Twelve ingredients for a great faith festival

Come together

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate.  Nehemiah 7:73 – 8:1

Gather together in one place at one time. Make the effort. Go out of your way. Do all that you can to be there. There is power in unity.

Sort out priorities

They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.  Nehemiah 8:1

Be clear why you’re all there. To seek God. To put God first. At the centre of the gathering. That is what you have come for. To hear from God.

Make the most of the time

He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.  Nehemiah 8:3

Seize the opportunity to listen and learn. Focus. Pay attention. Don’t get distracted. Desire to learn about God and hear from him.

Set the scene

Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion………Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up.  Nehemiah 8:4-5

Everyone needs to be able to see and to hear. This is important. Prepare the setting. Sort out the stage. Get the sound system right.

Be ready to be led in praise and worship

Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.  Nehemiah 8:6

Take time to remember how great God is. Lift your hands if you want to…..or bow down – if it is a natural response to what is going on inside – and don’t worry about what anyone else is thinking or doing.

Make sure the teaching is spot on

The Levites read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read. Nehemiah 8:8

If we are hungry to learn, then we have to be well fed. With Bible-based teaching that is explained well and applied to our context and lives.

Don’t let the significance be lost

“This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.”  Nehemiah 8:9

This day is holy. This place is holy. Because where we are gathered in His name, God is there. God is ready to speak. This is holy ground. Yes, it will be emotional; you’ll have an emotional response. But don’t get distracted by the emotion; don’t get caught up in it. You are here to hear from God.

Celebrate with food and drink

Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks….   Nehemiah 8:10

Mmmmmm…..festival food…..you can’t beat it. Eating together is a great way to celebrate.

Share

Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared.  Nehemiah 8:10

Don’t be selfish. Open your eyes to the needs of the people around you. Be generous. You are all in this together.

Find joy and peace in the presence of God

‘This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ The Levites calmed all the people, saying, ‘Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.’

This is interesting. I’ve always hated the line in that song that says ‘and in his presence, all our problems disappear’……but this is kind of what it is saying here. When we stand in the presence of God, we can find a glimpse of joy in our sorrow and a glimpse of peace in our anxiety. Our problems have not disappeared. But in this moment, our soul can rest in God; there is a holy respite.

Get away together

They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month.  Nehemiah 8:14

Being away from home together changes perspective. Camping certainly does!

Stay focused

Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God.  Nehemiah 8:18

This is a great opportunity to hear from God. Don’t waste it.

Conclusion

Getting away to a Christian festival is great. We had many memorable times at Spring Harvest and more recently, at Greenbelt. But these opportunities are few and far between. So how can we apply this to our regular services and gatherings and house group meetings? How can we seek out and attend events where the worship is authentic and the teaching meaningful? What can we take from this example?