We began observing the Days of Unleavened Bread on the Sabbath of April 7th. Then on the second Day of Unleavened Bread the Christian world celebrated Easter as a celebration of the resurrection of Christ. But Easter is a blend of Biblical elements and paganism. There is no Biblical command to keep a festival for the resurrection of Christ, but does this mean we are not to focus at all on Christ's resurrection? The answer is found in Leviticus 23 with the instructions for the wave sheaf offering and its connection to the day of Pentecost.

Gary Smith

United Church of God Pastor

Gary Smith was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, but spent most of his youth in the Pasadena, California area. He graduated from Ambassador College in 1976 and he and his wife, Liz, moved to Peoria, Illinois. For the next six years he worked as a nursing home administrator in Illinois, Ohio, and Texas.
In 1982, he and Liz began to serve in the full-time ministry. Since that time, they have served in a number of congregations in the Midwest.
Gary and Liz now pastor in Houston, Texas near their two children and grandson.