"Would you ask the blessing, Ted?" I said to my longtime friend. The group of close friends with whom we were sharing the Feast of Tabernacles was having our first meal together before the opening service. There were eight people around the table.

We had all been planning for some time to keep this Festival in Collingwood, Ontario, and we were thrilled to be together at last. This was the first of many such meals. In fact, eating together turned out to be our main "activity" throughout the eight days we were together. And in addition to dining with our original group, we had meals with many new friends as well.

This experience deeply enriched my understanding of what the Festival pictures—the establishment of the Kingdom of God after Jesus returns to this earth and its deep connection to developing right relationships. My wife and I learned so much, and our whole group of friends drew much closer through the time spent together.

We shared our last big meal together in the same home where it began, on the night that ended the Feast of Tabernacles and began the Last Great Day. I asked Ted to say the blessing again that night. However, this time there were 21 people around three tables, using every chair in the house!

The time invested in building relationships during that particular Feast taught us some incredibly valuable lessons that included:

1. Enjoying "whatever your heart desires" (Deuteronomy 14:26) is infinitely more enjoyable when we are in the company of others who are also enjoying the abundance of God's generosity.
2. Picturing a time to "proclaim liberty to the captives" (Isaiah 61:1) is more meaningful when we are learning about the liberty God has brought into the lives of His people now through His way of life.
3. Learning about a time when "nation shall not lift up sword against nation" (Micah 4:3) can be internalized much better when we learn now along with others how to lay down our own proverbial swords and practice unselfish love for others.
4. Thinking about a time when "they shall not hurt nor destroy" (Isaiah 11:9) takes on new meaning when right relationships demonstrate the incredible fruit of keeping God's commandments.

When we were all seated for that last meal together, but before the food was served, our group paused to read the 61st chapter of the book of Isaiah. This chapter provides an incredible and powerful description of what the Kingdom of God will be like. Its verses created images in our minds that are specific and compelling. We envisioned the world it describes, and we longed for that world to become reality.

One of my favorite verses in this chapter is the fourth one, which says, "And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations." This verse clearly speaks about a time of rebuilding and restoration that will repair the damage caused by thousands of years of human misrule.

When we first look at the verse, it is easy to imagine the ruined and desolate landscape of a town or city being renewed for human habitation. All of the overgrown vegetation, the accumulated sand and dirt and all of the trash and refuse will have to be removed. Crumbled walls and fallen stones will be rebuilt and broken windows fixed. A sidewalk might replace a footpath in disrepair, and a flowerbed could replace an area of weeds and underbrush.

Beyond the obvious promise of restoration for physical towns and cities, the restoration of right relationships will also be an important task. Our physical surroundings are not the only "structures" in which ruin and desolation are evident. Our present society is utterly crippled by the human inability to develop and maintain right relationships.

What is it that constantly prevents us from having relationships that work? In every form of relationship, from parents and children to the diplomatic ties between nations, there are problems. Sometimes the problems are minor annoyances, and sometimes they are so severe that the relationship is broken. Worse yet, the news media is filled with an ever-increasing pageant of stories in which the breach in a relationship has been so severe that it has led to violence and every other form of harmful retaliation imaginable.

Whether we experience successful relationships or not can be explained as the choice between two ways of life: the way of get and the way of give. When we choose the way of get, broken relationships are the unavoidable result. Choosing the way of give guarantees the development of meaningful and rewarding relationships.

God makes it clear throughout the Bible that relationships that have fallen into a state of ruin and desolation can also be renewed and rebuilt when His Kingdom is established. Just as with the renewal of the physical environment, this will not take place immediately or without effort. The process of restoration will be used as a tool in instructing the many thousands of people who will be learning to live God's way of life.

The Feast of Tabernacles provides a wonderful opportunity to focus our attention on the development of right relationships. Consider these aspects of the environment we are in at the Feast of Tabernacles:

• We have eight days (or more, including travel time) of focused time together with God's people—often with our family and closest friends.

• We are in an environment where the pressures of the world are temporarily removed or reduced to a great degree, and we experience conditions that simulate the wonderful environment of God's Kingdom.

• The environment of the Feast provides the ideal conditions in which we can communicate with others. There are daily meals, fellowship time before and after church services, planned activities and many other opportunities to talk with one another.

What will you bring home from the Feast of Tabernacles this year? Most of us will bring home notes from services, memories of the trip, mementos of the location, pictures from the different activities and many other wonderful things. Let's also make it our goal to come home with strengthened relationships this year. Doing so will also prepare us to assist in the restoration of right relationships between God and humans and between humans themselves.

For more information about the Feast of Tabernacles, read our free booklet God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind. VT