Sukkot 2014

It's hard to believe that Sukkot (also known as the Feast of Tabernacles) has once again come and gone.  This year it fell during the week of Oct. 8-15.  As a family who has worshipped with a believing (Messianic) Jewish congregation we have come to appreciate the biblical feasts and what they can teach us today.  Because these are celebrations designed and given by God they reveal so much about His nature, character, and ultimate plan of salvation in His Son Jesus. You can read a little more about the Feast of Tabernacles here.

This year we had one family meal in our Sukkah-- a grand lunch of pizza and cupcakes!

 Tom was really excited about it!

Little Mama approved

The boys were too busy eating to notice any picture taking

 

Not sure what this was all about....

Still busy eating!

Tom reading a passage of scripture from his iPhone

This year Tom discussed with us the three main feasts God commanded the Israelites to observe: Passover (Feast of Unleavened Bread), Shavuot (Feast of Weeks) and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).  Christ can be seen in each one and for Sukkot it is the coming of Christ to dwell among us in a physical body: "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14), the word "dwelt" here meaning "to fix one's tabernacle" or simply "tabernacle" among us--just as in the Old Testament the Spirit of the Lord dwelt among Israel in the Tabernacle in the desert.  We know from Scripture that the birth of Jesus occurred at the time of Sukkot bringing home the fact that He was "fixing His tabernacle" among us.  Tom went on to explain how each believer now is a tabernacle for the Holy Spirit to dwell in and because of this we want to be very careful about what we do with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:15-20).  It was a great time of learning!

The next day the children decorated the Sukkah with Christmas lights and paper chains. They also hosted a next door neighbor in our Sukkah for some chess and board games. They had a great time!

Our Sukkah looked inviting in the evening!

The Feast of Tabernacles was especially meaningful to our family this year as we are learning once again that security and refuge are found only in Christ and He is adequate to be a covering for us.  Family, church, and friends are all part of "community", something God has provided for our benefit. Yet in a fallen world these things quite often fall short or even end up hurting us as they do not function as God originally intended.  God has been faithful in consistently showing us that regardless of what is happening around us He is adequate covering and provision for us.  The believer is never in want!  No family?  God is our Father and Brother.  No church home? God is our home.  No friends? God is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.  When Israel lived in fragile tents out in the desert for 40 years surrounded by enemies and wild animals God was their covering and He was enough.  It's the same today for everyone trusting in Him.

Resources:

Why Christians Celebrate Biblical Holidays

Finding Refuge (Sukkot)

10 Ways to Rejoice at Sukkot