The Harvest News

"My G-d, My G-d, why have You forsaken Me?" This was the cry of Jesus from the cross just before His death (Matt 27:36).   Did G-d abandon him there?   Why would Jesus say such a thing when we are told as early as the Torah that "... the Lord your G-d, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”   (Deuteronomy 31:6) Jesus died on the cross, bearing a load of sin that is incomprehensible.   Imagine the worst thing you've ever done.   Now imagine the worst sin you can think of that anybody has done.   Now add those together and multiply by 7 billion.   That's how much sin abounds if everyone alive today on the earth only commits one sin.   Now add to that all of our daily indiscretions, lies, omissions, acts of will, etc. and you can see that this mountain of sin is immeasurable.   That should give you a tiny idea of how much guilt and pain Jesus had to bear in order to pay the price f...

A Mighty Warrior is Our G-d    One of G-d's many names is El Gibbor, Mighty G-d.  In this case, the term mighty refers to G-d's warrior nature.  Zephaniah 3:17 says that He is in our midst, mighty to save, and that he will rejoice over us with singing!  Can you just imagine G-d singing over YOU?  What a glorious picture! The idea of G-d as a "warrior" might be a bit daunting, but actually what it translates to is that there is nothing too difficult for G-d.  He fights our battles for us, he defeats our enemies, he protects us from harm and from attack, and he strengthens us with HIS strength when the time comes for us to do battle for ourselves. The story of the Exodus is such a great story, filled with so many lessons for us today.  In Exodus 14, the children of Israel have left Egypt and are traversing the wilderness.  Meanwhile, Pharaoh is reconsidering the wisdom of his decision to let them go.  He begins to rethink...

 What is Pentecost? The English word “Pentecost” is a transliteration of the Greek word pentekostos , which means fifty.  The phrase "pentekostos hemera" means fifty days and was commonly used by the Greek speaking early believers (who were mostly all Jewish, by the way),  in reference to a Levitical feast called Shavuot, or Festival of Weeks.  (Leviticus 23:15).  The holiday is also called the Feast of Harvest or Reaping (Exodus 23:16), and the Day of First Fruits (Numbers 28:26).  It was one of three times during the year that all males were required to appear before the Lord. The word Shavuot means "weeks" in Hebrew.  The name comes from a set of instructions in Leviticus 23:16.  Beginning after Passover, the  people were to count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath following Passover. The Bible describes Shavuot as an agricultural holiday (Jeremiah 5:24, Deuteronomy 16:9-11). Seven weeks were counted from the spr...

 SING! Have you ever been stuck in traffic and some nutjob pulls a really stupid stunt that just gets your  blood boiling?  Did you know that it is nearly impossible to be angry when you are singing?  A recent study showed that singing has been scientifically proven to lower stress, relieve anxiety, and elevate endorphins.  The best part about this is that the study shows you don't even have to be a good singer to reap the rewards and benefits of singing. Of course, these are general, secular studies on the benefits of the physical hormones released in our bodies when we vocalize in this manner.  The benefits of singing are multiplied when applied to our daily worship.  Listening to music is a pleasant activity that most of us enjoy at one time or another, but singing is an action that causes the body to produce hormones and endorphines that actually elevate the mood. Songs have been used throughout the ages to express deep feelings,...