Essay On Jewish Festivals

With so much to give thanks for, our Harvest festivals should never be a mere formality or ritual - it will be as the prophets intended, a great and glorious meeting between God and His people.

Old Testament shows that, the Jewish year was interspersed by festivals, also known as the "Feasts of the Lord". Some were timed to coincide with the changing seasons, reminding the people of God’s constant provision for them and also allowing them to return by way of offering, a token of all that he had given them. Others celebrated some of the great events of Israel’s history, and the ways that God had intervened to help His people when they were in need. All were occasions of joy and celebration reflecting on all the good things that God had given

The first was the “Feast of Weeks”, which we read about in Leviticus 23. Celebrated fifty days after the beginning of Passover, it was essentially an agricultural celebration at which the first fruits of the harvest were offered to God. The priest offered two loaves of bread made from the new flour, along with animal sacrifices. The festival later became known as Pentecost - from the Greek word meaning "fiftieth" (Greek - πεντηκοστή – pronounced as

In this way the offering we bring, the fruit and vegetables, the beautiful flowers and foliage which decorate our church today can still remind us of all the good things that the Lord has given to us, and for which we can too easily become complacent. And while we are saying thanks for the food we eat, what about the gas and electricity that is used to cook the food, the petrol that gets us to the supermarket, the homes within which we eat - there are so many things in our lives that we should be grateful