I recently joined my extended family, my mother and father, grandfather, my kids and (of course) my husband, in attending the feast of tabernacles, celebrating the coming kingdom of god. This was an extraordinary experience and we’d all been looking forward to it for months. The assembly was in Boston, and although we all live in Boston, we still stayed in a downtown hotel for the duration. The reason for doing so is that it’s customary for members of my church to stay in “tabernacles,” which is another way of saying that we are to reside in temporary quarters for the duration. It was one of only 50 such gatherings in the world, and although we’d been to an earlier festival very close to home a few months prior, this Boston location was one of only 50 such annual gatherings in the world.
The festival is eight days in duration and heavily emphasizes the importance of family, as well as the kingdom of heaven and all it represents. The church rented the conference center in the hotel, so we didn’t have to leave the premises for the entire time. We started every day off with a church service, just the thing to remind us of why we were there and fill us with the inspiration to carry us through a day that would be filled with spiritual enrichment. During the remainder of the day, we would attended sermons and discussions, talking about Jesus’ message about the kingdom of god. We reviewed ways to prevent sinning in our everyday lives and ways to live our Christian lives according to God’s law. We shared meals together and talked about what it would be like to live in the kingdom of god. In the evenings, many of us would gather together with the children and tell Bible stories like the tales of Sarah, Abraham, Mary and Martha. The kids would listen with a rapt look on their faces as they learned many lessons about the kingdom of heaven through the experiences of these biblical figures.
For someone who doesn’t believe in the kingdom of god, it can be difficult to understand why the feast of tabernacles is so important. For the people who belong to my church, Jesus’ teachings that the kingdom of god will arrive some day is a key element in our faith and the Festival represents a fulfillment of that prophesy. The eight day duration allows us to engage in lengthy discussions and daily sermons. Whether telling Bible stories, discussing the kingdom of heaven, interacting with an extended congregation or just enjoying the warmth of an extended family experience, the Festival is something to look forward to every year and embodies the coming of God’s Holy Spirit.
Next year, Cameroon has been chosen to be one of the feast of tabernacles sites and there’s talk that we may all be able to go. That will be the experience of a lifetime.
