A Look Inside: Have you ever wondered how Christians can celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles with kids? Be inspired to start a new family tradition! Read along to learn what this fall feast is about and why Christians Celebrate Feast of Tabernacles today.
As a Christian, have you ever thought about celebrating the festivals described in the Old Testament?
They are still celebrated by people of the Jewish faith today and are marked in our calendars, but have you ever looked into them deeper as Jesus followers? Did you know that Jesus went to the Feast of Tabernacles in John 7?
Growing up in the church I hadn’t heard much about these or celebrated them myself, but after a few years of reading and studying the Old Testament, my heart was drawn to the beauty and purpose of these beautiful festivals.
>>Don’t miss our Feast of Tabernacles for Kids Printables!
If you’re new to learning about God’s appointed Festivals, you will find God telling Moses about them in Leviticus 23.
“So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed Festivals of the Lord.” ~Leviticus 23:44 NIV
or
“Moses posted the calendar for the annual feasts of God which Israel was to celebrate.” ~Leviticus 23:44 MSG
“God’s calendar”….I just love the sound of that.
God reveals so much about Himself in each one of His festivals.
They are meant to point us to God’s mercy and goodness. They remind us, as well, of hope for the future.
What is the Fall Feast in the Bible?
The fall feast in the Bible is The Feast of Booths/Tabernacles.
The Feast of Tabernacles is also known as the Festival of Sukkot.
Not only is Sukkot/Booths one of the most joyous of the seven annual festivals, it happens to fall during one of the most beautiful times of the year (especially where we are in the midwest)! All the leaves are changing and we get to witness the farmer’s harvest of their crops all around us.
Let’s define some terms:
Tabernacles: a meeting place for worship.
Booths: a small temporary structure (Hebrew: Sukkot)
It’s God’s desire to dwell with His people and be their shelter.
When is The Feast of Tabernacles 2023?
The Feast of Tabernacles begins at sundown on September 29, 2023 and goes until nightfall on October 6, 2023.
As Christians remembering this Old Testament festival, we will choose a day that works for us to celebrate around this time.
Should Christians Celebrate Feast of Tabernacles?
Since The Old Testament is a very important part of the Christian faith, Christians could definitely celebrate and remember the Feast of Tabernacles.
It’s incredibly important for Christian parents to bring the Bible to life for our kids! Any way that we can celebrate, teach, and get our kids excited about the history God gave us is an important part of guiding our kids.
>>Find more intentional Christian parenting ideas here.
Honoring the Old Testament stories, Jesus’ life, or the beginning of the church is important to include throughout the year. This helps our kids see the importance of the Bible and to develop a deeper connection with their faith.
It’s also just fun to celebrate and start new traditions!
How Christians Can Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles with Kids
Here’s how our group of friends decided to celebrate and remember…
We gathered out at a friend’s farm, made our “temporary dwelling”, and sat around a picnic table as we shared the story of the Feast of Booths/Tabernacles with our children.
We told the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt back to the Promised Land and how they got held up in the Wilderness for 40 years (due to a loving punishment) where they used tents to dwell.
During that time, God worked in HUGE ways to show His people how they could rely on Him.
Think about it…
Why did God’s people need to be delivered from Egypt?
How did God make this happen?
What crazy thing happened for them to escape?
What did God do to provide food for His people in the desert?
How did God help millions of people travel from place to place?
So many miraculous events!
God wanted his Old Testament people to remember this wilderness journey and take 7 days out of the year to relive the experience. They would do this by setting up temporary shelters/booths and carve out that time to DWELL with Him.
We decided to recreate this as well!
The feasts were important to God because He knew it was possible to forget all these events when they reached their destination in the Promised Land.
Why would He, being the same God today, not desire for us to remember these festivals as well?
We chose to be intentional with the beautiful fall season and teach our kids about this fall feast that the Israelites would celebrate each year.
Items Needed to Celebrate Feast of Tabernacles with Kids
1. A Lesson
We read passages from the Bible about the Israelities, when The Feast of Tabernacles began, and what Jesus later had to say about the festivals. You can download our script in the Printable Section below.
2. A Temporary Dwelling
Get creative and make a temporary dwelling. It could be a fort full of old chairs and branches, a sheet tented over a clothesline, or any other awesome thing you can come up with.
My friend set up the most beautiful dwelling in her backyard.
She draped an old white cloth on tree branches to hang overhead and placed a wooden picnic table underneath.
And she used bails of hay as seating and tables around for a rustic ambiance.
3. A Feast
Get some delicious, beautiful, fancy food and snacks that would feel special and unique for your kids.
4. Fun Projects
We brought along paint, nature supplies, paper, and stickers for the kids to create art however they wanted.
With these components, we created a beatiful memory for our kids and honored the Biblical Festival in a fun celebration.
Your Printable Feast of Tabernacles Bundle
Our first Feast of Tabernacles celebration was raw, unkept, and simple but we hope it’s the first of many. We plan to expand and invite others in the future as we learn more about Sukkot and some of the other Biblical feasts.
With all of that in mind, we’ve created some awesome printables that we’ll be using next year, and thought you might like to use them too!
You can download and print our festive bundle to make your celebration easy. It includes:
- Invitations and Guest List
- Party Banner
- Activity Placemats
- Lesson
- Helpful Instructions
Snag your Printable Feast of Tabernacles Bundle HERE.
Wrapping Up How Christians Can Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles with Kids
Will you also celebrate this Fall Festival to have more intentional faith activities with your family and friends?
Do you have any ideas that you’re going to try at your feast?
Let us know in the comments! We love hearing from you!
Read Also:
Thanksgiving Devotion for Kids