The Jewish month of Tishri is a busy one. Three major festivals occur during this month, including the festival holy of holies itself, Yom Kippur, the day of atonement(s).

Why so many in one month? Why does it have to be so busy? Now, in the midst of Sukkot, Tabernacles, I can tell you, I’m tired.

At Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, we hear the call of return, beautifully articulated, “Return to Me, and I will return to you” (Mal. 3:7). Then, the Lord gives us ten days to “consider our ways” (Hag. 1:7). It is a time to look, metaphorically, at the condition of our garments. How will we appear before the King in soiled garments? Then on Yom Kippur, not only are we cleansed, but we are wrapped anew in gleaming white garments (Rev. 7:9). Having been forgiven, we begin again.

Yet, we are not allowed to go off too far. The Lord calls us to put all that we experienced and learned at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur into practice at Sukkot, the final feast of ingathering, just five days after the Day of Atonement. Sukkot is a joyful banquet of the King of kings, or in messianic hope, the Marriage Feast of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9).

Here, we leave our homes, and build temporary shelters out in the midst of our extended family, friends, and neighbors, those we are likely to have had disputes with in the past. Renewed in heart and spirit, will we put the forgiveness we have received into practice?

The message is twofold. First, we put faith into action, not hiding it away hoping that it will go undamaged by life, but walking with our faith in the Lord in the midst of life and its complexities. Second, we walk faith out in active life remembering, from the experience of the three feasts in Tishri, that we are called to a life of holiness. Authors note: holiness, not haughtiness.

Adorned in our gleaming white garments, as we walk in life, we are bound to see dust, dirt, and assorted filth diminishing the shine. Yet, in Messiah we have a blessed hope. We need not wait until the next Yom Kippur to go to the spiritual dry cleaners, as John writes:

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:8-9).

Forgiveness allows us to enter, once again, the flow of spiritual and communal life. We are not attired in the garments of our shame, but His righteousness. Dispute should not be our practice, but when disputes arise, we have an eternal way of restoration and return that He expects we will put into immediate practice, not a protected closet.

Rather than the “King is in the field” as we pray Rosh Hashanah, at Sukkot, the King is in the midst of us and our joy (Ps. 16:11). It is, after all, the time of our rejoicing.

But why so busy? Because we are to be about our Fathers business.

Be well. Shalom.