The Purpose of Feasting

Jul 06, 2023
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Faith communities often give a lot of attention to their ritual fasts. The flip side of these periods of repentance and reflection is typically a day or season of feasts. Both practices are valuable to the communities who observe them, and each feast typically has a particular purpose. In general, there are several reasons that churches engage in feasts.

Celebrate Blessings

So much of life is spent saving for a rainy day or practicing moderation. This is particularly true for people of faith, especially those who value humility and making sure that there is enough to go around for everyone. What may be surprising to many people is that feasting goes hand in hand with this concept.

A feast is what results when resources are plentiful and not squandered or wasted. Your whole faith community comes together to enjoy the fruits of your labors. The good things you have are meant to be shared with other people, and a feast gives you the opportunity to do so. It's a time to celebrate the abundance of God's blessings.

Build Community

One of the main purposes of any gathering is to fellowship and build community with those around you. A robust feast is a celebration for everyone your faith community reaches:

Current members - When you belong to a church, you may not get many chances to just hang out and enjoy the company of others on a regular basis. You work together on committees or volunteer projects, and you may sit together or chat briefly after services, but feast days give you time to actually get to know one another better.
Friends and family - A feast is a great time to invite loved ones who do not regularly attend your church to celebrate with you. Extended family, grandchildren, neighbors, and other people in your social circle are often welcome to attend.
Prospective members - A celebration is a great outreach opportunity. It gives people who may be considering joining your church a chance to see your community at its best.

Getting together to enjoy a meal is one of the simplest ways to build relationships. As you share your food, you also share your lives and get to know more about the people around you.

Reveal Possibilities

A feast often reveals not only the good that is in your faith community but also the good that is in the world. It is a time of reflection on the things that make life meaningful. It is also a chance to brainstorm ways to expand the things that are working so that they can have a positive impact on more people.

For example, through your conversations during the feast, you may meet people who are involved with the local homeless shelter to which your church regularly donates money and supplies. They can give you the inside scoop on what specific needs they have and how to get volunteers from your faith community involved. You can turn your already symbiotic relationship into a deeper partnership, allowing you to experience firsthand the aid that this organization gives to those in need in your city.

Feasts often involve an elaborate shared meal, but the celebration goes so much further than that. A feast season is a time to enjoy the blessings God has given you and your faith community. It is an opportunity to take a break from the worries and stressors in your everyday life and reflect on the good things that you have to be grateful for. Finally, it is a chance to show everyone around you the wonderful life of the church and spread hope for its future.

Comments:

Angel, Dr. Press/ Jedi Soul Therapist.

A — 5: 5: 5:

to provide meat victuals,

Luke 12:[33]Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

Luke 8:[55]And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.

Matthew 14:[15]And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.

Luke 3:[11]He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

Luke 9:[13]But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people.

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Pastor George Day

Is Lion Heart still here in the Monastery? I have been off for a while.

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Angel, Dr. Press/ Jedi Soul Therapist.

And provender to feed lamentation: Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute-players, and the crowd making a tumult. On his journeys : The common way of estimating distances in the East is by hours and days. This is natural in a country where roads are mere bridle paths or non-existent, as in the desert. The distance traveled must of course differ largely according to the difficulties of the way, and it is more important to know where night will overtake the traveler than the actual distance accomplished. A day's journey is now commonly reckoned at about 3 miles per hour, the distance usually covered by a loaded mule, the number of hours being about 8. Hence, a day's journey is about 24 miles, and this may be taken as a fair estimate for Bible times. After their journeys, they be almost and a flower it melted. Thy journey hath been with thee; thou hast lacked and of good courage, have discouraged and provender four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword loosed pillars Water or wetness; moisture or humidity in considerable degree. Wear thick shoes or pattens to keep your feet from the wet. before it was brought Rainy weather; foggy or misty weather. For me my mourning Be of good courage, to show oneself strong it is melted and to mourning for them: he clave I will ease fainteth. The city of the sun. Wailing. Them from destroying shall utterly.

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