It's that magical time of year again in COGland—Passover prep season, where the real countdown begins to their ultra-special version of the holy days. Get ready for weeks of thrilling detective work, hunting down those sneaky "hidden sins" (a.k.a. stray bread crumbs) tucked away in suit coat pockets, toy chests, under couch cushions, or—because why not?—the toolbox out in the garage. Truly, what a spiritually profound exercise.
For so many faithful souls, it's an utterly exhausting marathon, mentally and physically draining, as they spend countless hours de-leavening their homes in a frantic, never-quite-complete quest for perfection. Because, obviously, if even one microscopic crumb survives, the whole family is doomed as wretched, unredeemed sinners. How inspiring.
And let's not forget those golden pulpit moments when ministers would regale the congregation with tales of all the leaven they heroically discovered—conveniently stashed by the children, of course. Nothing says "personal accountability" like blaming the kids for your own lingering sins. Classic move.
But the absolute pinnacle of brilliance? Back in Pasadena, they forced custodial employees to crawl on their hands and knees, armed with nothing but a toothbrush, meticulously scrubbing every last crumb from the teakwood floors in the student center. And the ministers and evangelists who had custodial come in and deleaven their homes for them. Because apparently, God's grace just wasn't enough—someone had to perform extreme manual labor to prove their righteousness. Utterly brilliant, and completely essential... except, oops, the New Covenant requires precisely zero of this nonsense. No physical house-purging mandatory, just the spiritual kind. Who knew?
Greetings from Charlotte,
We are now a month away from the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread. Let us make sure we are preparing by examining ourselves to find unrepented-of leaven in our lives. Most of us do not have to look too hard to find some significant shortcomings—often ones that we face year after year. What Paul said applies to all of us: “For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do” (Romans 7:15). Nevertheless, with the help of God, we can make real progress at allowing Christ to be formed in us (Galatians 4:19). I sincerely hope that we can all look back over the past year and find spiritual growth in our lives. Either way, we should determine with God’s help to see growth in the year to come. The world makes “New Year’s resolutions” that are almost always quickly broken. Let us strive to do better than that. We will be mailing out a Holy Day letter in the next few days, and I hope you will take time to read and meditate on its content. Until then, have a rewarding Sabbath.
35 comments:
Has Samuel Kitchen figured out that if he buys the Auditorium, he'll be accountable for de-leavening it before every Passover?
I was thinking the exact same thing! Samuel has not engaged his brain to all of the ramifications of owning such a monstrosity. Not only will he need to deleaven the entire builing but he will also need to exorcise it of the "Pentecostal demons" as Armstrongism likes to refer to those people.
As NO2HWA suggested in his post, it would be infinitely more spiritually productive to do a little personal introspection than to hunt for breadcrumbs. Am I always kind, patient, compassionate, merciful, forgiving, loving, honest, faithful, etc. And, if I need improvement in some area, what can I do to improve my performance going forward?
It's a pretty good bet these churches are all taking sides in the war and cheering for the death of the other side. Perhaps they should examine themselves and get out of politics.
Yet again, the wicked ministry is trying to destroy the church with this nonsense!
Believers are supposed to do both. That's actually what is preached - and some ministers actually emphasize the spiritual.
But what's wrong with spring cleaning?
Ahh, just take your toaster to cousin Larry's auto repair shop & use his air compressor to blow the crumbs out a few seconds.
Then go home & quit smoking, and also be careful to not cuss too much while driving when meth heads almost rip our plastic bumpers off in traffic.
The world makes “New Year’s resolutions” that are almost always quickly broken. Let us strive to do better than that.
He would have no clue as to what people do or don't do with a New Year resolution - but 'we' can do better. Except much of what they do is not really any better as its filled with sheer vanity claiming to be the sole possessors of truth and that they be the one true church.
Back when the electronics of cars were simpler and most of us only had one car instead of several, I knew people who would remove the front bench seat of their car and vacuum and shampoo the carpet each year before the Passover season. I could still do that on my '57 Ford, but you can't really even get the the tool at the end of a shop vac hose in under the seat of a late model Dodge or Chevy, let alone see in and around to get all the crumbs. Technology has rendered fanaticism nearly impossible. I do practice good police science each morning when I'm out on the road (coffee and donuts in the car). I know there are crumbs in low places.
Ex 12:15-16....just remove leaven on the first day, without working.
What a cliché of a post Ai illustration! Not a man in sight. Is this how the bloggers live ?
Are COG women who love Feast of Unleavened Bread as disorganised, deranged and helpless as this Ai illustration likes to portray ?
Most people seem to come here to vent rather than to make accurate and objective comments.
Ain't you never heered of satire? If some person or group is contempt worthy, youse gotta zagerate, and make it look more ridiculous and worthy of scorn!
Smile, be glad to be counted worthy of persecution, and take a bath!
Why yes! We're figurately venting our intestines at you! Enjoy the aroma!
Does 6:01:00 fit themselves well into the club with that group here with Jesus holding his cloak open/heart exposed?
Sadly very true 12:23. They are like the mockers and scorners Nehemiah had to deal with. Nothing changes even over thousands of years.
It would be interesting to know which church area they are in and how they treat their own members.
Love that photo! That's the way I felt every single year having to deleaven the house with little to no help. I finally stopped doing it, and it was the best decision I ever made. Such a useless waste of time.
Did anyone else find it necessary to take your garbage to the dump because the garbage man didn't come before Passover? Ever have serious dicussions about other puffed up things, like popcorn? Or, beer because it was brewed with yeast?
When we were kids, we used to make up nonsense doctrinal questions for Bible Study, like is it OK to smoke on the Day of Atonement.
Pervert who stalks others google accounts.
UCG and they treat us like crap.
It's ai.
Toxic nasty UCG Pastor.
We don't have that power, 12:23. You should be more concerned about the Gamaliel Principle, and the way God handled the workers at the Tower of Babel construction site. That's what destroyed your church!
One GTA Offshoot has a HWA view on
the Iran conflict, vis a vis Bible Prophecy (naturally!)
I have deleavened my head of false doctrine, so I do not need to deleaven anything else. I do not even need to waste time or expensive fuel going to church.
Maybe You felt as IF The Sword đź—ˇ️ of Damocles was hanging over your head đź—Ł️ ❓ Or like Sisyphus (The guy In Greek Mythology, Endlessly Pushing the Same Boulder 🪨 Up the Hill - Only to Have It Roll Down - And him Endlessly Repeating the same task❓
Get rid of the Ayatollahs, they would kill both me & you if they could.
819
I remember a minister confessing that, in his attempt to beat the Passover deadline, he took a bag of trash to the dump and apparently left it in an unauthorized spot. The "authorities" found his name and address on a piece of old mail and forced him to pay a fine. Where some might have said, it was Satan persecuting the church, he actually owned it. He was one of the good guys.
I've left "final bags" in business dumpsters - even outside the sports arena in my city. It's a bit like Mr. Phelps in "Mission: Impossible" finding that recorded message under a park bench.
Years ago in a COG, the minister admitted to having deleavened at least one month before the DUB. He obviously felt rather smug and righteous. I stuck to deleavening at the right time, just before or on the First Day of UB, as the Bible says.
Taking garbage to the dump pre-Passover if the garbage truck would arrive post-Passover, is no worse than if you have your health insurance to cover a series of extra, necessary health needs before the end of the year after you've paid your deductible earlier in the beginning of a year.
So, uh, just putting your leavening in the garbage satisfies God's deductible even if the can is still on your property? I think that the leavening should be off your property, and you really need to thoroughly wash your trash can so there is not even any leavening residue. Call me Pharisaic, but I also believe you should open all the windows in your house and turn the fans on, so that if there was any outgassing of the leavening products, it is all blown outside of the house! You should Drano your sinks and toilets so that if there was any minute amount of leavening in your waste materials, it is all chemically consumed.
You are rich, my friend, you need nothing, not even a church, you are righteous, everyone should follow you on your path of truth.
Well, the woman in the picture would definitely be the prettiest one in any ACOG community, despite the punk rock hair style. Is that Miss Charlotte?
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