially when it's such a precious thing in the midst of pain and suffering, teaches us to let go of the things that might be keeping us in captivity. 

The next holiday that's stacked on top of these two holidays is observing the Counting of the Omer. Counting the omer is another step towards deliverance, the act of ongoing, consistant obedience in watching and waiting. It teaches us to release our routines from our time in oppression and captivity and realign ourselves with God's calendar. As we count the 50 days between Pesach and Shavuot, known as Pentacost, we build the anticipation in ourselves to see God move. 

And then, at the end of the Counting of the Omer, after the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, after the Feast of the Passover Lamb, we celebrate Shavuot - the giving of the Law. At Shavuot, God brings us into His kingdom by giving us His law - and eventually pouring out His Spirit! What a gift!

So as we go through the Passover season, be sure to remember that just like the Children of Israel had to go through the process of deliverance in order to get to the Promised Land, so do you. God has a beautiful future for you. But sometimes it takes struggle and sacrifice to get to. And that's perfectly biblical. 

Chazak!