What’s The Time?

David Francis

Last Tuesday, beneath the full moon, I felt a deep personal connection to the ancient rhythms that have marked Passover and Easter for generations. I remembered that these traditions are not distant history - they are woven into my own story.

I’m struck by how the moon acts as a cosmic clock, quietly marking the seasons of faith for centuries - reminding me that I am part of something far greater than myself.

In the Hebrew calendar, Passover always coincides with the full moon, symbolising a divinely appointed season. A sign, as it says in Genesis 1:

And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years.
(Genesis 1:14)

Passover commemorates Israel’s liberation from Egypt, when the blood of a spotless lamb protected the Israelites from death.

As a Christian, I see these ancient events as shadows pointing toward Christ. He is the fulfilment of Passover:

These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
(Colossians 2:17)

When I read Paul call Jesus “our Passover lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7), I’m reminded that the timing of His crucifixion wasn’t random - it was the fulfilment of a meaning woven through the centuries.

Easter Sunday always fills me with hope. Knowing that the resurrection coincided with the Feast of Firstfruits (Leviticus 23:10) makes me appreciate even more how Jesus embodies new beginnings:

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
(1 Cor 15:20-23)

Thinking about Passover and Easter together remind me that God’s story is about both freedom and redemption. I know my Saviour lives and loves me just as much as He loves you, and this gives me hope, joy, and confidence in all I do.

It amazes me that the same cosmic rhythm and sense of divine timing that shaped the Exodus and Resurrection reach into my life today, connecting me to believers across centuries. As I look up at the moon, I realize it’s the same one that lit the night sky for Adam, Moses, and Jesus.

This year, as I look up at the spring full moon, why not join me and thank God for His faithfulness - for providing the Lamb who takes away the world’s sin. Our lives are now being woven into this ancient and ongoing celebration. Psalm 8 comes to mind:

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
(Psalm 8:3-4)

I remember, because of Jesus, we are all on God’s mind.

What time is it?

As Romans 5:6 says: ‘You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.’

This ancient rhythm reminds me that, even today, God’s timing is perfect for each of us.