The Feast of Tabernacles offers a unique opportunity to do concentrated study, worship and fellowship. It is sometimes like trying to drink from a fire hose, though. Hopefully, you put some into some buckets (sermon and study notes) to get back to later.
It usually takes me a while to mentally go over what I’ve learned each year. I like to ask myself some questions:
1. What sermon impacted me the most and why?
2. What Bible study topic impacted me the most and why?
3. What event outside of services was the most memorable? What can I do to keep the memory alive?
4. What person impacted me the most on a personal level? Is there something I should act upon as a result?
Hopefully, these questions can help you in your post-Feast endeavors as well. Is there anything you would like to share as a way to take a bit of the Feast with you mentally, spiritually or emotionally?
1. The final sermon on the 8th Day – given by Clyde Kilough, and all about repentance. This year's events in UCG almost gave it the feel of Eddie Long's remarks last Sunday.
2. A side study I did on grace, in light of….
3. A song about grace being vetoed for a Senior Brunch at the last minute. I've posted the full story on this matter elsewhere.
4. I met a young woman at the Feast (a name many readers probably would recognize) who struck this single guy as the "total package" – fascinating background, intelligent, godly, talented and attractive. But act on all that?! Ooh boy, that's getting personal…. :-O
@Richard: Not sure what to make of some of that. I've heard neither sermon (Long's or Kilough's), but others seem to have quite a positive take on Clyde Kilough's sermon.
A song about grace? Amazing Grace? If so, I thought that was an "approved" song. Which blog is the article on?
All in all, the Clyde Kilough sermon was good and on target.
What I mean is: this was his biggest public comment since his (forced) resignation last spring. The placing of his sermon at the end of the Festival only fed the fuel of those who consider UCG's events a soap opera.
The fact that a good deal of applause broke out at the end of the sermon tells me others were thinking the same way.
(But wait till other COG's find out who spoke BEFORE that sermon – potentially controversial.)
Yup, I was barred from singing the Chris Tomlin version of "Amazing Grace." The details are posted on a mostly-private COG forum. E-mail me and I'll lead you there.