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Righto then…here we are in July which means there are about 3 months until we pack up and travel to one of the geographical places where God has placed His name so that we can attend the Feast of Tabernacles (FOT) for 2022. Did you know Jesus kept the Feast of Tabernacles during His life on Earth and that is why we do so also? The proof of this is provided in John 7. Jesus, who is the Creator of all things, created these festivals from the beginning and kept them when He was living amongst humanity, and not only that Zechariah 14 tells us that all nations will have to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, one of the seven annual festivals of God, when Jesus Christ establishes His everlasting kingdom on Earth — this means you will be keeping the Festivals of God too! Sitting here writing this it is exactly 14 weeks but by the time it is posted, God willing, then it will be exactly 12 weeks until we have a fun road trip travelling through 2 borders — from South Australia, then onto Victoria, and finally into New South Wales. We plan for Merimbula where my only visit occurred since conversion when attending in 2008, which happened to be my second Feast. This will be a first time experience for Jim even though he has travelled right through NSW from Queensland after another FOT in 2018. At the moment the news shows heavy flooding down the east coast of Australia which does not look good, but if God wants us there it will happen, all according to His will.
It seems as though the countdown has begun. To add to the excitement this year I have decided in consultation with God that I will make extra effort to prepare wisely in a physical sense while keeping spiritual matters front and centre of mind and heart. Prior to being ill with the "C" virus daily walking was exercised. The weather was really good throughout summer and autumn, but now we are having a lot more rain in winter than usual so our "wet winter" is a blessing but more diligence is required in order to get out there when possible to complete some stretch of the legs. Preparing for the Feast reminds one daily that we have something important to do. Every year at the Feast I tell myself that I will get up extra early when it is still dark to take a walk in the fresh air. Every year I find myself too tired because fellowship comes first and getting to bed early as is my usual routine does not happen because we want to make the most of our time with others. Then there is the matter of sitting quite a lot and also eating more than usual which is known as rejoicing while feasting with others. The Feast of Tabernacles to me is not the place to fast or practice intermittent fasting. It is a most joyous time for celebration with quality foods as we enjoy our second tithe. In Leviticus 23:40 God tells us to rejoice and we therefore rejoice gladly.
While at the Feast we sure get a taste of what God's Kingdom will be like in the sense that we are busy developing relationships with others while feasting on God's spiritual Word as well as physical fare. God watches us and is most keenly interested in every word spoken and how we interact with one another. As they say…"I can hardly wait" to be there amongst God's elect to listen, absorb, share, give, and glorify our most wonderful Father and Creator. Last year I had to miss attending the afternoon service on the Last Great Day due to issues around several newly diagnosed medical conditions which not only disappointed me no end, but it was very annoying also. Each minute of every service is treasured and to miss anything is incredibly difficult for those of us who desire a complete Feast for we time our restroom trips as much as humanly possible so that they do not interfere with any part of the service. This may mean holding off on drinking as much water as we like — this gets more challenging for diabetics.
Preparation mode involves not only focused planning, but can also include diligence, prudence, love, self-control, joy, patience, goodness, kindness, and definitely faith. It is a loving exercise in obedience too. We prepare each week for the Sabbath and it just seems a no-brainer to prepare for the Feast of Tabernacles whether spiritually or physically. Our obedience is at the heart of this, otherwise we are placing our will above God's will — been there, done that some time ago and there were really big lessons to be learned at those Feasts. Learning these lessons can be challenging but we must resist and overcome sin in order to grow and develop Godly character. Faithful obedience is key with a willing heart rather than obsequious obedience which is not at all sincere, but fake, fawning, artificial, sycophantic and has no place whether at the Feast or at any other time. When our obedience is genuine then we get to know God even better and that is the best place we could be as God is everything to us, and to live a day without faithful obedience is certainly lacking in healthy fear and awe of God — it is quite incomprehensibly disastrous, scary, foolish, and the worst choice we could make.
When I think of God's Kingdom there is only so far I can go before hitting the proverbial ceiling because as scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:12 for now, we see through a glass darkly and not everything is made plainly clear until we get there. That is part of the excitement — to think about these things and meditate upon them by drawing from the Bible and our imaginations. One thing I most certainly look forward to is no more cigarettes and the stinky smell which I have put up with my whole life. As a child Dad smoked in the car and as soon as I got in his car my stomach would heave at the hideous odour. Memories of my childhood that stay with me are, for one, car sickness because it happened a lot! Presently, we have next door neighbours on one side who smoke cancer sticks so every time our bedroom window is opened or we go outside to enjoy the fresh air, we are hit with the smell of tobacco as their pergola and outside sitting area is right next to our bedroom. Dodging all the effects from smokers as we leave various shopping centres when we try to hold our breath until we get in our car is really quite challenging, even moreso now since acquiring the virus as lung capacity has been altered somewhat and we do notice it now more than ever. Going in is not as bad as we see people smoking as soon as we pull up into the car park therefore we can make a beeline for the mall entrance in order to avoid the foul stench.
There are many things we can anticipate, imagine, and take much joy and comfort from about God's Kingdom. Have you ever listed them or talked about these things with your loved ones? Children let their imaginations "go wild" and provide wonderful topics to discuss particularly regarding animals and want their pets included too. Being childlike about these sorts of things I most certainly and heartily concur that all the cats and dogs we had as pets over my life are a big hope and request to have — and why not as God can do anything (Matthew 18:3, Mark 10:15, Luke 18:17). We could talk for hours about what God's soon coming Kingdom will be like and what better way to fellowship at the Feast even if some are too shy to start a conversation. This is a topic that gets the cogs turning or grey matter working and we get to share in fun things with brethren of like-mind. We also enjoy very much listening to the details of the ways God works in the lives of others including how and when He called them. It is just so exciting and it is hard to wait until we get there to share in conversations with others over cups of tea or coffee, wine, lunch or a leisurely dinner. Just thinking about it brings a smile and lowers heart rate according to my FitBit.
One day recently I clocked over 13,000 steps so it was a good day. My motivation was high as the skies were blue and a very mild breeze was at play. When the weather allows some of us enjoy placing leaflets in letterboxes to share with people that there is a Kingdom of God coming very soon and 57 pieces were delivered that day. The Beyond Today magazines are also placed in a stand at one of our local shopping malls and are reducing at a steady rate each week when we attend to restock them which is quite exciting to me to count how many have been taken by people. It may sound simple work, and it is, for anyone can do it, we just need to be willing and so I would encourage you to join in this joy as who can say whether any of these people may be called out of the world like we were? God can and it is always according to His will. There is not a minute to lose in doing this work and as Mr. Herbert Armstrong would say…we best be about our Father's business. We do this with steady focus and a strong desire for faithful obedience. Here is the link if you would like to learn more about God's Festivals before you join with us to keep them whether in this life or get a head start for the next life when Christ will welcome you with open arms. The image that pairs with this article is taken from the booklets front cover. https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/holidays-or-holy-days-does-it-matter-which-days-we-observe