As the Feast of Tabernacles approaches, God's people look forward to an enjoyable stay in an area where their Creator has placed His name. For eight full days of spiritual refreshing and physical rejuvenation, we are to come out of the world and its cares and troubles as we observe a Feast in anticipation of Jesus Christ's millennial rule on Earth.
The Festival planners in Charlotte, and the many site coordinators and other support staff around the globe, all do their best to provide for the physical and spiritual needs of each site. But there is more to a successful Feast site than safe and comfortable housing and a pleasant meeting space. Each of us must also do our part individually, if we hope to make this upcoming Festival our "best Feast ever."
A Commanded Assembly
In order to receive the blessings from this great Feast, one basic point cannot be stressed enough: we must keep the Feast! Keeping the Feast is not an optional extra for God's begotten children; it is a commanded seven-day observance, followed by another Holy Day, the Last Great Day.
The Church makes arrangements for brethren who are suffering from extraordinary health problems, or who are experiencing major catastrophes in their lives, which prevent them from assembling with their brethren. If you cannot attend the Feast, it is important that you talk with your congregation's minister as soon as possible to see what arrangements can be made. Scores of brethren will receive Festival assistance this year, in the form of monetary grants or specially subsidized housing. Others who cannot travel will receive CD or DVD recordings of Feast sermons, so they can share in some of the same spiritual meat their brethren will enjoy in their larger gatherings.
For most of us, though, there is no question about it: we know we are to save our second tithe faithfully, and we rejoice that this saving allows us to keep a wonderful Feast to the Lord. What are we to do? Scripture makes it clear: "You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days…And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates. Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice" (Deuteronomy 16:13–15).
How important is the Feast of Tabernacles? God says it is so important that, during the Millennium, those peoples who refuse to come to the Feast will receive drought and plague, instead of His blessings (Zechariah 14:16–19). God wants to bless us, and we should be eager to receive those blessings if at all possible. We should hunger to keep His Feast of Tabernacles.
God tells us that we should be preparing all year long to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. One way we do this is by setting aside a tenth of our increase to cover our Festival expenses. "You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks…" (Deuteronomy 14:22–23).
Why does God want us to do this? So "that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always" (v. 23)!
In this modern, industrialized age, very few of us have a supply of grain, wine, oil or livestock to offer to our God. For most of us, our "increase" comes in the form of money. But even if we had several head of livestock to offer, how would we transport them to the Feast? God made a provision that applies to most of us today. "But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, or if the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the Lord your God has blessed you, then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses. And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you" (Deuteronomy 14:24–27).
In ancient Israel, Feastgoers used part of their second tithe to help the Levites and the needy. Today, the Church applies this principle by asking brethren to offer 10 percent of their second tithe (a "tithe of the tithe") to help cover the costs of administering Feast sites and related expenses—including Festival assistance to those in need, who are also helped by brethren's third tithe donations made twice every seven years (Deuteronomy 26:12).
But while we must prepare our finances so we can attend the Feast, financial preparation is only the beginning. We should be praying for the success of the Feast, and should be asking God to bless His Feast sites around the world. God's people need good weather not only during the Feast and Last Great Day, but also during the travel time before and after this eight-day festival period. Ask Him to provide it! Claim God's promise that He will protect homes and property belonging to His children while they are away, keeping His festival (Exodus 34:24).
Plan Ahead for an Enjoyable Feast
God commands us to keep the Feast, but this does not give us an excuse to be unnecessarily inconsiderate of others who may be inconvenienced by our departure. If you are a student, or are the parent of a student, be sure to talk with teachers as far in advance as possible, so that suitable arrangements can be made to accommodate a Feast absence. If you work for someone else, give your employer as much advance notice as possible. Supervisors are usually much more cooperative about accommodating time off for religious reasons if you give them ample time to schedule around your absence.
Sometimes, a school or an employer may be intransigent, and may try to forbid you from taking the Feast off, under threat of a bad grade or even losing your job. The Living Church of God has a Legal Affairs Office that has prepared forms and procedures you can use when dealing with schools or employers and, in the event of a serious legal problem, can help you find appropriate legal counsel. Your local minister has access to these forms online. Do not wait until the "last minute," though, to act! Many big problems have started as small misunderstandings between student and teacher, or employer and employee, and could have been handled very easily if the right information (about legal precedents and about your religious rights) had reached the right people early enough. Whatever you do, be sure to pray humbly that God will give you favor in the eyes of those with whom you must interact, and that He will give you the wisdom to handle the situation successfully.
When you plan your expenses, do not forget to consider the cost of transportation to and from the Feast. Although your travel to and from a Feast site will be occurring before and after the eight days of the festival, your second tithe can and should be spent to cover your journey. With the price of gasoline continuing to skyrocket, this may be a good year to look into carpooling with your brethren. You might even find it more economical to rent a fuel-efficient newer automobile, rather than to try to make an old family "gas hog" roadworthy for a long Feast journey. Remember, your second tithe is not meant to be an "automobile repair fund" which you use once a year to handle vehicle maintenance that will keep your car going until next year's Feast!
Be sure to plan for appropriate rest during the Feast. Yes, the Feast is a wonderful opportunity to meet with friends we have not seen for at least a year, and it can be tempting to stay up all night enjoying their company. But we should not push ourselves to the point of exhaustion, where we find ourselves coming to services each day unable to concentrate or be attentive. If we are depleted, and overextend ourselves, we weaken our immune systems so that by the time the Feast is over, we may even return to our homes with a cold or flu because we failed to take care of ourselves during the Feast. What kind of message does it send to the world around us if we come back from the Feast in worse condition than when we left?
Getting proper rest is especially important for Those who drive to and from the Feast. A little advance planning can help you remain relaxed and well-rested for your trip. Do not leave everything until the last minute, then find yourself rushing to throw things into a suitcase while completing last minute pre-trip chores, worrying that you may have forgotten something. Your trip will be less stressful if you plan in advance by making a list of what you will need for your trip. Pack early, if you can, and make sure you had a good night's sleep the night before your drive. Navigating busy roads while you are tired can be a recipe for injury or even death! Be sure, too, that you are well-rested when you travel home after the Last Great Day.
When we are at the Feast, we are "ambassadors" of Christ in a special way. Of course, we are His representatives all year round, but at the Feast we are with a group of fellow Christians, and the service workers will form their impression of "the Church" based on how we conduct ourselves with each other and with those who are serving us. Being ready to offer an extra smile, a generous tip and a patient attitude when problems arise can make the Feast more enjoyable for you, and for those around you.
Sadly, even at the Feast, we are still in a world where thieves and criminals look for people to exploit. Do not leave your valuables unguarded unless absolutely necessary. Some thieves will even steal a briefcase left visible in the back of a car, hoping it will contain a wallet or other valuable items. If you must keep valuables in your car, keep them in the trunk, away from thieves' prying eyes.
Loving and Serving One Another
As Christians, we are in training to serve as kings and priests in God's soon-coming Kingdom. As we love our brethren, we should want to help them as we are able. The Feast gives us an ideal opportunity to put into practice what we are being taught. No matter the size of the site you will be attending, you will find many opportunities to serve your brethren. Sometimes, there are so few volunteers for ushering or parking duty that those who do serve are unable to balance their service with their family time. The more of us who volunteer, the more we will be helping others balance service and family at the Feast. As the saying goes, "Many hands make light work." By volunteering to serve, you not only serve God's people—you serve your fellow servants by allowing them to have a little more free time to enjoy the Feast!
Participating in a Festival Choir, or offering to perform special music, is another important way in which some of us can serve. Even if you can only make a "joyful noise," do not assume that the Festival Choir would not want your help—every year, choir directors lament that they do not have the full complement of soprano, alto, tenor or bass voices they would like to have to provide the best possible sound from the choir. If God has blessed you with any vocal or musical talents, you can add greatly to the overall atmosphere of a Feast site, praising our heavenly Father and His Son in a way that many of us cannot! Remember: "Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all day long, and in Your righteousness they are exalted" (Psalm 89:15–16).
The Feast is a wonderful time to engage in "random acts of kindness." Perhaps you could treat a widow or an elderly couple to a meal. Perhaps you could make a special effort to engage a lonely brother or sister in conversation. Even if you are a little shy yourself, it does not take much to say, "Hi, I'm So-and-so, from Such-and-such congregation. Where are you from?" These little acts of loving kindness can make a person's day, and help us all remember why we are at the Feast.
Opportunities for service come in many forms. Perhaps you cannot sing, or you cannot adjust to the Festival Choir practice schedule. Perhaps you cannot pay for a widow's meal, or run about on parking duty. You can still pray for the site's success, and for the inspiration of the speakers. You can pray for good weather and for God's Spirit to be powerfully present at the site. God's full attention will be focused where His people are, during the Feast, and you can be sure our combined prayers will have an impact. One year, as a deadly hurricane bore down in the direction of a Feast site at Jekyll Island, Georgia, hundreds of God's people prayed fervently that the hurricane be diverted—and God sent the storm back out to sea!
God has given each of us different backgrounds, resources, strengths and abilities, which we can use in service at the Feast. When we serve others by using what God has given us, we are doing our part to make the Feast better—not just for others, but also for ourselves. As we do this, we can know that God will be happy with us, and that His blessings will flow, engulfing our Feast site and all who are attending. This year, as we ready ourselves to go to the Feast, let us prepare to make it a Feast of love and service!