“Now, the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall keep the festival of the Lord, lasting seven days… You shall live in booths for seven days; all who are native-born in Israel shall live in booths, so that your generations may know that I made the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” – Leviticus 23:39,42-43
On the evening of October 6, 2025, the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot will begin and last for one week. Sukkot means “booths” or “tabernacles”. Following instructions in Leviticus, Jewish people will spend the week in temporary shelters reminiscent of the shelters they lived in during the harvest time and the shelters they erected as they fled Egypt. It’s a joyous outdoor celebration of the harvest and God’s work.
Sukkot is one of the three holidays when Jews were supposed to go to the temple in Jerusalem. In John 7, Jesus follows this tradition and visits Jerusalem for this Festival of Tabernacles. It is here that Jesus says, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of water will flow from within them.” (By this he meant the Holy Spirit) – John 7:37-39
At Resurrection Church we have our own kind of harvest festival. We don’t move out to booths, but we do go outside to the Tharp farm for a joyous celebration, with popcorn and desserts, hayrides, pumpkin carving/painting, games, and the joy of being together to remember God’s blessings. Hope to see you there, Saturday, October 11 (the 5th day of Sukkot) from 2:00-5:00 pm at 14171 Jacob Ave.
Pastor Mark