Feasting on Joy

It is the last day of Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles), and I am in a reflective mood.

"Live in booths for seven days... do your descendants will know that I had Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 23:42-43)

"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands... while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened...  We live by faith, not by sight.  We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body, and at home with the Lord.  So we make it our gal to please him, whether we are at home n the body or away from it." (2 Corinthians 5:1, 4, 7-9)

In regards to the sukkah (the booth)... This is the point:  All this, too, shall pass.  Hold lightly the things of this world - possessions, ability, achievements, disappointments, even grief - for all these things are temporary.  they will pass with our "earthly tent" and this world as we know it.  All these things will be replaced by joy (2 Cor. 5)!  Certainly the rituals of the daily grind happen in the sukkah like they do in the house - meals, gatherings, cleaning, rest... What sets it apart is the reminder that our surroundings (mind-numbing-and-at-the-same-time-overwhelming circumstances, day-in-and-day-out-life, never-quite-belonging-context, my-world-versus-your-world) are temporary, and in that context we are to find joy through thanksgiving.

Have you ever asked God, "Exactly what do you have in mind for me in this place?"  That question generally appears when you are in a place of seemingly aimless wandering.  You see God.  You don't doubt Him, but when you look around the immediate present of your life you realize that you are in a desolate and difficult place with no hope of purpose.  Isn't that the situation of the Israelites in the desert... for 40 years?!

And so enters the significance of Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles).

"... after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival of the Lord for seven days...  rejoice before the Lord for seven days..." (Leviticus 23:39-40)

"Be joyful at your Feast - you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns (ahem... EVERYONE).  For seven days celebrate the Feast to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will choose.  For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete." (Deuteronomy 16:14-15)

The whole concept of God choosing the place of worship is quite thought provoking.  The design of the tabernacle is to be assembled for atonement and thanksgiving wherever God has placed the worshiper.  It wasn't always on a mountaintop with a breathtaking view of the world around you.  Most times He calls for the tabernacle to be raised in the sweaty grit of suffocating reality... and to be joyous...  How can that be possible?

There is something in finishing a period of hard work - to stop and assess the work that has happened, and the blessings that God has brought therein.  Stop.  Take stock. Give thanks.  There is more than one kind of harvest. Seek the Lord for the ability to see it.  He promises that whoever seeks after Him will find (Matthew 7:7-8)!

Even beyond the grace of the immediate present, don't forget to cast your thoughts to the past.  What has God redeemed you from and for?  What were the miracles God has already done?  If you are nearsighted in this area, you will be short sighted for the future.  Look for God's hand in generations past, even.  Celebrate His work in others' lives.  Don't stop after one or two occasions of God's greatness - keep going!  After all, Sukkot is supposed to be a time of joy!  What more effective way to be filled with joy than to have your remembrances filled to overflowing with the goodness - the GREATNESS - of God?!

Sounds of the Season

At this time of year you might expect that the "sounds of the season" might be the Salvation Army bell, the dying battery-powered music of the Christmas aisles, and strategic conversations of navigating the seasonal sales. While the spirit of the season lives strong in my heart, the sounds (moreover, the season) are much different.

"Do you think we need our jackets today?" This is just plain funny since we're getting daily reports of how many inches of snow there are in the Midwest.

"Maybe it will rain sometime this week!" I think I've previously mentioned how we have that tingle in our stomachs as though we're anticipating a fresh snowfall at the beginning of the season. Russell has a Looney Toons umbrella, and he's only been able to use it once now. Let me restate that: He's used it more than once, but it was only necessary to use once.

"Oi!" Russell has been using this exclusively for anything that requires effort or has surprised him.

"How do you say that?" Is it lach or lecha or leho or lee? Is it tsarich or tsricha? Why does the word for urgent sound so foolish? Does it have to sound like I'm using vulgar language in English when I talk about Marshall eating?

"This is difficult for me to hear." As we progress in ulpan (in both language and relationships with classmates), we are asked to explain why we moved here if we are not Jewish. This is a relatively safe environment to share our hearts with them, as long as our words are seasoned with much grace. We mostly get two reactions. The first is "So you're with Jews for Jesus?" and the second is "This is difficult for me to hear." As we hear their stories, we've learned that so many Jewish people have been aggressively pursued by a well-meaning organization to the point of harrassment. They are tired. When a conversation opens up with us and they are assured that we are NOT with that organization, they inquire more about the local Messianic Jewish people. Many of our classmates have come to an religious Jewish experience rather recently (as opposed to being secular), so it's difficult for them to have embraced their religious heritage and to consider "abandoning" that heritage. It is a constant struggle to explain that Messianics don't abandon anything, but rather find fulfillment in Jesus - He is the fulfillment of so many of their prophecies! It is my prayer that God will convince them because we can't. They have grown up believing that if you believe in Jesus you necessarily abandon everything you were. In one sense that is true: To die to self is to gain Christ. However, in Christ we are made "complete" - not ripped in half.

So the season I write about is not a holiday season, but a season of adaptation and preparation. Our ears and hearts are wide open and receptive to the lessons we are confident God will pour into us. May the sounds of this season be reflective of hearts that are following after God.