One anomaly in the Church of God was that the church was never able to completely make its members attend the opening night service of the Feast, and still cannot to this day. For many in the church, making it to this service on time, if at all, was due to the fact many did not have the luxury of taking off lots of extra days to leisurely travel to a Feast site. It ended up being a rush to get to the site and check in, exhausting many, especially those with children.
Here we are in 2024 and this is still an issue. Not only is that is an issue, but members skipping out on weekday services is a problem too. After traveling long distances people don't want to be parked in some dank hotel ballroom listening to a canned sermon you have heard for decades by the same person.
United Church of God has this up:
As we head to the Feast, let’s determine in our hearts to serve Him first and observe the Feast as He commands. Make it a priority to be there at the opening night service (or the first scheduled service) at your Feast site. This is God’s time—be where and when He wants you to be. When faced with the choice between attending services or Bible study and what “we want to do,” choose God first. There is plenty of time for the other activities we can enjoy at the Feast.
And remember to pray and make extra time for prayer. We gather where He placed His name for the Feast—to His house, the temple He is building in us. His house is meant to be a “house of prayer.” During this time, draw close to God. Use this time to commit to growing closer to Him. Dedicate yourself to keep His ways, truly “coming out of this world.” Grow daily in faith and trust in Him.
31 comments:
It's the United Church of Shabi. Only one convocation is commanded on the first day - Lev 23:35.
Make it a priority to be there at the opening night service (or the first scheduled service) at your Feast site.
Make up your mind, UCG! If Opening Night services are mandatory, why do they allow some sites to choose not to have them? Christians should understand that THEY are the Tabernacle in this present age, and it is their assembling together that makes the convocation holy. Otherwise, since the entire Holy Day is holy, if it's a sin to not attend an Opening Night service it is also a sin to attend only 5-6 hours of services on that Holy Day. Let's be honest, it's about control, not about Christianity.
Poor, deluded Armstrongites!
Madly celebrating a coming Kingdom for which they are striving to qualify for entry – while rejecting the gift of the only righteousness that will assure their place in a present and coming Kingdom. Romans 4:5
In fact, Mr. Shabi has videotaped a message to be played on opening night. No wonder he wants you there.
"Opening Night" was a tradition but a foolish and stupid one, to this day. 2 hours that night, two hours next morning, two hours tomorrow afternoon. No wonder by day three bad moods, conflict and sickness began to creep in. Whoever came up with "Opening Night" much less makes it a guilt ridden for not showing up expectation is a fool. I remember 3/ 2 hour services each day as a student, morning, afternoon and evening, and opted out of any number of them because common sense should have told everyone how stupid it was. I think part of the need was to accommodate as many of the big wigs in the administration a sermon slot. It was a cult and I was a cult salesman as a minister. Let me speak now again at the FOT and see what happens. LOL :)
I remember for years LCG ministers getting upset and angry because some of us didn't stay the 2nd service of the Last Great Day. I mean they act like it was a sin because we left after the first service. That's actually how they respond. It's tough especially when hotel checkouts are not extended and you flight back might be in the early afternoon. It's too much.
Well, I left immediately following the great disappointment of 1975, and did not allow "them" to reprogram me. But, at what point did this missing the first night become an issue? It certainly was not one during the years while I attended. We avidly looked forward to every service and would not have even thought to miss one. I didn't even know anyone that ever skipped a service back in those days.
To me, this "problem" is indicative of a basic lack of enthusiasm in the ACOGs regarding Armstrongism. Scout uses the word "nominal" to describe church members of the different branches of Christianity who are not "all in", and it appears that there are indeed many nominal splinter members, or the current leaders would not be bringing this up each year at Feast time. I'm thinking that if a minister who died in, say, 1969 were suddenly resurrected, if he read such an admonishment, he'd be asking himself "WTF?" Well, maybe not WTF. That's a tad Laodicean on the language.
BB
The COGs are absurd. It was this very issue that first opened my eyes to the fabrications replete within the COGs. I can read, and assemblies were only commanded on the holy days, not the opening night nor the days during the week that were not holy days.
Yet, these people would tell us that this is the correct way to keep the Feast. Do they think God forgot to include those extra services in His instructions? Perhaps He knows better than they what makes for a good Feast?!?!
But, in the end, Praise to God for their going over the top with their biblically unsupported demands as this cascaded into my seeing the many flaws of the cogs.
May God fully open all our eyes and hearts such that we see and know in our hearts that Christ fulfilled the law and saves us through faith.
From what the Bible teaches, Yahweh only assigned His Name to one location and that is Jerusalem. In fact, there is one mentioned fact about this situation whereby if one could not be present in Jerusalem for a holy day, they were to keep it the following night. How does the present day compare with this teaching?
Rick Shabi made a similar point of it in his sermon "What Are You Thinking, When You Think of the Feast?" (YouTube).
"At most Feast sites around the world, there is an opening night service, a holy convocation on that night. It's what God has put in place for us. The Church does that. As we prepare for the feast as we prepare our travel arrangements and we do all those other things, you know, I think it's really important that we are where God wants us to be when that feast starts — that we are prepared, and we need to be in the place that God wants us to be in that holy convocation at that time…
"What does God think? What are we showing Him if we've decided I can just forget that one? A little tired after getting here or maybe didn't even arrive at the feast site until after sunset. What are we telling God? It's just not that important to me. Is that the message we want to give to God? It's just not that important to me to be there on time. Who are you God to tell me I need to be there by sunset on the 15th on the 7th month, to picture the time of your millennium which I say I want to be part of. That I say I'm in training for. That I say I will let you do whatever you need to do to mold me into who you need me to be so that I can be part of that. But that one no just cross it off the list, not that important. Make no mistake, that is the message we give to God when we just decide, it's okay, we don't have to be there."
This is "teaching as doctrines the commandments of men", saying that if you don't obey a UCG tradition, you're dishonouring God.
That whole sermon was fairly negative and critical of the UCG membership.
My experience is UCG has an opening night tradition of spending 10 minutes saying "Who have we got here from [local state]? All stand up. Yay! Who have we got here from [neighbouring state]? Yay! Who have we got from Europe? Yay!" Followed by a sermon "So, why are we here?"
As the membership ages it becomes exhausting to have so many services. People have traveled great distances, which is quite tiring as one gets older, and they need more time to rest. The first and last day are commanded assemblies. It can be profitable to have services on the other days, but it can also be profitable to have "free days" when the brethren can get together for other activities. I personally have never seen the need for services every single day, and have skipped a few to meet up with others for great fellowshipping fun such as a day of charter boat fishing, or train rides, and the such. It's all part of The Feast, representing the millennial reign of our Lord.
That's a great approach, as I have done that in the past myself. Rest is part of the feast, there has to be time for that.
And they’ll drive past locations in our country where people need help and think too bad those people aren’t God’s chosen elect few. Some day I’ll help them, but not today. During the millennium, I’ll help rebuild.
Only one convocation is commanded for the entire 7 day festival.
So true, I would also add, it's easier to help people physically when you are younger. Christ was helping all kinds of people, but he was in his thirties. A lot of older people can be taken advantage of. But yea they already know every other year storms destroy places near their vacation Holy Day spots but do very little. Perhaps they will improve.
Years ago Joe Tkach Sr and Joe Locke visited our area. I went to the restroom just before services. There was a member I knew washing his hands at the sink. We started talking about the upcoming Feast of Tabernacles. I told the other member that I really did no like the opening night service. I said it was a safety issue. People rushed to get there and were often tired from traveling. I said one of these days someone was going to get killed.
The suddenly Joe Locke came out on of the stalls. Mr. Tkach was in one of the other stalls. That year the opening night service was cancelled. I like to think I had something to do with it.
Pastors who are good shepherds are not people who like to put pressure on the flock. They do not like to create hardships for their people especially when they themselvses do not have to endure those hardships. A late service on the first night when everyone is wiped out is a safety issue. It is not an opportunity to crack the whip to see who jumps the highest. Righeousness is about caring for people.
Scout
Added "stuff" by Armstrong not commanded by God: 2nd money offering during DUB; money offerings on trumpets, atonement, 8th day; two or more convocations on Tishri 15; convocations on Tishri 16,17,18,19,20,21; "first" tithe; God's placed name at any "feast" location other than Jerusalem; NTBMO feast (feast commanded on 15th, not 15th at even); sabbathon on Nisan 15th (is on the 14th); eat unleavened bread 8 days; sabbathon on Nisan 21.
And who can remember what they supposedly learnt from the sermons at previous feasts? I know the odd secular book in which one can learn more than from all the church services combined over 20 years. Most ministers are not book readers, so their sermons are spiritual milk. It even shows up on this site by the comments of long time members and former members.
I don't see why they can't have a writing department that regularly turns out quality sermons that they can hand out to the ministers. It's obvious that the televangelists do this to some extent, and those sermons really stand out.
I totally agree 7:13! In my 50-some years in the church, there are hardly any sermons I could quote you from. Boring men preaching the same boring stuff they have done for decades. The only exception may be the Christmas Eve sermon by Tkach Sr. that set us free from all the junk of Armstrongism. I can go back to books and quote all kinds of worthwhile things from books that have had a profound impact on my life.
Cool story Scout , Long time ago I wrote a letter to a regional pastor about sabbath services being at 3:00 pm and it being night time when we finished. Services were downtown at a major city. While I was younger, there were many elderly people (and it wouldn't be safe for them over time) and I was trying to let him know I would rather go to the morning service in another location (same splinter group) and just about 15 extra minutes from my residence. But that other location services was in the morning. This minister was angry with me after one service and was raising his voice after service, It was awful. But what happened was he eventually found another place outside of the downtown city and services were able to start sooner. It was much better. Traffic and elderly people don't mix especially in downtown areas where people are going to college and pro sporting events on Saturdays.
I know many UCG brethren actually love the recent UCG opening night Feast of Tabernacles films. You'd be surprised.
I look forward to the 2024 UCG Tabernacles film being played during the opening night service.
The Temple in Jerusalem had an evening event involving lights at the Feast of Tabernacles.
I think in reality most people take a pragmatic approach. After all if you are going to a conference, its nice to get there at the beginning, and I will plan to be there in time for the opening night, as it sets the scene for the coming days. But that's in part because its not a problem for me to get there in good time for the service this year.
However if you have, for instance, job or school activities that make it difficult to travel there in time for the opening recorded message, or if you or your family and children are exhausted from travelling, then the recording can be watched later, after you arrive.
But its probably reasonable to expect the paid ministry to have arrived in time for the service, as that is their paid job to be there!
Rick Shabi (choose most any former WCG hireling who fled that organization), drawn most closest to God (??????) and setting the greatest example (??????), strives to encourage his former WCG members/followers, and others not of former WCG, with: "...During this time, draw close to God. Use this time to commit to growing closer to Him. Dedicate yourself to keep His ways, truly “coming out of this world.” Grow daily in faith and trust in Him...."
But, didn't these people already do all of that on Atonement this year? Last year? The year before? If these people have been called of God, isn't that close enough?
Why won't Shabi, and the entire United Ass., stick with the holy convocations specified in the Bible, which only include that first day Feast of Tabernacles, followed by a weekly Sabbath (some years), and that Eighth day? Why do people like Shabi strive to "outdo" God somehow and not do what God plainly inspired Moses to write in Leviticus 23? Why may it more "difficult" on God's sheep, than God specified? Does somebody know more than God? God didn't make His Feast a burden to force people getting together for 8 days in a row in a formal get-together and treat every day like a holy convocation.
How close to God can one get? How close is Shabi? Really? Well, not to put it all on Shabi: there is Pack, Flurry, Weinland, Winnail, Weston, Franks, etc...and all of the other hirelings who fled from the former WCG.
Anyone striving to become the most self-righteous? Like some goat (Greatest of all Time)?
If God has drawn (John 6:44) one to Jesus Christ, wouldn't that be close enough, after all isn't God doing all of that calling anyway? Isn't eternal life to be given by God and granted as a gift from God, whether one says it is "free" or not, and eventually it will be to all (John 12:32)?
Surely none would want to be like some goat (Matthew 25:41, 46), b/c it is sheep (Matthew 25:34) that Jesus Christ said should be fed, but...
Time will tell...
John
Praise God that you get it!
More than 30 years ago I realized that the Bible says A holy convocation, NOT TWO holy convocations, and we stopped attending two services on the holy days. My father-in-law (WAY before he was) was instrumental in getting the “Two Services a Day “ policy dropped. That said, I truly miss the Feast, but the times I have attended after the crack up of WCG were shabby, depressing shadows of what once was.
And when you think about the TWO HOLY DAY convocations per day thing, while the BIBLE says simply "a holy convocation", Who has the authority to make it two? Didn't they teach (tell) us, only God can make something holy? Mankind cannot make a convocation holy.
1109, I’d choose to do that as it sounds fun and festive, not commanded certainly and if decreed by some dudes to be the “right” thing to do, then I would probably forego attending. A definition of gnosticism is to add commands to the scriptures because you think you know additional necessary truth.
I liked having two services a day and 3 on the holy days and several bible studies. Not sure why people changed that.
When I attended the feast in the 1980s, the afternoon service left insufficient time for many social activities. It was a ego boost for the ministers to have a large audience for their typically dull sermons. I still remember certain "sermons" for no other reason than nothing meaningful was said. It was like listening to the ramblings of a ten year old.
Just because some people of a larger group “like” the opening night or twice and thrice daily services doesn’t make it right or good and certainly not commanded or endorsed by God.
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