Shavuot

Introduction

Well to those of you who know me at all have already noticed that I am a bit of Geek. Not a nerd because I am aware of my condition, And that contributes to today being one of my favorite Jewish Holidays.

We have been talking about many of the holidays this year.

Not all but many of them

And today we are going to be talking about the holiday of Shavuot

Leviticus 23:15-22

Leviticus 23:15–22 NIV

15 “ ‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. 16 Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. 17 From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the Lord. 18 Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 19 Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. 20 The priest is to wave the two lambs before the Lord as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the Lord for the priest. 21 On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. 22 “ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God.’ ”

Deuteronomy 16:9-12

Deuteronomy 16:9–12 NIV

9 Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. 10 Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you. 11 And rejoice before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites in your towns, and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows living among you. 12 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and follow carefully these decrees.

Pray

Shavuot

The festival of weeks

It is the second of the three major festivals.

The festivals is one of the Pilgrimage Festival where if able go to Jerusalem

It would be a time in which people from all over would gather at the tabernacle and then the temple when it was built,

And as the Jews spread and were dispersed, People speaking all languages would come. It would be a festive time where people from all over the ever growing world would and still do converge into one place.

The other Two pilgrimage festivals is Passover and Sukkot

Shavuot probably started as an agricultural holiday maybe even secular and then got put to religious use, Like Christmas. It was a time to celebrate the first fruits.

The first fruits of the land were to be given back to the lord, A sacrifice like tithe. But it also time to celebrate the giving of the Torah.

This celebrates the Instructions of God.

And is typically celebrated with giving of offerings and studying the Torah as long as the book of Ruth because it reflects both the agricultural as well as the historical significance of the festival. Thus one of the reason I love this holiday, Nothing like a holiday that is celebrated by studying my personal favorite set of books.

Shavuot is celebrated 50 days after Passover.

Passover celebrates the freeing of the Israelites Physically from Bondage

Shavuot celebrates the freeing spiritually from the bondage to idolatry and immorality

Law not bad thing. There is always an argument that the law is such a bad thing:

Its too restrictive

It’s too old

It’s too unrealistic

Its too legalistic

ETC

But in reality the Law is a good thing. It’s for our protection. It’s for our freedom. Freedom from the things that can harm us.

Consider a fence in the front yard. The fence is not bad it keeps you from playing in the Road and Making mash potatoes at the same time.

Or To quote from Five Iron Frenzy:

When I go out I play in the street

I get hit by cars

I make mash potatoes

I get hit by cars

Its freeing us from those sins that lead to slavery. Its freeing from those sins that lead to death. It’s freeing worship of false Gods. When we realize that our every action, thought, is worship. The law helps us free ourselves from false worship. Even in the old testament salvation is about grace. But the Law is something to be celebrated.

This holiday has another name as well, In fact you probably know it by this name: Pentecost

Because its 50 days after Passover.

As we celebrate the lord Giving his instruction. So came the one who brings the gifting in our lives.

the Holy Spirit that comes to us at the time of our salvation

God living in us, And frees us to do the work of the Lord. It frees us to Speak to the father through the blood of Jesus Christ.

The Holy spirit lives in us. It convicts us of when we go against God’s instruction. It challenge us to grow. It works around, in and through us. It too is to be celebrated.

SO today we celebrate the gifts of the Lord

His instructions

And his gifting

As we go and collect the first fruits and sow his harvest

Celebrate in the Law and Celebrate in the Sprit

Because You are free

So celebrate

Next Steps

Some of you may need to celebrate by becoming

Some of you may need to bring first fruits

Some of you need to study the instructions that god has given us

Some of you just need to celebrate

Join me today

Pray