The Feast of Tabernacles is the pinnacle celebration of God's Holy Day season for most of us.
We anticipate traveling perhaps hundreds of miles to hear God's truth taught to us. Many of us start to plan for the next Feast shortly after keeping the current Feast. A tradition in our household is to get the suitcases out of the attic the day after Trumpets. Then, the packing begins.
We start setting aside clothing items that we want to take with us. Our suits and dresses are dry-cleaned so they will look their best. Items such as our toothbrush and comb are essential for daily preparation. What we pack to appear before our Father on His Holy Days is important. However, our spiritual preparation and our conduct during the Feast are much more important.
There is one item that can help remind us that we are preparing to be kings and priests for the coming Kingdom of God. Socks. Yes, remembering the five-letter word SOCKS can be an important key to keeping the Feast.
Study. The Feast is a training seminar for God's truth. Those speaking at the Feast have spent much time and prayer in preparation for their messages. We should plan to use these eight days to also spend time in additional study. Take the time to study scriptures about the Kingdom and Millennium.
Review the messages taught each day. If a particular sermonette or sermon strikes an interest, spend time studying the topic further in personal study. Maybe purchase a special study resource that you can take with you. Leave time for studying, as 2 Timothy 2:15 says we should "be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
Outlook. Our outlook on the Feast should be much more than that of a vacation. While work and life often become hectic prior to the Feast because of distractions initiated by Satan, we should do our best not to come to the Feast worn out and exhausted. We should try to focus on the great hope that mankind has because of God's mercy in sending Jesus Christ back to the earth to establish His Kingdom. We need to strive to live righteously so we can be an instrumental part of the Kingdom.
If we are Kingdom-focused, it should help us keep the Feast with a positive attitude. God commands us to rejoice at His Feast in Deuteronomy 14:26. Our citizenship is in heaven and we should constantly strive to focus on God's Kingdom (Philippians 3:13 to 4:1).
Conduct. Our daily conduct before, during and after the Feast is extremely important. We should strive to live in a Christ-like manner. Do we maintain our patience at restaurants when service may not be quite to our liking? Are we still courteous and thankful? Remember that we are witnesses of God's Kingdom as we strive to set an example every day. "Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ," as Philippians 1:27 reads. With God's help we are to purify ourselves with godly character so that we can be servants in the Kingdom (Hebrews 13:20-21).
Knee time. Prayer is important every day of our lives, but especially during the Feast. This is our communication with our Father. We should be striving to become closer to Him during His Holy Days.
We should pray for the safety of the brethren. We should pray for those planning and serving at the Feast site. Thank God for their sacrifice of time and energy since we are probably benefiting from it in some way. Pray for those on the speaking schedule, including the song leaders and those performing special music. Reflect upon the words of the songs and how they relate to the messages. Pray for guidance, friendliness and openness in your fellowship.
Pray for an open mind that will hear the messages and not wander to the afternoon activities. Our focus at the Feast should be to learn God's truth which can only be learned through the help of God's Holy Spirit. We should stir up that Spirit through dedicated prayer. We should have much to talk about with our Father during this time. Our prayers ascend to God's throne like incense (Revelation 5:8).
Serve. Make the opportunity to serve in some way at the Feast. Many tasks are required at each location for the site to run smoothly. Volunteering before the Feast helps the coordinators plan more efficiently. Serving can involve ushering, parking, handicap assistance, counting the offering, singing in the choir, working on the sound crew or setting up.
However, if you are unable to serve physically, spiritual service is vital to the Feast's success also. Prayer and fellowship are service also. Share time with a new family or widow. Send a card or gift to those who must remain at home. Christ wants us to learn to serve. Re-read Matthew 25:31-40 before the Feast.
The first letter in each of the above points spells the acronym SOCKS. We all pack at least one pair of socks when we travel to the Feast. As you prepare for this year's Feast, let this simple item be a reminder of the tremendous responsibility we have to prepare as the firstfruits for the Kingdom of God. UN
