Just a few weeks before most families are getting ready to celebrate Easter, Chelsea and I decided it was time we did our best to celebrate our first Biblical Feast, Passover. Passover is one feast, which hallmarks the most crucial moment in our faith. It offered us the joy of celebrating the Passover Lamb who was slain and resurrected, purchasing for us all the redemption we so desperately needed. Two things happened just before we began our celebration, which would test our faith. One would drive fear and dread into our hearts, while the other would show us the blessings in store for us when we choose not to stray from His Ways.
One of the things, which had been providing our needs during this time, was the unemployment benefits for Chelsea. With just a few weeks to go until Passover, Chelsea received a letter notifying us that her former employer was contesting the payment of the benefits. A hearing to determine her case had been scheduled to occur on Passover. In no uncertain terms, they threatened to not only stop the payment of future benefits, but also require us to pay back the entire prior issued funds. Reading those words brought on a sickening feeling of hopelessness and despair we could hardly shake. Over the next few weeks, we took that letter and laid it on the floor as we prayed. Knowing this was something, which was entirely out of our hands, we wanted to choose to have faith in our Heavenly Father’s favor in this matter. (2 Kings 20, Book of Susannah)
While the hearing drew closer and closer, the unimaginable dread would do its best to settle over our home. We did not have a way out from the financial repercussions ahead; the destroyer of our peace and hope was crouching at the door. Even as we felt its dark presence, we grabbed onto the promises God gave us that we did not need to fear destruction but know He would fight for us. Our faith had grown and matured, and we were beginning to walk not by earthly sight but by His Holy might.
The morning of Passover, Chelsea and I were walking around the house, putting the final things together for our feast. Looking at the clock, we saw it was time to make a phone call to determine our fate. Naomi clutched around her mother’s neck as we huddled together in the kitchen and prayed. We prayed to the God of The Impossible, knowing this was the day thousands of years ago when death passed over His people, a day when the whole of the might of Egypt’s armies, gods, and princes could not stand against the people of The Promise. We thanked Him for His faithfulness to us and the miracle, which gave each of us the power to place the Lamb’s perfect blood over our spiritual doors. Comfort became our cover as a feeling of peace washed over us no fleshly tongue could be worthy to describe. Chelsea headed up to our bedroom where she shut the door. Her faith had moved mountains of fear far from her, and she picked up the phone and dialed.
Twenty minutes later, I saw my wife coming down the stairs. This was the woman who had held my shaking hands, kissed my quivering lips, and loved me while the world sought to tear us apart. I saw tears upon her cheeks as she drew near and threw her arms around my neck. Weeping, she stumbled out the words, “They withdrew their appeal and all future appeals, and instead they reinstated our benefits to their full amounts. Our God is so good to us.”
We held each other for moments, which turned to minutes, as we saw for ourselves a miracle of the heavenly kind. It was a miracle which reminded a poor family in the mountains that The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob still answers the cries of the needy, poor, and orphaned in their days of distress. Our God is a strong deliverer; He is the calmer of raging seas and the shaker of the pillars of the earth. He is the God who set fire to the mountains of Sinai and stood as a pillar of fire between the armies of killers and His people at the Red Sea. He still moves with miracles and provides for you and me. We have seen the God of miracles with our tear stained eyes. He came to show us that on Passover, He will provide. He provided us all the guiltless Lamb to cover our once wounded hearts with hope, to cover our guilt, shame, and fear with forgiveness, robes of righteousness, and faith in their place. He purchased for us redemption at the foot of that cursed tree.
When the sun had set, Chelsea and I gathered around borrowed tables and newly purchased chairs with friends and family. We gathered and broke the unleavened bread and drank home brewed Kombucha from plastic cups as the wine of remembrance. We shared with others the story of the first Passover in Egypt and its extraordinary fulfillment thousands of years later. When the perfect Passover Lamb cried out “It is finished,” at the same moment, the high priest stood at the temple sacrificing the lamb without spot or blemish, speaking those same three words.
Finally the one and only perfect Red Hefer sacrifice was offered. Now Azazel that fallen Watcher angel, who all sin would finally be ascribed too, watched the sinless offering for the redemption of all bear forth-eternal fruit. (Leviticus 16, 1 Enoch 12-16, Jude, 2 Peter) After reading these stories and that of the first great Exodus we uncovered the mystery of the bread and the wine, then washed each other’s feet and poured out blessings and prayers to each other.
Our God is a deliverer to His people. He does not grow weary, and He does not change. He loves to remind His sons and daughters that He still moves in power, mercy, and strength. He is not interested in our perfection, our legalism, or our checklists of doing what is right. He is interested in hearts that yearn for Him, long for Him to be their all-consuming love. He is not slow to answer but says to us all, “Call upon Me in your day of trouble and I will deliver you.” (Psalm 50:15)
Chelsea and Naomi and I started a new Reynolds tradition that day. We began to observe The Feasts of Yahweh as entrusted to The Israelites in The Wilderness so long ago. He gave us those feasts days to be observed forever so that we would practice and prepare for their fulfillment in days to come. (Exo. 12:14, Lev. 23:41) As well as to help guard ourselves from being deceived.
The Israelites were observing those first spring feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits in the days of Messiah’s first coming. Some of the people saw the prophetic fulfillment with their own eyes. Some were there to bear witness to the moment when the leaven of our sins was taken away as the body of our Redeemer was broken for you and for me. Some looked upon the First Fruits of the Resurrection as tombs were opened and the dead walked out of the hollows of the earth in Sheol and ultimately out of their graves. Even a greater mixed multitude of The Lost Sheep of The House of Israel were present when The fire of The Holy Spirit fell upon the people during Pentecost, just as the fire of Yahweh descended during the first Pentecost at Mt. Sinai that same day thousands of years before.
Our Father longs for His people to remember His miracles and His prophecies fulfilled, and to practice our dress rehearsals for Messiah’s second arrival, The Great Revelation of our King of Kings in the Fall Feasts and at the final trumpet blast heralding our King’s Second arrival. May we be found practicing His holy tradition by keeping His Instructions and celebrating The Feasts of Yahweh. May we be found obeying His Loving Instructions when He arrives.
Might we show the world a better tradition that was given to us so long ago, a tradition not perpetually poisoned by its pagan roots, which will always give honor and glory to The Rebellious King Nimrod, and his mother, and wife Ishtar. May we instead worship our God in the way He tells us to worship Him. May we celebrate the miracles of His provision by blessing our friends and family with a feast to our Redeemer and King. Might we teach our children The Ways of our Messiah’s Kingdom and not the ways of this world.
The Family I was born into taught me to defile, curse, and destroy the Holy Days of Yahweh, but now Naomi was born into a family, which will guide her to bless, honor, and cherish His Feasts. She will be raised under the covering of my home where we delight ourselves in The Loving Instructions of our God. She will be shown the narrow Way of The Messiah, and in time she will be given her opportunity to choose to walk with us into the heart of darkness where we seek to set captives free, or she can choose to rebel and join the ways of this world and the Enemy’s camp of beautified bondage. I will not force her to follow my way, just as The Father does not force us to choose His.
I will not manipulate her, control her, or deceive her into doing my will. Naomi Grace, I love you enough to let you have free will to know the power of choosing. I pray you will choose The Narrow Way of life instead of the broad way of destruction. (Matt. 7:13-14, Luke 13:24, 2 Cor. 6:17) I pray you will choose to be set apart, to be holy unto our Elohim. I pray you decide to leave the deception of this world to the blinded and deceived sheep, and not embrace its seduction or fear its threats. You were made for mighty deeds, my beloved daughter. Things this world cannot fathom will be fulfilled as you pray with truth, authority, faith, and love.
To all you sons and daughters: I warn you now that the forces of evil will hunt you in the night. They will stalk you in your sleep and hunger for your flesh. They will long to destroy you and sift you as wheat. Know this: I will fight for you with every breath in my lungs and with every drop of blood in my body. With sword drawn, I will stand between you and those cowardly serpents. Naomi, I will lay my life down in defense for you, that you might see your dad is no longer a murderer, addict, or feign, but now is a warrior of Yahweh Elohim. I am not willing to see you thrown into the perverse pits or made to pass through the black fires. You will be free, my daughter, to live in the abundance of Abba’s love, joy, and grace.
I pray you, dear reader, will remember these words. I pray as the temptation stalks your thoughts, remember our Redeemer fights for you and fights with you in this great War of The Ages. I hope you look upon your fingers and know He gave them to you to work towards the redemption of the lost sheep and ravenous wolves alike. May The Good Shepherd of our souls remind you of all these things. May He breathe upon you a fresh anointing of His Spirit to strengthen you and empower you to walk in His ways. May He kindle in you a holy flame that burns brightly for the entire world to see. I pray you burn with furious hope, relentless passion, and unceasing determination to fulfill His great call.
This was the first of two things Passover provided us that month. The second brought with it changes to our hurting bodies and release from our financial bondage.