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April 18, 2005

Bread, yeast and sin: a week of overcoming
Church follows example of Christ in seven-day observance

Cincinnati, Ohio – A hard, flat cracker, anyone? Removing all bread and other leavened products from one's home might not make sense from a typical Spring cleaning perspective, but for Christians following the direct example of Christ and the early apostles, it's an annual undertaking. Each Spring, members of the United Church of God devote considerable attention to removing bread and other leavened products from their homes.

And they do so for a specific, meaningful reason.

During the week of April 24-30, you might see a United Church member taking lunch with a hard Matzo wafer instead of a typical wheat bread sandwich. But it's much more than a physical issue.

This annual act represents an important spiritual observance that was originally kept by Christ and the early Christian church in the 1st century. As recorded in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, the act of removing all leavened products physically reminds Christians of their commitment to positively overcome sin through the sacrifice of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible speaks of a spiritual leaven—that which "puffs up" and leads Christians away from a relationship with God—as a deadly spiritual poison. Such poison can be eternally fatal.

Writing to Christians living in Greece about this season, the Apostle Paul said: "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:8, New King James Version).

Beginning at sunset on April 23, United Church members will have removed all traces of leaven from their homes, and will refrain from knowingly consuming or purchasing leavened bread or other leavened products for the entire week.

"This process provides an intense and positive reminder that we are to be dedicating ourselves as Christians to overcoming sin and putting it out of our lives," explained Roy Holladay, president of the United Church of God. "It reminds us that we are but human and thus subject to human frailties that lead to sin."

This annual observance, called in the Bible the Festival of the Days of Unleavened Bread, follows the annual observance of the Passover, which Christ commanded Christians to keep in remembrance of His ultimate sacrifice for all humans, opening the spiritual door for reconciliation with God. As demonstrated in numerous places in the New Testament, the early 1st century Church observed this Festival throughout Palestine and the Roman world in the first decades following the death and resurrection of Christ. As the original movement grew, elements of pagan worship and other secular practices were gradually adopted and incorporated into various beliefs of modern groups.

Early established Christian practices such as observing the Days of Unleavened bread were gradually dropped by most groups, as some believed they were "too Jewish" in nature, although Christ Himself observed them.

Given its strong focus on mirroring the early Christian Church, the United Church of God does not participate in these added practices, instead focusing solely on the biblical record of how to worship God. As a result, the United Church does not observe either Easter or Christmas, as these holidays were not observed by the first Christians or Jesus.

The Passover and the Festival mark the beginning of the annual Holy Day seasons as outlined in the Bible. The next biblical season is the Festival of Pentecost, on which day the Holy Spirit was given to the Church as recorded in the book of Acts. It will be observed on Sunday, June 12.

The biblical worship season continues in the fall, with the observance of the Festival of Trumpets on October 4. For those of the Jewish faith, this day traditionally celebrates the beginning of the Jewish New Year (commonly called Rosh Hashanah). For Christians, this day pictures the triumphal prophesied return of Jesus Christ to earth. It is followed by the observance of the Day of Atonement on October 13 (commonly called Yom Kippur), which for Christians depicts the prophesied binding of Satan and his evil influence. The biblical Holy Day season is capped with the observance of the Festival of Tabernacles and The Last Great Day (observed October 18-25), which spiritually reflects the coming Kingdom of God.

This Kingdom, prophesied by the Bible, will be directly ruled by Christ Himself and will be a time of unparalleled peace and prosperity.

Greater detail about this annual biblical plan of worship and the prophesied future of humanity is available in the Church's booklet God's Holy Day Plan - The Promise of Hope For All Mankind. The booklet is published free of charge, and a PDF version is available online at www.ucg.org.

About the United Church of God, an International Association: Basing its beliefs on the biblical practices of the original 1st Century Church, the United Church of God maintains congregations in more than 40 countries around the world. Following the recorded example of Jesus Christ and the first apostles, the Church observes a seventh day Sabbath and the annual Holy Day seasons as outlined in the Old and New Testaments. The main offices of the Church are located in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information about the Church's beliefs and activities, please visit www.ucg.org.