COMING INTO THE SEASON OF OUR JOY
By day five of The Feast of Tabernacles we have a very strong sense of where all of this joy is bubbling up from!
We KNOW how fortunate we are to serve a God who has given us so many tremendous blessings.
What a pleasure and privilege to come up every year to the Feast of Tabernacles.
Our focus for Day five is easy. We will be looking at the fact that this time is known as our Season of Joy.
WHAT DOES JOY LOOK LIKE?
From God’s perspective; what do you think sheer joy would look like?
If you are at The Feast of Tabernacles; just look at the faces that surround you this minute.
Jesus loved joyful occasions.
We know he loved attending the feasts and festivals. The bible tells us that he went to joyful occasions such as weddings.
Many even think He was The Angel of The LORD who went before God’s people as they traveled through the wilderness in the days of Moses.
THE CLOUDS OF GLORY
In those days there was a cloud of glory which covered and encircled the tabernacle where the Israelites camped.
They depended on the cloud to direct them. It was there to guide them. The cloud would show them when to stay, when to wait, and when to go.
Rabbis taught their congregations of how the Torah mentions The Cloud of Glory seven times.
This number of times of mention alludes to seven separate clouds that accompanied them. It is said that Four protected the camp in four directions, one hovered above, one cushioned their feet, and the seventh went ahead of them to ease their journey.
LIKE BEING UNDER SEVEN CLOUDS OF GLORY
Our time at The Feast of Tabernacles is a lot like being under these seven clouds of Glory; one for each of the seven days we celebrate in our Sukkahs.
We receive joy for our souls when we think of God’s provision, mercy and kindness. This is a very special kind of joy. It isn’t superficial, or materialistic, or physical. This is not a joy that can be perverted. It is a pure and true joy that radiates from God above.
EXPRESSING INNER JOY IN AN OUTWARD WAY
Each person participating at The Feast of Tabernacles experiences this feeling as an “inner joy.” It is a joy that is saturated with holiness, filled with anticipation of what God’s future world is going to be like. This Shekinah Glory engulfs us, when we least expect it. God shows us things during His appointed time which we can’t even put into words.
One huge aspect is the complete joy of knowing you are always going to live throughout eternity with The Creator of All.
THE JOY OF KNOWING THE TORAH
The joy we experience by diving deeper and deeper into God’s word as we celebrate this feast is also hard to describe in words.
We know that God and His Word are One, Perhaps it is the essence of God’s Holy Presence that we feel whenever we hear the truth explained to us in so many different ways.
What a blessing!
By following the Word and keeping the appointments of God we begin to build a deeper understanding of The Holy Scriptures.
Having experienced the Feast for over 30 years now; I can honestly say that God has taught me one layer at a time. With each year’s trip to the festivals and holy days he kept adding at least one new layer.
BRING JOY TO THE EVERYDAY THINGS OF LIFE
After continuously participating in attendance and worship over the years; many people come to feel the fullness of the joy that living the Word of God brings to daily life. This “fullness” and “richness” of God’s Glory accompanied by the power of His Word fill us up. We become so full that it overflows and spills out into the ordinary days of life after we return from this season of joy. It stays with us and in our hearts even after we have to settle back into normal life and work again.
HELPING OTHERS EXERCISE THEIR JOY
So; what ways will we use today to focus on this “joy” factor of the feast?
We can start with our story of Isaac’s Sukkah. This will help us to know the joy of Father Abraham at the end of the story. The story we like to read is found in GOLDEN TALES FOR RAINY DAYS by the author of this blog. It can be purchased on Amazon.com. There are eight “Sukkah Stories” in the book as well as some other interesting short stories for both children and adults to enjoy.
Also; we can recognize the fact that a whole lot of our joy comes either from gratitude toward God, or gratitude toward others.
What has anyone done for you lately that you want to express your sincere gratitude for?
MAKE IT PART OF YOUR FEAST ACTIVITIES
For God, or someone we know, to give us moments of joy is an amazing and unforgettable gift. This is a gift of joy that should be shared and acknowledged to others.
Joy and gratitude are very contagious.
Let’s learn how to pass them around.
Today we will take about an hour to sit quietly and either write a letter, compose a song, or pay a tribute to whomever has helped to make our lives more joyful during this last year. It could be God. You could want to express your appreciation of another family member, or a friend or even a stranger who was kind to you unexpectedly. Whatever God puts on your heart; use your joy to pay tribute and increase some else’s joy.
That is the thing about joy; it multiplies if you allow it to.
Anyone who wants to can openly share their thoughts out loud with the group may do so. If you desire to hold those thoughts silently before God that is fine too. We just need to simply express our thanks to Him, for what he or another has done that brought us joy. Just take all the time you need to let your thoughts and memories of joy come forth.
We will even be so bold as to take this exercise a little further by saying that whenever a person chooses to share their thoughts about their “joy-making” person – they can also bless that person with little unexpected surprises during the week of the feast.
Whenever the receiver notices what is happening; they must claim the new moment of joy and thank God for it to all of the others. If they chose to share the experience with the group; they will receive a “joy” card in honor of this lovely, new moment.
Joy cards can later be posted in the scrapbooks or journals of those who have kept them during the many feasts and festivals we have shared over the years. This will make people smile as they remember later; even in years to come.
If your people are anything like the members of my family; I predict this activity will be loads of fun. I will warn you that some people will get VERY creative before the end of the feast arrives.
DANCE TO THE JOY
Another fun way to express your joy to God and to each other is to go somewhere with music and dancing and dance the night away!
No one has to set a clock; so why not enjoy this joy factor to the heights?
The feast will be over before we know it. We have all night to make more and more special memories together. Let’s dance!
Maybe you just want to shout.
So go ahead and let out a loud shout for joy!
After all; you ARE at The Feast of Tabernacles; not a soul will discourage you!
God bless you as you keep his feast!