Colorado Retreat November 25th-27th
The Feast of the Tabernacle
Come to the Feast of the Tabernacle and enjoy the fellowship of the household of God during Thanksgiving weekend!
The essence of the Feast of the Tabernacle is there when we give ourselves a chance to withdraw from civilized life and become aware of how much we’ve relied on the physical things we have, realizing how much we should depend on and appreciate God and others around us.
Like the Israelites moving about in tents when they lived in the wilderness, we, as the remote members, have no fixed building, worshipping instead in homes, in the mountains, in cabins, and in open areas—as long as we are worshipping in spirit and in truth. The Israelites had not the conveniences we have today. They depended upon the manna that came from God on a daily basis. They experienced with the little they had that they could be satisfied. And that satisfaction came from God alone. Whether we have learnt that lesson remains to be seen!
Previously, we learned from our summer retreats the lesson to humble ourselves whilst living in the midst of the elements, and to look upward to our Heavenly Father, and to express sincere love and care, overcoming our own discomforts to make others comfortable with the love of Christ growing in our hearts.
Now we have a winter retreat. Though may not be very comfortable in some aspects, by participating and experiencing each year, gradually we sense that we are growing and are forming a much stronger, closer, and more meaningful relationship with God and our brothers and sisters by overcoming the burdens with the physical constraints we have grown to cling on to; and by willing to bring our thanksgiving to the feast this November, we can taste together that “the Lord is good."
Come! Kindle the warm fire in our remote areas, and be satisfied in God.
The feast will be held at Harmsen Ranch House in Golden Gate State Park in Golden, Colorado. See the attached schedule for details.
Site Information
Service to God
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Rom 12:1)
Have you ever been delightfully surprised by unexpected encounters with works of nature? Coming up on a hill to be greeted by a waterfall, walking through a field filled with wild flowers or chancing upon a patch of shrubs bursting with berries in a forest? Often, these beauties of nature are discovered in hidden places only by those who trod the paths less traveled. These beauties bloom and display their glory even though the chances are that no one will know they even exist.
These works of nature gives us a good Christian lesson. We have heard much about the teaching to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. However, when we talk about serving God today, what comes to mind are what we do in church. Almost by default, service to God is equated with the visibility and the amount of church work we do. We place importance on work with conspicuity or “titles” at the expense of the hidden works. The amount of church work done is misconceived as correlated with one’s spirituality and with whether one is a living sacrifice to God.
To present our bodies a living sacrifice is not only about participating in church duties. A living sacrifice is actually a much harder service. It entails keeping oneself pure in spirit and in conduct, leading a life pleasing to God, and being in favor also with man (cf Lk 2:52). It’s something we have to do 24/7. It’s about blooming and producing fruit even if no one ever notices, because God is the one we are serving.
To live as a living sacrifice is to shine forth God’s light no matter if people are watching and in all circumstances. We have to carry God’s light in good times as well as in bad times. Whether we are enjoying material wealth or in poverty, whether life is stable or in much insecurity and uncertainty, we need to remember to make each day a service to God.