Sacred Gathering 神圣的聚集

[Dexu Xia]

Sacred Gathering

Rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. Leviticus 23:40

Our group of friends reunited for a long weekend together on the shores of a beautiful lake. The days were spent playing in the water and sharing meals, but it was the evening conversations I treasured the most. As darkness fell, our hearts opened to one another with uncommon depth and vulnerability, sharing the pains of faltering marriages and the aftermath of trauma some of our children were enduring. Without glossing over the brokenness of our realities, we pointed one another to God and His faithfulness throughout such extreme difficulties. Those evenings are among the most sacred in my life. 

I imagine those nights are similar to what God intended when He instructed His people to gather each year for the Festival of Tabernacles. This feast, like many others, required the Israelites to travel to Jerusalem. Once they arrived, God instructed His people to gather together in worship and to “do no regular work” for the duration of the feast—about a week! (Leviticus 23:35). The Festival of Tabernacles celebrated God’s provision and commemorated their time in the wilderness after leaving Egypt (vv. 42–43). 

This gathering cemented the Israelites’ sense of identity as God’s people and proclaimed His goodness despite their collective and individual hardships. When we gather with those we love to recall God’s provision and presence in our lives, we too are strengthened in faith.  

Who can you gather with for worship and encouragement? How has your faith been strengthened in community with others?

Father God, thank You for the people You’ve put in my life. Please help us to encourage one another.

神圣的聚集

在耶和华你们的上帝面前欢乐七日。—利未记23章40节

我们一群朋友在美丽的湖畔度过一个长周末。这几天我们一起玩水，一起吃饭，但我最珍惜的是大家在夜晚的谈话。当夜幕低垂时，我们彼此畅谈内心深处的软弱与无助，分享了在婚姻中跌跌撞撞的痛苦，以及孩子们受到创伤的后遗症。我们都重视彼此在现实生活中所遭遇的困境，给予对方安慰、关怀，也互相提醒要信靠上帝和祂的信实以度过这些难关。这些值得怀念的夜晚，对我的生命来说是很神圣的。

我觉得那些夜晚和朋友们的相聚，与上帝指示祂的子民每年要聚集过住棚节的目的类似。如同其他以色列的节日，以色列人要前往耶路撒冷过住棚节。他们到达后，就会按照上帝的指示，与其他上帝的子民聚集在一起敬拜，并在过节期间（大约一周）“什么劳碌的工都不可做”（利未记23章35节）。住棚节是欢庆上帝的供应，并纪念他们离开埃及在旷野漂流的日子（42-43节）。

住棚节的聚集巩固了以色列人作为上帝子民的认同感，让他们在面对个人和群体的苦难时，仍能宣告上帝的良善。当我们与至亲好友聚集时，大家一同回想上帝在我们生命中的供应与同在，我们的信心也会因此愈发坚定。

天父上帝，感谢祢带领许多人进入我的生命中，求祢帮助我们能彼此激励。

你可以和谁相聚，一起敬拜上帝和彼此鼓励？
你的信心如何在教会中得到坚固呢?