Can I Get A Little Party Noise?

Celebrate Heaven on Earth during SUKKOT!

Do you need some high quality H20, as the “Water Boy” would say? Do you feel cranky? Are you worrying about “stuff?” When was the last time you went on a nature walk? How long has it been since you have picked up a glass of water, taken a sip and sighed, “Ahh... That’s some good stuff!” (My 3 year old nephew Jake did that a while ago, and I was rolling on the floor in laughter! You see… kids GET this kingdom stuff better than us at times!)

Ladies and Gentlemen: The dry season is over. It is our blessed new year! God has been good to us. He has taught us love a new. We are refreshed by His grace. Sukkot – Tabernacles/Booths – (ending in the sacred assembly; Leviticus 23:33-44) is the finale of the feasts which begin the spiritual New Year. For the last week the people of God were called to remember. The shofar had been blown, and the Days of Awe are a recent memory. God has judged, and we are forgiven by the blood of the lamb, Jesus the anointed One from Nazareth. We took time to confess, reconcile and set spiritual goals for the New Year. Yom Kippur, once again, is a year away. Sukkot is simply the ending, which interestingly enough, points back to the beginning. Sukkot is about remembrance regarding the care that was given to the Hebrew people during the 40 years in the wilderness. Delivered from their oppressive enemies, God provided for the Hebrew people. They lived in booths, ate manna and were filled with the complete law of the Lord.

Taking hold of this final holiday of the New Year, we engage with open hearts. We enter His gates with praise. We declare Him as our Good Shepherd. This is a time where we celebrate God’s provision. He has given us a plentiful harvest. He has given us water, and His son is the source of true, Living Water. Literally, we are made aware that we are well fed and we are given the opportunity to praise God for His rich blessings. He has given us food and a roof over our heads. This feast was to commemorate the time when the Hebrews lived in booths. For one week (after the harvest season beginning on the 15th day of Tishri), the Jewish nation was asked to bust out their ‘ole tents, and embody the posture of gratefulness. This festival was also about the future Promised Land and the produce that was given to them in the land of Canaan.

Our God has always been a good God, shepherding His people, moving them from bondage to liberation. He has clearly given us laws and precepts that directly reflect his holy character, and has given us the ability to choose life so that we may experience the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. When I think about the transition within these sacred holidays, I am stunned and humbled at the amount of love our God has for us, his beloved children.

This festival is the most widely anticipated of the feasts because of its sole purpose: To REJOICE! For an entire week, Adonai’s people intensely worshiped. They cried out, “Lord, Save Us! (Hosanna – http://www.followtherabbi.com/ has some good reading material on Sukkot titled: The Joy of Living Water: Jesus and the feast of Sukkot)! A rabbi once said, "Whoever has not seen Sukkot has not witnessed real joy." (Sukkot is also mentioned in Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Nehemiah, 2 Chronicles and the Gospel of John, along with a pivotal historical moment under the Maccabean revolt, which inaugurated the holiday, Hanukah) This was an intimate time of the year when the people begged God for rain and for political freedom as well. To give us a vague picture of these worship gatherings (for that was what they were: a gathering of family members worshiping before their Provider), people came back to their tents at night and physically crashed due to exhaustion. This was a highly emotional worship experience beyond singing a few contemporary praise songs. This was a full out, worship extravaganza!!!!

Sukkot begins this week. Hmm… God’s people rejoicing beyond imagination… what might that look like? Take some time this week and reflect on the goodness of the land. Thank God for the trees, open skies, lakes, rivers, mountains, vast seas, birds, dogs, and even cats. Thank him for cattle, fruit, veggies and the organic, fair trade coffee one can purchase at the LOFT Coffee House. Celebrate His holy Name. Remember where your “stuff” came from, and put the rest of your “stuff” into perspective. Hug your child a little longer, and thank God that He has given us fresh water to take our precious showers. Otherwise, you might not want to hold your kid that long. When you walk outside and take a deep breath, know that you are in the house of the Lord – The Temple Beth – El! Thank Him for the celebration that is already becoming… heaven on earth! HERE ANDD NOW! FOREVER… “I’M GONNA DANCE IN THE RIVER, YA…” (Chris Tomlin put into some serious, celebratory context! Amen, brotha’ Chris!)

Thanks be to Jesus, the source of Living Water!

Peace
Ryan