Read the book/Bible to find truth and meaning

We in our household agree with the editor who titled Pastor Steve Schofstoll’s Pastor’s Perspective of last week: “read the book,” i.e., the Holy Bible.

Unfortunately a few things raised by Pastor Schofstoll will require alternative searches as Ash Wednesday and Lent, are not to be found in the Bible; Google searches will provide good information regarding the origins of Ash Wednesday and Lent and the other aspects of the 40 days mentioned.

They are the inventions of the Roman Catholic Church. A number of protestant denominations observe Lent but the protestant practice of these things did not come to be as a result of reading the book.

The Hebrew Scriptures (aka The Old Testament) will provide the holy days of God. Jewish folk often refer to these events as Jewish holy days and most Christians are very happy to describe these days as Jewish as well.

But the book, the Bible does not.

These holy days are God’s appointed times with His people and his people were never limited to people we now call Jewish. Yet the Christian church has largely rejected the holy days prescribed by God and followed by his Son, Yeshua (Jesus) and Yeshua’s disciples and followers for quite some time before the Roman Catholic Church invented new “holy” days.

The Israelites were meant to live according to the commandments, laws, statutes, etc. that God provided to Moses as to draw the non Israelite peoples to God (see Deuteronomy 4:5-9).

The Bible is very clear, the instructions of God given to Moses are the rules by which God’s people are to live. Israel failed and in Romans 11, Paul makes clear now the problem is to bring his Jewish brethren to salvation.

Ham on Easter is not the right approach.

Yes, by all means, read the book!

Barry Boyer, Ritzville