October: A Festival of Peace! Keeping the Feast. Update.

 

For "Scripture Sunday:"

A Festival of Peace!

"If you’ve never heard of the Feast of Tabernacles, you should. It’s mentioned in both the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures of the Word of God.

Ancient Israel kept it, as did Jesus Christ, His disciples and the early New Testament Church. It’s still kept today, by people who know that only the Creator Himself can bring true peace—and that this He will do—and soon!

Peace! It’s the eternal dream of humanity. Everyone says they want it; yet no one can really find it. The 20th century was the bloodiest 100 years in human history, with estimates of war dead ranging between 150 and 200 million human beings! Some died in the two world wars; others, in conflicts between nations; and still others, in internal strife and oppressive actions by bad governments.

Since the 1940s, humanity has had to live with the most horrifying of threats: first the atomic bomb, then the hydrogen bomb, and later biological and chemical weapons. And as we move through the early stages of the 21st century, these threats are even more real, with fears that such weapons of mass destruction may fall into the hands not just of rogue states, but even of terrorists and nongovernmental organizations.

Everyone says they want peace, yet no one is able to get us there. We greet each other with phrases that conjure peace: “Salaam alaikum!” “Shalom!” “Peace!” Negotiators attempt to bring long-sought peace to places where conflicts simmer and sometimes boil over, like the Middle East, parts of Africa and Latin America. Sometimes a temporary calm sets in, only to erupt in bloody conflict at a later date.

“Wars and rumors of wars” is a phrase aptly coined by Jesus Christ to characterize our age. Yet in the midst of these wars and rumors of wars, there is hope—real hope—for true, lasting peace. It’s symbolized in an eight-day festival described in the pages of the Bible.

Right around this time of the year, thousands of people will pack their bags and travel away from their homes for a celebration that foreshadows a time of real peace. That celebration is the biblical Festival of Tabernacles! This year the Feast will begin on the evening of Oct. 8 and ends on Oct. 16.  These folks—ordinary folks from all walks of life—will congregate at many sites around the world for eight wonderful days that look forward to a time of real peace that is sure to come. They will worship God, listen to biblical discourses about the peaceful Millennium and enjoy time spent with family and friends. It’s a time for rejoicing—not just for a religious vacation, but because of what it means and what it points to. Those who go to the Feast declare by their actions that they look forward to that time of God-given peace: the reign of God on earth, the Kingdom of God.

“The way to peace they know not” is what the prophet Isaiah foretold. Centuries ago, he was right on the button! Humanity cannot, and will not, bring true, lasting peace to this war-weary world.

But God can and will. He will send His Son back to this earth, to usher in a time of joy and peace for all. This is all depicted in the Feast of Tabernacles, a wonderful foretaste of what’s to come.

Peace! Paz! Shalom! Salaam alaikum! It’s really coming!

For Life, Hope & Truth, I’m Ralph Levy." From: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/speaking-of/a-festival-of-peace/ 

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Celebrating With Jesus This Month

Source: Photos.com

"As a Christian, one who is dedicated to following Jesus Christ, I want to observe, do and emulate the things He did. Not the least of these things are the days that Jesus observed. For starters, every week Jesus kept the Sabbath day, which no one denies falls on Saturday, the seventh day of the week. But Christ also kept the Feasts of the Lord that are mentioned throughout the Bible. To begin with, they're all listed in the 23rd chapter of Leviticus. The names of these Feasts of the Lord are all listed, along with the date of their observance.

Here's where it begins:

"And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: " The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts"'" (Leviticus:23:1-2 , emphasis added).

These observances weren't limited to any ethnicity. Rather their authority proceeds from the Lord God, who takes ownership of them.

First God tells His people about the weekly Sabbath festival:

"Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings" (Leviticus:23:3).

Next it goes to the festivals that Jesus, along with the apostles and the early Church, kept without any question throughout His life:

· The Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread
· The Feast of Weeks (called Pentecost in the New Testament)
· The Feast of Trumpets
· The Day of Atonement
· The Feast of Tabernacles
· The Eighth Day

These are the days observed by the early New Testament Church both in Judea and everywhere else. They are days of observed without question in Corinth, far away from Jerusalem and the Jews. These are the days that I and the rest of the United Church of God faithfully observe."    More at: http://www.ucg.org/blog/celebrating-with-jesus-this-month/  by Victor Kubik

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Update:

Jay and I are still working on the extension to the storeroom, and it is coming along slowly.  We only work at it a couple of hours a day, but now that it is getting cooler, we might be able to do more, although it is in the shade.  Ray's back is still giving him a lot of trouble, so he hasn't been able to do much.

Jay and I went to church for The Feast of Atonement and on Saturday for the regular Sabbath.  We enjoyed good service and the readings were Deut. 16:18-21:9, and Isa.51:12-52:12.  The Teaching was about The Day of Atonement. It's central themes are atonement and repentance. "For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before God” (Leviticus 16:30).

"This shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year."—Leviticus 16:34.

"Who doesn’t have something for which they need to atone, someone with whom they need to reconcile, something for which they need forgiveness, or someone they need to forgive?" From:   http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/10/03/five-reasons-why-can-all-appreciate-yom-kippur-jewish-day-atonement/

The potluck was great as usual, and we all enjoyed the fellowship in the dining hall. 

Some folks go strictly by the Bible and fast the way that Jesus and the Disciples did it, and fast for 25 hours.  Some from our congregation stayed there until sunset to be together when it started, and then went to their homes to continue the fast.  We didn't stay as I had to get back to let BigGirl my foster dog, out.

For a change, we didn't have to have the AC on today!