Numbers 28 & 29 - A Rhythm of Celebrations & Holy Gatherings
Last time I read through Numbers 28 & 29, I had similar thoughts to today's reading - Do we have a rhythm of celebrations & holy gatherings in the church? We meet regularly on Sundays to worship God; We have Christmas celebrations and recognize Holy week; But do we really have a rhythm? What if we changed how we behaved as church such that our main gatherings were for specific celebrations and purposes and Sundays became times for small group Bible studies or for individuals to come into the worship space to worship solemnly and individually? Do I sound too Catholic? Would this work better in our culture?
Imagine having everyone in a Christian community commit to going camping for 8-days (Festival of Tabernacles) and during that time we shared the blessings that God had given us the previous year? Imagine the whole Christian community stopping everything for one day to fast and to repent (Day of Atonement), not only for our individual sins, but the broader communities as a whole? What if we set aside days not to not work, but rather to do different work?
I'm not suggesting we go back to celebrating the Jewish holiday which Jesus fulfilled, but rather I'm wondering if we need to celebrate and honor holidays more as a family, rather than as many mini-families celebrating on the same day, but not together? I am wondering how a rhythm of community acting as one in repenting or celebrating would impact the culture around us and perhaps even attract non-believers to our midst?
This is just a brainstorm... a serious of "what-ifs," but What if?
Imagine having everyone in a Christian community commit to going camping for 8-days (Festival of Tabernacles) and during that time we shared the blessings that God had given us the previous year? Imagine the whole Christian community stopping everything for one day to fast and to repent (Day of Atonement), not only for our individual sins, but the broader communities as a whole? What if we set aside days not to not work, but rather to do different work?
I'm not suggesting we go back to celebrating the Jewish holiday which Jesus fulfilled, but rather I'm wondering if we need to celebrate and honor holidays more as a family, rather than as many mini-families celebrating on the same day, but not together? I am wondering how a rhythm of community acting as one in repenting or celebrating would impact the culture around us and perhaps even attract non-believers to our midst?
This is just a brainstorm... a serious of "what-ifs," but What if?
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