Will This Be Your Best Feast Ever?

Have you ever come home from the Feast of Tabernacles and thought it could have been better? We wait all year to attend these special Holy Days only to feel like we wasted an opportunity to really make them special.

We have all been there. The good news is there is something we can do about it this year and every year going forward. Let’s look at four simple ways we can make this Feast of Tabernacles 2026 the best Feast ever!

But first, we need to understand something about the Feast.

Whose Feasts are these?

These are God’s feasts – not ours, not our parents’ or our church’s! 

“The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts” (Leviticus 23:2). 

God wants to share His feasts with us. He expects us to go to the Feast each year–to rejoice, to give offerings and to observe the holy convocations.  

Remember the example of Moses when he came to the burning bush? God spoke to him from the bush and told him to take his shoes off because the ground he was standing on was holy. This is just one example showing that God’s presence is what makes something holy. That’s right, God is attending the Feast with us every year! Make this the best Feast ever by going for the right reasons.

I heard someone say one time that they had the best Feast ever. I said “Oh yeah, why was that?” They began to go on for the next 30 minutes about all the golfing they did, the places they went to, the restaurants they ate in, the spa, the shopping. I think at the very end of the conversation they mentioned that they met some people at services.  
It sounded more like a vacation than a feast about God and His plan for humanity.  

While there is nothing wrong with having a good time, we need to make sure that the primary focus of the Feast is to worship God. With services every day, we get to hear over two months of messages in a week’s time. We are blessed to hear some of the best sermons, and we are in a concentrated area of like-minded brethren. So where should our minds be?

If we attend the Feast only for physical benefits and personal enjoyment, then we’ve missed the bigger purpose.  

God’s people save ten percent of their family’s financial increase each year to attend the Feast in one of the places God has chosen to place His name. 

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).  

We must ask ourselves, where is my heart? At the beach, the pool, sightseeing or spending time with friends? Are we focused on learning more about God and applying what we hear each day to our life now and back home? The answer to those questions can make all the difference.

Make the Feast about others  

The worst Feast I have ever had was when I only thought about myself. It was all about going sightseeing, or to the arcade, or dirtbike riding or just what I wanted to do. I told myself after that Feast that I never wanted to do that again. How about when doing those things, I could include others who don’t have that much second tithe to do those activities?

“Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:24-25,  
New Living Translation). 

Jesus taught that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and we should apply that to our Feast this year. If you want to have the best Feast ever, then make someone else’s Feast their best Feast ever.

You can do that by inviting someone to lunch or dinner, buying someone a coffee or a gelato and taking time to get to know someone who is hanging around by themselves. The Feast passes by incredibly fast. Look for opportunities to serve.

You might volunteer as an usher or greeter, help at the information table, assist elderly members, and help families with young children. You will get out of the Feast what you put into it!

Be responsible  

Did you have a part-time job this year or were you paid for certain things your parents asked you to accomplish? Did you save your own second tithe? God commands us to save 10 percent of our money and then spend it to rejoice at the Feast. 

“And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires” (Deuteronomy 14:26).  

We must be responsible with our money and our time. I don’t know about you, but getting to spend 10 percent of our increase from all year in just eight days adds up to a lot of money.  

Most people do not have unlimited resources. 

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?" (Luke 16:10-12, NLT).

God expects us to go to the Feast and have a good time, but He also expects us to be responsible and not overdo it. The Feast is an exciting time where we get to meet new people and rekindle old friendships. We need to be careful not to “burn the candle at both ends,” as they say. Remember, we are going to the Feast to learn about God, not to see how late we can stay up and not be able to stay awake in church the next morning!

This year I will be responsible by managing my feast funds wisely, getting adequate rest, balancing recreation with spiritual priorities, and making decisions that honor God.

Rejoice

The word rejoice in the Hebrew means to brighten up, be cheerful, joyful, glad and to be merry. The dictionary definition means to feel joy or great delight. It’s a word to describe great happiness and delight over something. “And you shall rejoice in your feast” (Deuteronomy 16:14). This is a command! Imagine that. God expects us to go to His Feast with great joy and delight. Go with the biggest smile on your face, knowing how blessed you are to know the truth! Rejoice this Feast, both in the physical and more importantly the spiritual.

If we want to have the best Feast ever, we need to:  

• Go to the Feast of Tabernacles for the right reasons.
• Make it someone else’s best Feast ever.
• Be responsible with our time and resources.
• Rejoice before God.

This will be the best Feast ever!  

Sal Cimino Jr. lives in Tampa, Florida, and attends UCG with his wife, Tina. He is the proud father of three grown children and cherishes every moment he can spend with his four grandchildren.