Seeking God Through the Fall Holidays

I keep trying to plan all this out in my notebook, but the blog is so much prettier -- so I'll just share here our chicken-scratch plan for celebrating the Fall Holidays of the LORD this year, as a means of seeking Him on His calendar.

We're just learning as we go, as we didn't grow up celebrating the LORD's feasts -- just many of the pagan ones turned Christian. I love the opportunity to celebrate the LORD's holidays in light of the revelation of Jesus the Messiah!

If you grew up celebrating the LORD's holidays, or have also made the transition to doing so, please share what you're doing with your family!

Sources

We're referencing 4 sources for learning about and celebrating the Fall Feast of the LORD. Each of these sources is excellent for expounding on the holidays named by the LORD God in Leviticus 23. Many of the ideas and information below come from these books.

• The Bible (Hebrew & Greek Scriptures) 
• A Family Guide to the Biblical Holidays by Robin Sampson and Linda Pierce
• Walk with Y'Shua Through the Jewish Year by Janie-sue Wertheim and Kathy Shapiro
• The Heart of Wisdom blog

The Calendar

These are the separate days in the feast, although some people may celebrate them on different days from what I've listed. All days begin at sundown the previous calendar day.

• Feast of Trumpets (Sept 29)
• Days of Teshuvah/Repentance (lasting Sept 29 to Oct 8)
• Yom Kippur/Atonement (Oct 8)
• Sukkot/Tabernacles (Oct 13)

Plans & Ideas for Celebrating the Holiday 

Feast of Trumpets

Our kids blowing the shofar

last year at our family's

Feast of Trumpets celebration.

This day is the first of the 7th Biblical month ( Tishri), referenced as a Day of Blowing Trumpets, or Yom Teruah in Hebrew. We will likely:

• Blow our shofar repeatedly in the evening:
• As worship to the LORD: "With Trumpets and sound of shofar make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King" Psalm 98:6
• As a call to repentance.
• Talk about Abraham binding Isaac for near sacrifice in Genesis 22:1-8
• The LORD provided a ram in Isaac's stead
• The ram's horn harkens toward the blowing
• Just as the ram displaced Isaac, Jesus/Yeshua became a sacrifice in our place for the remission of sins
• Have a dinner with some sweet foods, including honey and apples
• This day is also called Rosh Hoshana, the head of the year. 
• Eating sweet things is part of hoping the LORD will give us a sweet coming year, or at least bless us with the sweetness of His peace and presence, no matter what trials we face.

Days of Repentance

These are the 10 days between the Feast of Trumpets and through Yom Kippur.

•  These days are for righting wrongs, repenting, restoring relationships, and the like. I haven't taken this part seriously for about 7 years, and this year, I hope to write some letters in apology and the like.

The Day of Atonement

Image courtesy xtimeline

The Day of Atonement, historically, is the day the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem one time per year to offer atonement for the nation. As Jesus died on the cross on Passover, the curtain of the Temple ripped top to bottom: "And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost." (Luke 23:45-46) The way into the Holy of Holies was now open, through Jesus' sacrifice -- "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." (John 1:29)

• It is traditional to fast on this day as the Bible calls it a day to afflict your soul. I don't know if we will fast.
• It is definitely a day to celebrate the work of Jesus on the cross. I will talk with the kids about how the LORD provided atonement for us through what Jesus did for us. I will talk about the LORD's mercy on us, and how He has compassion on us in our weaknesses and sin. He is a merciful, forgiving God.
• This day is also associated with the Day of Judgment. It is a sobering reminder: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." (II Corinthians 5:10)
• It's also induces gratitude for those of us who confess and believe on the Lord Jesus: "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2)

Feast of Tabernacles

This feast is called Sukkoth (or Booths) in the Bible, as it is a time to build little shelters to remember how God took care of His people when they wandered in the desert those 40 years. It's a time to remember how He provides for us and takes care of our daily needs. It is also a reminder that our time here on earth is temporary, and we are looking forward to a city whose maker and builder is God.

Sukkah on wheels, Image courtesy Gramma's Book Barn

• We will build some sort of sukkah -- whether that's a tent made of sheets in our living room, or a little hut in our yard, I don't yet know. We will likely be in transition between this home and our next -- maybe we'll have no choice but to camp out!
• I plan to at least sing songs with the children in the sukkah. Hopefully we will also eat meals in there.
• I plan to present the story of the Hebrews' wandering in the wilderness 40 years, between when they left Egypt and entered the Promised Land. We have an Arch book on this topic.
• We'll also talk about the LORD's bountiful provision from the earth in the form of fruits, vegetables, and meat (our cows eat lots of grass so we can eat their meat).

Many believe Jesus was born around the 

Feast of Tabernacles, not December 25th on 

the birth of 4 false gods. Further, the magi 

likely didn't make it to the manger scene (but 

later, when Jesus was a "child"), but the 

Bible does say the shepherds were there.

Image courtesy zazzle.

Many people believe this holiday is when the LORD Jesus was born, in that "He came and tabernacled among us." I, personally, have no allegiance to the holiday of Christmas as celebrating His birth -- to me, it's more a national family time, and quite frankly for many, about gifts and food. December 25th is the birthday of 4 false gods. (Notably, the wise men -- probably several in a large caravan -- likely brought their three gifts long after Jesus' birth -- he was probably a toddler in Nazareth. For me, this is yet another reason not to just follow traditions but to search the Scriptures ourselves, just as the Bereans.)

• I plan to use the Feast of Tabernacles as an annual time to focus in on the Lord Jesus' birth as a babe -- personally and with my children.
• I've been continually reading children's books about His birth and will do so through the holiday.