God's Glory Church

“And you will rejoice before the Lord, your God… in the place that the Lord, your God, will choose, so that His Name will be there.” — Deuteronomy 16:11

Participating in a large-scale event can change us in unexpected ways. After talking to more than 1,200 people during multi-day gatherings in the UK and the US, researcher Daniel Yudkin and his colleagues concluded that large festivals can change our moral orientations and even affect our willingness to share our resources with others. According to the study, 63% of attendees had a “transformational” experience at the festival, which also left them feeling more connected to humanity and wanting to show more generosity to friends, family and even complete strangers.

Gathering with other people to worship God, we get not just a social “transformational” experience, like at a secular festival; we unite with the Lord Himself. God’s people undoubtedly felt this unity when they gathered in Jerusalem in ancient times for annual solemn festivals. The Israelites traveled (without modern conveniences) to be present in the temple three times a year “on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and on the Feast of Weeks, and on the Feast of Tabernacles” (Deut. 16:16). These gatherings were a time of sacred memories, worship and praise “before the Lord” together with the family, servants and guests (v. 11).

So let’s gather together with other people to worship together, helping each other to rejoice in God and rely on His faithfulness.

What was your sense of union with God when you gathered with others to worship together? How did the presence of other people help you?

God, thank you for calling Your people to worship You together.

Author: Kirsten Holmberg