On this day of Firstfruits, we remember that the Lord is risen. The grave is defeated. Death does not have the final word. It strikes me this Easter weekend that the women at the tomb didn’t go hoping their Lord had risen. They went with the same passion that had held them at the cross, wanting any chance to be near Jesus, even in His death.
And they found the One who conquered death. Who rose again. Who came to them and comes to us and will come again one day in blinding glory–the kind we won’t miss, the kind that isn’t subtle. Glory that will put the earth back right. And we don’t know when. So we keep drawing near even while this earth stays broken, just like those women who walked to the tomb that morning.
They went to visit their Slain Savior and found their Risen Lord. We draw near to our Risen Lord and remember that in one joyful and unexpected moment we will see our Coming King.
Happy Easter on this Day of Firstfruits! Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Firstfruits also commences the “Counting of the Omer” — or the counting of fifty days to the next feast: Pentecost. You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord.” (Leviticus 23:15-16)
Over these next fifty days, we are each invited to bring the “firsts” to our Father. Not just our extras but our very firsts. Over these next fifty days, what if we committed to spending the first few moments of our days with Him? Blink our eyes open in His direction before we look to the day at hand? I’ve put together a calendar with suggested Scripture readings for Monday-Friday of the next seven weeks. As we look from Firstfruits to Pentecost, we will explore the significance of the coming feast. If you’d like a copy of that calendar and haven’t received one, let me know by signing up here.
May you know the presence of our Risen Lord as we look toward our Coming King!
