THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES – DAY ONE

I truly LOVE The Feast of Tabernacles!

What better way is there to grow closer to Yeshua Messiah as well as to have closer fellowship with all those that you love?

God surely knew what He was doing when He spoke these words:

“Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crop you sow in your field. (Exodus 23:16.)

THE VERY FIRST DAY

So, we’ve come up to the First Day of the seven day feast with joy and Thanksgiving.

We’ve prayed a lot of prayers asking God for a safe journey, a healthy journey, a fulfilling and significant Feast and a wonderful time of fellowship, worship and joy.

Now that we are here, what typically happens on the first day?

It depends on what God wants to happen.

Flexibility is key in keeping God’s presence among us.

A WELCOMING CEREMONY

Typically, we pray the first night right after everyone arrives.

In that welcoming time of prayer; we ask God to show us what He wants us to see in this week. Our prayers ask that He will open our eyes and ears to His messages.

In that same prayer we ask for peace, kindness, understanding and wonderful fellowship.

We thank God for bringing us to this special appointed time and place.

It is acknowledged that God dwells in the midst of His people’s praises. As we praise God we ask that His Holy Name rests over these temporary dwellings, both for where we are staying, but also for the bodies we are walking around in.

With this great beginning, we are all feeling the delight of anticipation grow and grow.

By now you can see the joy beaming from the faces of our loved ones.

TEN PEOPLE FORM A MINON, WHICH MEANS A CORPORATE GROUP

Most people go up to the feast with their local congregations.

They share designated places to dwell in their temporary homes away from home. It could be a hotel room, a rental house or a tent.

Many share a very special opening ceremony on that first evening with a review of the schedule for the week, and a welcoming sermon on why Christians as well as Jews should share this gathering annually.

After the messages many groups like to go out for dinner with old friends who are also attending the feast. Some make festive dinners inside sukkahs. It is a great time to catch up on what God has been doing in all of the lives of other bretheren. Some only see one another during these annual celebrations. (That statement makes me think of Mary and Joseph going up to visit with Elizabeth and Zachariah in the days right before the birth of Yeshua. What a wonderful visit they must have enjoyed.)

SOMETIMES IT IS OKAY TO BE UNTRADITIONAL

My family is not that traditional.

The congregations we worship with (four different local churches in our area) are still learning and growing in God’s truth. They haven’t accepted the fact, as we have, that it is commanded of God to keep the Feast of Tabernacles annually. That doesn’t stop us though. We are worshiping to please God, not the ideas of men. Our house has totally accepted and we rejoice that this is a very special and holy appointment with God.

Our fellowship in this complicated, yet not forbidden situation teaches us a lot about the grace and mercy of God towards mankind. We have found a perfect on-line congregation that lines up completely with our beliefs. This is our first year of worshiping on-line with Jacob’s Tent. We join them now on every Sabbath and each appointed season. This has been SUCH A HUGE BLESSING for my husband and myself.

So we will continue with this situation of on-line sermons at our house until God shows us another perfect solution. We have prayed about it and we have found this is the present answer for us. Some people will frown on us for this solution, but we have to follow God’s will for our own family and not conform to some of the denominational rules of men.

This being the case, my immediate family typically rents a house large enough for all 17 of our immediate family members. We combine celebrating The Feast of Tabernacles with our annual family reunion. I will add here, that my husband is an ordained priest (though retired) and we DO meet the definition of a minion when all of our immediate family gathers together in one place.

There are a million beautiful memories of the various places we have gathered in the past. This year we have chosen to stay in our home town and celebrate from our own backyard. I’ve been working on our sukkah all week and it is coming together nicely!

THE GRACE OF GOD PREVAILS OVER RULES AND REGULATIONS

Both things (God’s feasts and festivals, and our growing annual family vacations) are very important to us. Because of this fact, we have simply combined them. God has used this “less than perfect” scenario over the years. All of our family members aren’t in the same spiritual place, so this works nicely in creating a balance where everyone receives their needs.

Some of our family members are still shaking their heads about the ins and outs of The Fall Holy Days, and this annaul gathering is how God has helped me as I have prayed for Him to open doors to more truth to be lived out in our family. These guys (my family) are so good that they are willing and happy to listen to and participate in all The Feast of Tabernacle activities, even if they don’t fully understand what they are committing to. Each year I see how much closer they have come to the full truth.

Every year their understanding grows.

Each year our family grows closer to each other as well as closer to God. His chesed love is the glue that holds us together and the one thing we ALL can agree upon.

Consequently, those of us who already have a full understanding delight in the time of worship with our whole family. It is the best teaching opportunity of the whole year. The grandkids learn basic formation and foundational teachings at these Holy Days, possibly things that their parents might not ever think to teach them.

Everyone wins!

I am relieved to find a way for the whole family to be obedient to God’s commandment to keep the feast and festivals. There are absolutely NO COMPLAINTS from those who don’t really understand why.

So, if you are a rag-tag, rather unconventional group like us, how would you start the first day of the feast?

TRADITIONS OF THE UNCONVENTIONAL

In our case, we usually start the first day of our time by remembering that this is the season of celebrating the REAL birthdate of Christ.

Every year I put a tablecloth I made from a sheet on the table we sit at on that first morning of the Feast. Then I leave some permanent markers which mark on cloth on top of the table. All week long the people in our house will sign the sheet with comments about the feast we are enjoying for this present year. We will laugh and remember years gone by as we read and review the signatures and comments from the other years we have gathered together as a family. We bring this special tablecloth each year and by now it is filled with family memories.

I will place a nativity scene (we use the same one every year) in the middle of the table covered by our special tablecloth.

We spend this first day of our time recognizing and celebrating the birth of Christ, which my husband and I believe happened one fall at The Feast of Tabernacles. I have a story that I read which speaks of the birth of Christ. It is called “The Sukkah That Jacob Built.” You can read it in my latest publication called GOLDEN TALES FOR RAINY DAYS. That publication is on sale at Amazon.com. This book contains a story for all seven feast days. It is great for both children and adults.

A TIME FOR BEING FESTIVE

These festive moments carry over into our meals too.

At any moment anyone could find their eggs are cooked in the shape of a huge, bright star. Some of our cookies might take the shape of shepherds, sheep and angels. There could be appropriately worded carols playing in the background at dinner. It is a good time for Silent Night, Holy Night, Emmanuel, Joy To The World, etc. (Nothing secular at all, only holy reminders of the events of Yeshua’s birth.) I will add, we are not trying to make this Christmas with a different date. We are simply celebrating our Savior being born at The Feast of Tabernacles. All of the commercial, pagan trappings of that season are completelly absent from these celebrations. It is only about being thankful and showing our joy for Yeshua Messiah being among us and saving us.

On most years we have a Godly Play story for all the children.

My definition of “children” also includes adults. That means that everyone in our temporary shelter comes to listen. The first day I might tell the story of The Holy Family. The grandkids know this one well. They love it so much that they will ask for it to be told again and again. Each child takes delight in moving the wooden figurines of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus with his arms stretched wide open to give you a hug. He is laying inside the manger. They laugh at how he surprises the cow when the cow goes to look for his breakfast.

A TIME FOR ENJOYING EXPERIENCES TOGETHER

After our story, we might share some crafts, or go for a walk, or sit on a screened porch and watch the birds fly over the lake.

Some might be outside playing a few of the yard games we will have set up at the house.

A few people will want to go kayaking on the lake before lunch.

Some might enjoy a bicycle ride. A few will want to go fishing. Some years we rent a house by the lake. Other years we choose the mountains. There are years we enjoy our own house and our own backyard. Each place has its own set of autumn charms. God always meets us and greets us there. In days gone by, we have also visited the beach. However, the feast times happen to coincide with hurricane season time, so mostly we rent inland.

In past years we have enjoyed the natural gifts of God’s creation in so many different ways. We’ve explored the ocean and the beach, the mountains, a farm setting, a lively river setting, the lake setting, and a home that looks like a castle on top of the mountains. Each site has held its own treasures. Camping is wonderful for The Feast of Tabernacles. This year, we are enjoying the simplicity of our own home, but camping out in our back yard sukkah most of the time.

A TIME FOR ENJOYING SUKKAHS

On several visits away from home we have designated the screened porch in the back of our house as the “unofficial sukkah.” In years gone by, we have also had very “official” sukkahs built by all the rules spelled out in the scriptures. A sukkah is a temporary dwelling with three enclosed sides, a roof which allows you to see the stars, and an open front.

On away years, since we often do not arrive until the day the feast starts, we just pick the most similar place (totally un-kosher, but our best attempt to keep the traditions,) and call it our Sukkah. We will do all the things there that people typically do in an official Sukkah. This means sharing snacks, sharing fellowship and sharing our stories. I will pull out the Shepard shaped cookies mid-morning, and put on a pot of coffee for the adults.

If we were in a REAL official sukkah, we would be able to look through our roof to see the stars at night. However, in these “unofficial” shelters of our screened porch we can still gaze outward upon the lovely mountains in the area during the day. We WILL look out through the screens to see the stars at night. They will always remind us of our Creator and His stories.

Our fellowships are always great, no matter where we are celebrating.

A TIME FOR FEASTING

When lunch time comes, we will share a bread and meat tray for making sandwiches. The little wooden Godly Play Nativity set will still be on our table in our “unofficial sukkah.”

As I place the trays of bread and deli-meats on the table, I will explain to everyone that we are celebrating the fact Yeshua was born during this season in the town of Bethlehem. I will pick up Baby Jesus and point to the manger. I’ll say,”This was the cow’s bread box.” He was so surprised to find Baby Jesus inside the place where he normally got his bread! But after all, they WERE in Bethlehem.” We will discuss that Bethlehem is the town called Bayit laham in Hebrew. That name means “the house of bread.” In Arabic, the name Bethlehem translates to “house of meat.” We are here this week to feast. Today we will feast on spiritual as well as physical bread and meat.

It is the Bread of Yeshua Messiah and the meat of God’s Holy Scriptures that we will truly feast upon.

Bread and meat are the staples of life.

WE WILL CELEBRATE THE CULMINATION OF INCARNATION

The Hebrew “laham” meaning “bread” can also refer to both food for animals, and food for a sacrificial offering. In Arabic, “lahm” can mean “meat” or “in the flesh.” Its meaning is similar to our English word “incarnate.” Yeshua Messiah was God who came to us in the form of a baby in flesh and blood. He was to become “The Bread of Life” for us.

Our Messiah, Yeshua, The Bread of Life, did not come to devour or to command. He came to love, nourish and to serve. The bread and meat we eat in this meal will fill us for a while. However, the bread and meat we eat from adoring and following Jesus will fill us for eternity. All of these things will be noted by each of us on this day. So much comes from simply sharing a simple meal together.

And so we will enjoy our sandwiches and cookies together in our sukkah.

A TIME FOR RESTING FROM THE CARES OF THE WORLD

Lunch COULD be followed by a peaceful and restful nap.

If no one is sleepy yet, the kids can play outside. Any adults wishing to read while they rest can devour some books they never seem to have time for in the usual busy work-life rush. Some of us love journaling about each day of the feast. It is interesting to write down the things that God teaches us each day in a journal. These are amazing to read and remember when we look back.

This is a week of peace, love and rest! How wonderful is that? This Feast of Tabernacles is our precious gift from God.

A WEEK FULL OF ADVENTURES

After lunch, and a good nap (or whatever,) many of us like to go on some type of daily adventure. Perhaps we might want to go out to the little historical mountain town we have chosen to reside in for the year. We could go exploring. Maybe we could take a trolley tour. Perhaps we will catch a few museums. It might be fun to discover the history of the area where we are temporary dwelling for the week.

There are hiking trails near by that most of us will want to explore. Also, there might be some very solid literary history nearby. We will all set off on our own adventures for the afternoon. All of us will meet back at the house for dinner. Some days we will go on adventures as a group. Other days we will go as individuals. We will always come back together at the end of the day. By then, we will have a lot to talk about and share with one another.

It is a great week for making family memories.

NEVER ENDING FEASTING ON THE WORD OF GOD AS WELL AS PHYSICAL FOOD

This is definitely NOT a time for fasting!

Dinner will have the same focus we enjoyed at breakfast and lunch, the coming of Yeshua Messiah into the world. Perhaps our main course will be Angel Hair Pasta with meat balls. The theme behind the foods are to remind us of the Angels again, and the “meat” of the Word of God. We will make a delicious marinara sauce to serve on the side. All guests this week will take turns preparing the food. That assures that no one feels like they are spending all of their time in the kitchen. Dessert will be a cake that says “Welcome to The Earth Baby Jesus!”

After dinner we will go out to our fire pit. My husband will build us a roaring fire.

We will sing carols again (non-secular.) My husband will tell us the first story of a series of “Sukkah Stories” we like to share at our feasts. I wrote these years ago just for use at our family gatherings for The Feast of Tabernacles. The story for tonight will be “The Sukkah That Jacob Built.” This will tell the story of the birth of Christ right in the middle of another story about our ancestor named Jacob.

Do you know about Jacob’s sukkah?

We will probably end the evening with a marshmallow roast and hot chocolate.

Tomorrow, on the second day of the feast and every day after of the seven, we will have another theme to celebrate. Each day’s celebrations will point out another theme God established for this appointed time of gathering together.

I am sure this first day’s theme is going to make for a lovely first day of the Feast. We will leave our minds and hearts open for God to move through our tentative plans in any way that He chooses. Our family learned a long time ago that His plans are always better than ours.

Can’t wait to make these special memories with the ones I love so much.

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES EVERYONE!