Christ, the firstfruits from the dead

Today is the feast of first fruits – Jesus was raised from the dead on the feast of first fruits, the feast which gives thanks to God for new life each spring.

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.” 1 Corinthians 15:20-24

We attended church last night, and today, my husband and I will worship the Lord together, then get ready for a houseful for dinner. All the kids and their families are coming, as well as our siblings and their families, and my mother’s husband. Since my mother is now with the Lord, and I am now the family matriarch, being the eldest daughter, and I have eliminated pork from our diets, we are not having ham, ever again, for Resurrection Day. We will be keeping the old traditions of worshipping the Lord with fellow believers, and a big family dinner followed by visiting and games to celebrate the day, but we are beginning to purge out the traditions of men which originated in paganism: especially the emphasis on bunnies and eggs, which were Ishtar’s symbols as fertility goddess. I stood looking at the eggs in the grocery store last week, because I was requested to have a quantity hard boiled so that the children could color them today, and I just couldn’t bring myself to buy them. I just can’t celebrate Ishtar any more.