Festivals are about Living Faith

Thinking festival, is nothing new, it is part of the story of being human. It is also part of the story of how we find out more about God. As part of God’s creation we are aware of the cycles and the seasons of the natural world. Human beings of all religions have used the seasons to explore the nature and character of God. It is not always easy to be sure what we have lost and what we have gained as reformed Christians when we reflect on the influence the Protestant reformation has had on the celebration of Christian Festivals. I think we have much to gain be seeking to rediscover the significance of festivals. Recently in the secular world festivals have become an attraction for a huge amount of people. The idea of festival is about bringing people together to engage with each other, to celebrate, to enjoy life. All over the world this Summer a host of festivals have been taking place from local to national and indeed international. Festivals on a grand scale like The World Cup and the Commonwealth Games. Help us to understand pour common humanity. Equally impressive local festivals like The Bo’ness Children’s Fair or the many other local Gala Days highlight the need for us as humans to feel enjoyment and be entertained as part of a community. Is that not the reason why God created us in the first place? The catechism says, our chief purpose is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. I’m convinced that we need to engage with the idea of festival more. We need more enjoyment and glory in our churches and communities. We also need to help our communities engage with the big questioned of life. The Christian Year is made up of a number of festivals that have their roots in the Jewish calendar. These festivals seek to slot us into God’s time rather than man’s time. Harvest reminds us of the miracle of creation and the joy of the fist fruits. At Easter God reveals himself through the mysteries of life and death through the resurrection of Jesus. When we relive these seasons annually we encounter the grace and purpose of God for our lives and for the whole of creation. At the heart of festival is the idea of ‘entertainment’. To entertain is to engage another, it is to bring out the best in the entertained and the entertainer. Often it is also to help us deal with the ‘bad stuff’ in our lives as much as the ‘good stuff’ At the heart of Good Festival is worship. In a strange way worship is all about entertainment, but entertainment in a new and engaging way. Too often the Christian church has dismissed the idea of entertainment as frivolous and self seeking for me it is the opposite. Entertainment is the word that is at the very heart of the Christian concept of a triune God. The idea of entertaining started with God. It has its source meaning in the very nature and being of God. God is ever in Communion, the Father engaging the Son through creation. It is through the act of creation that God communicates and entertains. It is the inspiration of creation that never ceases to entertain us and indeed God. This month Sanctuary First has invited a broad section of creative people to write prayers celebrating the joy of being alive. We celebrate life by engaging and telling stories. Stories can be told through songs, poetry, paintings, plays, and a host of additional art forms. Above all the greatest engagement or entertainment in life is the impact of our daily living upon each other. We are a people created by a Triune God who is still at work in the world and in our lives. The Son delighting the Father as he demonstrates through resurrection the first of the new creation. The Spirit continually interceding with the Father bringing into being the joy and purposes of the God in the world. The implications of this means we are compelled to explore and understand what it means to be in Communion and relationship with such an amazing creative God. Prayer helps us explore these ideas.