In this post, learn how you can keep the Feast of Tabernacles in your home especially during this coronavirus pandemic. Read about some important tips on how you can be a joyful and profitable Feast.
Today, I want to talk about how to keep the Feast during the Pandemic.
I want to open this message by reading Leviticus 23:33 and to set up the stage for my main points:
We read:
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD… [jumping to verse 36] on the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation.
In just less than a month, we are once again keeping the Feast of Tabernacles along with the Eight Day. Because of the many travel and business restrictions, we have a hard time gathering together in the appointed place of Yahweh.
Not canceled
However, brethren, let us not commit the mistake to think that the Feast has been canceled.
No matter what our present circumstances might be, the Feast will still be the Feast and it will happen whether we like it or not and whether we are prepared or not.
Zechariah 14 even tells us that the Feast would be kept during the Millenial reign.
How to keep the Feast of Tabernacles during the COVID19 pandemic?
So, it is not a question of whether we will keep the Feast or not, but it is a question of “How?”
How are we going to keep the Feast now that we are restricted in a lot of ways? That’s exactly what I want to discuss today.
How not to keep the Feast
The first thing I want to share with you is how NOT to keep the Feast during this pandemic.
Number one is for us to lose our zeal and passion for God’s Feast.
You see, brethren, because we are just staying home, it is so easy to underestimate our preparation for the Feast. But that should not be the case.
Remember that the Feast represents the coming Kingdom of the Almighty. As we come near the feast dates, we must keep in our minds the reason we are keeping the Feast.
Brethren, whether you realize it or not, this pandemic is a test for all of us. It could be that God is shaking once again His people and see who will endure until the end.
The Almighty is looking at our attitude.
How we will prepare for the Feast and how we will keep it will reflect the type of character that we have. It will show us how serious we really are in following the commandments of God whether you are with or without the brethren.
Since we are just in our home, it could be easy to still do our daily routine. It might even be that some are tempted to still work or study.
Let us not do that brethren.
Our behavior during services
Every day of the Feast, not just in our Feast, but even during the Sabbath, let us treat it as if we are having services, because the truth is, we are having services. The main difference is that we are just doing it electronically.
Prepare for the service. Take a bath. Put on Sabbath clothes and attire.
Stand up when we are singing hymns and praying.
Sit up straight when listening to sermons.
Don’t simply lie on your couch or bed.
Don’t sleep or not listen to the messages.
Behave as if you are with the other brethren having services.
Just because you are at your home you can already sleep, lie down on your couch, or do other things while you “listen” to the messages.
Remember brethren, we are getting together before the Almighty, the Supreme Ruler of this vast universe.
He deserves all the respect that we can give.
Would you lazily lie down on your couch if you are before a king?
Would you do other things while a king is talking to you?
Would you be in your pajamas when you present yourself before a king?
Of course not, right?
If we are going to do that for a human king, how much more should we do it for the Majestic, all-powerful, and living God who is above all other rulers of this earth?
So, let’s take this Feast SERIOUSLY, brethren. Don’t think that it is less serious simply just because we are not gathered together and keeping it in a Feast Site.
Suggested activities during the Feast in your home
Now, here are some of the things that I strongly believe that you should do during the Feast in your home.
Pray, meditate, and study the Bible
Since we are staying at home and it is more likely that we will have more time because of fewer activities, it gives us more opportunities to pray to God and study the bible.
Take this time to finally go through your bible study plan. Perhaps, you have been meaning to study the Calendar issues, the new and old covenant, a particular book in the Bible, or a topic that you have always been curious about.
This is the perfect time for you to catch up with all the studying and praying that you should have been doing.
Be a tourist in your area
The Feast reminds us of the Millenium.
It is the time when the world would finally be at peace and be restored to a beautiful place.
So, try to tour your city or town. If there’s a beautiful river in your area, go there. If there are some educational places around you, visit it.
The Feast allows you to explore God’s magnificent creation. Don’t just limit yourself to your home. Bring your family somewhere that you can enjoy God’s creation.
Congregate with other brethren near you
If there are brethren near you, why not have services with them.
Share food and potlucks. Fellowship with them.
This pandemic does not restrict movement within or near cities. So, be with your brethren as much as possible.
Cook special food
Make dinners special. Remember, the three Fs of the Feast. Fellowship, Fun, and Food.
Set up a tent in your home
After all, this is the Feast of Booths. Tents would remind us of the temporary dwellings that we should be in during the Feast.
The tent would also be a great tool to teach your children about the Feast. If possible, don’t simply stay in your home. Find a temporary dwelling near you so you can still experience the physical meaning of the Feast.
Make the Feast special
You can buy flowers each day to add to your home.
Buy a new notebook for taking down notes during services.
Buy a new headphone or better internet connection to improve your online viewing experience.
You can invite brethren in your home as well.
You can buy gifts for the brethren.
Send them a message on Facebook or anywhere online.
Get connected with your friends through video or voice calls.
There are a lot of things you can do to keep the Feast.
Create a schedule
It is so easy to breeze through the eight days of the Feast.
That’s why it is important to have a schedule.
Make sure that you have activities for each time slot during the Feast. Look for ways to maximize each day.
You can plan like for the first day, it would be fellowship day with brethren. Second day would be visiting beautiful places in your area. Third day would be like eating out with family. Fourth day can be visiting brethren, and so on and so forth.
A schedule will guide you to what you need to do during the Feast.
Talk to your pastor about your needs, concerns, and questions
Since this is the first time for many of us to be keeping the feast during a pandemic, there might be some things that we are not yet too familiar with. The ministry is here to help.
Rejoice at the Feast!
Don’t let the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day become just another week. Let us remember that the Feast is a time of rejoicing. It isn’t a normal week.
Let’s read Deuteronomy 16:13-15:
“You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress.
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.
Rejoicing in the Feast isn’t optional. It is not something that we can choose or not.
The Bible clearly tells us that we should rejoice. Brethren, it is not just a request, but a command. That is one of the things that made the Feast really special.
Final words
Remember, this is a test for us. How you will keep the Feast will show to God whether you are really serious about keeping His commandments or not.
It will show whether we are just keeping the Feast when everything goes according to plan or not.
We are to keep the Feast properly whatever our present circumstances might be.
With that being said brethren, I pray that all of us are preparing for the Feast and may we all have a wonderful, uplifting, and most importantly, a profitable Feast.
