Passover Controversy A Personal take on the question of Passover observance – When, How, and Why? There was a time in the early church when the Quarto-deciman/Passover controversy was front and centre in the minds of those who followed the scriptures, the scripturalists. They were having to defend their practice of keeping the New Covenant Passover on the 14th of Nisan and the 8 day Passover festival, instead of celebrating Easter. They were being accused of “Judaizing.” Yet Paul, the apostles to the gentiles, made in clear in scripture that the Corinthians were keeping unleavened bread/Passover and his only admonition was that they keep these Holy Days in the right spirit, for the right reasons, so as to profit from them spiritually speaking. Today in the churches of God there continues to be controversy, and it also stems from a negative attitude towards those perceived as “Judaizers.” Here are some notes from a recent discussion on this topic:
February 18th, 2017
Passover Controversy
Comments Off on Passover Controversy, Articles, Carolanne Patton, by CGP.January 6th, 2016
The Lord Prepares a Table!
Comments Off on The Lord Prepares a Table!, Carolanne Patton, Videos, by CGP.Lord Our Shepherd – Part 10 The Lord prepares a table? How? What is the “Lord’s table?” This passage in Psalm 23 is rich in meaning and gives the believer encouragement in this life and hope for the future. Jeff Patton examines and expands upon the concept of the “Lord’s table” and how God has provided in the past, continues to provide for us now, and will provide blessings in the future for His people. Even in times of trouble, the Lord prepares a table in the presence of His enemies.
April 12th, 2015
Celebrating the New Covenant Passover: When Do We Observe It?
Comments Off on Celebrating the New Covenant Passover: When Do We Observe It?, Articles, Carolanne Patton, by CGP.Celebrating the New Covenant Passover? Based on the Hebrew scriptures, the gospels, and historical record we are confident in stating that during the time of Jesus’ death the Jews were correct in celebrating the Passover at the end of the 14th of Nisan/ Abib Some Churches of God in the past century have called this time the, “Night to Be Much Observed.” Now the trickier part is in the gospel accounts, concerning the timing of the foot washing, bread and wine ceremonies that we call the New Covenant Passover. This is due to the one divergent reading that seems to say that the disciples ate a “Passover” meal with the disciples at the beginning of the 14th. In the scholarly literature this was considered to be the “thorniest” question in all of the New Testament. There were according to the writers 4 main possible explanations. Here they are in a nutshell:
July 10th, 2011
Alone at the Feast: What Really Matters
1 Comment, Articles, Carolanne Patton, by CGP.Feast Blog 2009 As we look forward to the Feast of Tabernacles let’s remember the lessons of previous festival seasons, and prepare for our best Feast yet. There I was at Ambassador College in Bricketwood, England, and not feeling my normally confident, cheerful, nerdy self. I wasn’t happy and perhaps I was in denial about the source of my trouble. There I was living my “dream,” one I had worked for since those days in summer camp 5 years earlier when I fell in love with my SEP counselors’ tales about college, and I learned about England from a campmate who was a bona fide Limey. But now, I was seventeen, had completed Grade 13 and was in England, the home of my ancestors. The campus had a wonderful rural, small town atmosphere that was just what I was looking for and I was already busily engaged in and enjoying classes and work. But something was amiss. I had gained 15 lbs in just a few weeks, and I was feeling awkward in my new shape. Working in the kitchen with access to unlimited food, clockwork tea and biscuit breaks, and regular visits to the common room for Horlicks, ginger beer, the ubiquitous nuts and raisins, or gouda cheese could account for the changes. But there was something deeper. I had great roomies, interesting classmates, stimulating professors, but perhaps being quiet or shy outside the classroom setting, had hampered me in making new friends. Then the feast came and the whole campus moved in a…
July 7th, 2011
Feast Firsts: What Really Matters
Comments Off on Feast Firsts: What Really Matters, Articles, Carolanne Patton, by CGP.Feast Blog 2009 As we look forward to the Feast of Tabernacles let’s remember the lessons of previous festival seasons, and prepare for our best Feast yet. It was the first day of the Feast and I was sitting wrapped in blankets and wheezing to the music over the web, instead of sharing in the joy of singing hymns with a ballroom full of brethren. So who wouldn’t feel a little sorry for themselves? But the minister’s admonition was to give and rejoice at the Feast, so how was I going to do that? Well, here I was shivering in my quilt, with my box of Puffs at the ready. Perhaps after observing 44 feasts I could share some of my experiences and lessons learned for the next few days. As Mom always said. “The best way to get out of yourself is to do something for someone else.” Remember your first feast? I sure do! I was 10 years old and in grade seven when my Dad surprised everyone, Mom included, by saying he would take us to the Feast in Jekyll Island Georgia, 1500 miles away, but the closest feast site at the time. It had only been a very few months that Dad had been driving Mom and us kids to church in Toronto – a good hour’s drive from our home in Burlington. This too was unusual for my Dad. He wasn’t interested in “Church” but I think he wanted to assure himself that Mom was not getting into some strange kind…
July 6th, 2011
Shine the Light: What Really Matters
Comments Off on Shine the Light: What Really Matters, Articles, Carolanne Patton, by CGP.What Really Matters Feast Blog 2009 As we look forward to the Feast of Tabernacles let’s remember the lessons of previous festival seasons, and prepare for our best Feast yet. I awoke his morning to the squawks of our resident ravens, and the soft morning light filtering through the green canopy of alders that separates us from the wetlands. The pains are still there but I feel like I’ve had my first really restful sleep in the past 2 weeks. I let my mind wander back and the crisp autumn air and dance of sunlight and leaves reminds me of my 6 years of feasts in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. There are so many memories it is an effort to corral them into order, and I am left with a certain sense of loss when I contrast the present with the past. But each time in life has its own joys and challenges. I was a young teen who had bought early into “God’s way of Life.” I enjoyed the blessing of a Mom who really lived what she learned. Dad was a firm believer in the God of the bible and wanted his “kosher hams” to know God’s commandments and live them, but Dad had no use for organized religion, though he supported Mom in all her efforts to “civilize us” by teaching us the scripture. Dad attended the first couple of feasts with us, then perhaps having satisfied himself that we were safe and not under the sway of some weird fanatical…
July 4th, 2011
Family Feast – What Really Matters
Comments Off on Family Feast – What Really Matters, Articles, Carolanne Patton, by CGP.What Really Matters Feast Blog 2009 As we look forward to the Feast of Tabernacles let’s remember the lessons of previous festival seasons, and prepare for our best Feast yet. Before the feast, the young students in Sabbath class asked me if there was a story in the Bible about the Feast that they could act out as a play. So, we looked into the scripture and read about the Feast in the book of Nehemiah. The story we read started with Nehemiah, a eunuch in the palace and cup-bearer to the Persian King, getting word of the state of affairs in Jerusalem from his brother. It distressed Nehemiah greatly, to the point that even the king noticed that his cupbearer and trusted servant, was troubled about something. Nehemiah opened up his heart to the King telling him about the turmoil in Jerusalem. The King then sent Nehemiah back to Jerusalem as Governor with all the authority to rebuild the walls of the city, and restore temple worship. Then we skipped ahead in the narrative and omitted a few chapters of names and finished with the chronicle of one of the greatest feasts of God’s people Israel.
July 4th, 2011
Rejoice at the Feast: What Really Matters
Comments Off on Rejoice at the Feast: What Really Matters, Articles, Carolanne Patton, by CGP.Feast Blog 2009 As we look forward to the Feast of Tabernacles let’s remember the lessons of previous festival seasons, and prepare for our best Feast yet. Sometimes keeping the spirit of joy during the feast can be a hard thing. As a young person with few responsibilities, the only real damper on the feast was perhaps a head cold, stomach upset, or loss (theft?) of the gifts I’d taken such care in buying. However, as an adult, wife, and mother of 4 sons, there were a few feasts that I struggled through feeling overwhelmed, overworked, and under appreciated. And I wasn’t even having to do it all while tenting. Along with the excitement sometimes the Feast was just plain hard work with little thanks. Can’t you just picture our ancestors as they prepared to leave Egypt and packed for that big “feast” experience in the wilderness. It all had to fit on the donkey cart and a lot of things just would not fit. Decisions had to be made; there was packing and repacking to make the best use of space. You can imagine that in the week after the initial excitement had waned, perhaps there were some grumblings along the line of, “I don’t see why on earth you packed this pot and forgot my shears,” or perhaps, “Mommy, that was my favourite toy, how could you forget it?”
June 3rd, 2011
Carolanne Patton Biography
Comments Off on Carolanne Patton Biography, Carolanne Patton, by COG Webcast.Carolanne Patton Carolanne continues to walk in the footsteps of parents and grandparents whose strength was their faith in God and his promises. Living faithfully according to every word of scripture has been her motivating principle in life. Graduating from Ambassador College with an emphasis in educational psychology, Carolanne’s dream of teaching was put on hold for many years as she helped her husband, Jeff, in his work. Whether overseeing the camp kitchen to feed 50 hungry campers and staff, selling residential real-estate, shingling a roof, writing reports, filing taxes, traveling overseas to the church’s various Feast of Tabernacles sites, brushing up on rusty French-language skills, pruning an overgrown orchard, tiling floors, or editing books, Carolanne has enjoyed the variety and adventure of being Jeff’s help-mate. A decade spent as a part-time interior designer doing residential and commercial installations gave her an insight into the business world, while responsibilities as full-time wife and mother kept her fully grounded in the realities of home and hearth. Personal struggles with health problems have given Carolanne a special interest in the biblical principles relating a godly lifestyle to good health. With a view to the biblical admonition to “tend and keep” Carolanne continues to be an avid organic gardener, and she has a long history of research into herbs and their health benefits. The mother of four sons, Carolanne had the joy and challenge of homeschooling all of them at one time or another and this venture into teaching fueled her desire to go back to university to…