For the first time ever, more than 400 persons attended the CGI Jamaican Feast site. On the Last Great Day, a record breaking 402 persons filled the Ruins Ocho Rios, to overflowing, literally. This followed a first day attendance of 354, which itself was the highest up to then. Last year, 306 and 314 persons attended the Feast on the first and last days, respectively. Also on the Last Great Day, 6 persons were baptized, one more than last year.

“The best feast ever!” is a cliché in Church of God circles, but for Jamaicans this year, it was no hyperbole. The packed hall of the beautiful Ruins at the Falls resounded with spirited praise and worship, from the opening night. Vibrant congregational singing and varied special music offerings are unique features of the Jamaican Feast experience. But it was not for these reasons that the chorus of hundreds of voices have been singing the refrain, “This was my best feast ever.” No, the real reason was the sermons.

Memorable Messages
Pastor Ian Boyne, Pastor Pedro Hall of the Spanish Town congregation, and Sean Goldburn, youth presenter, gave sermons that were particularly impactful and memorable, for most persons.

Pedro Hall – What is Your Driving Force?
Speaking on the fourth day, Pastor Hall connected powerfully with several areas of relevance to the majority of his audience, in his sermon entitled “What is Your Driving Force?” Noting that humans – in their humanness - cannot help but be impelled by some driving force, he exhorted listeners to identify what was their real inner motivation. He elucidated the dangers of the negative driving forces of guilt, resentment and anger, fear, materialism, and the need for approval.

What believers should do, he urged, was to make God’s purpose for their lives the driving force in their lives. This, he said, would only be possible, by practicing a ‘coffee bean faith,’ as opposed to a ‘carrot faith,’ or an ‘egg faith.’ A ‘coffee bean faith’ allows Christians to release more ‘aroma,’ the more they are tested with difficult circumstances.

Sean Goldburn – Be. Do. Have.
Speaking around the general youth day theme “Youth for Christ Making a Difference,” Sean Goldburn gave a profoundly thought provoking sermonette entitled “Be. Do. Have.”
If our goal was to be in God’s kingdom spoken about in Zechariah 14, then coming to the feast was merely a ‘spiritual training camp’ rather than an exciting vacation, he said. The plan he proposed for sustainable spiritual growth included be-coming transformed into Christ’s character, from which godly actions will flow, and which will result in the ‘having’ of the spiritual character God requires his children to develop. The key was to become a new person, rather than merely doing certain things; not just following spiritual disciplines and rituals. He gave practical steps for developing the new mindset for a kingdom bound believer, from which an authentic spiritual life can ensue.

Pastor Ian Boyne – The Burden of Nahum
On the last great day, Pastor Boyne’s sermon was a dramatic and emotionally charged exposition on the book of Nahum. He explained that the prophet Nahum lived in the times of the Assyrians, who were more atrocious than the Egyptians, Babylonians, and other conquering nations. Making the connection of Jonah with Nineveh and Nahum, he explicated the seeming contradiction between Nahum’s oracle against Assyria, and his name, which meant ‘consolation.’

A century before Nahum’s time, Jonah had prophesied to wicked Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, and they had repented – but only for a while. Assyria was now the most powerful nation on earth, and was proud in their self-sufficiency and military might. They were particularly barbarous in their treatment of their victims, and revelled in their rebelliousness and sinful disobedience. Nahum courageously risked his life to condemn the atrocities of Assyria, and to proclaim God’s sure judgment upon them.

Similarly, leaders and believers alike, today, must have the courage to proclaim the truth of God, and to live without compromising their faith. Showing how Nahum demonstrated not just God’s mercy, but also his justice, he warned believers not to abuse God’s mercy and grace, by continuing in sin. Also, God’s people should never lose hope when they see the world worsening, when life gets harder – God will ultimately bring his wrath against rebellious people. The days of all earthy empires are coming to an end, Mr. Boyne assured listeners, so keep your feast and be consoled. Nahum’s message was a forewarning for Assyria, but also a vision of hope for God’s people whose faith is in him.

Other Messages
Other speakers included Deacon Paul O’Connor, whose sermon was entitled “Stronger at the Broken Places.” Noting that the world breaks everyone, he shared ‘the eight D’s’ for growing stronger at those places where listeners had experienced brokenness, failures, and weaknesses.

Chicago Pastor Duane Nicol, gave two messages. In his sermon entitled “The Valley of Elah,” he asserted that, like David facing Goliath, believers were facing an awesome enemy. God’s people, he admonished, should therefore be filled with his spirit and be determined to win no matter what. Nothing could overcome them, then, he said. His second sermon entitled “The Triune Christian”, explored the three components of a strong believer. These included the Holy Spirit, personal growth, and communal growth.

Ricardo Hall spoke on the importance of self-control for overcoming and gaining entry into God’s kingdom, where believers will be kings and priests.

Deacon Derrick Alwood combined personal examples with scriptural references to demonstrate how believers could rejoice regardless of their external circumstances.

Deacon Fenton Tracy’s message on “The Good News” was riveting for many, including Pastor Nicol. He warned that there were two sides to the gospel of God’s soon coming kingdom: wrath and damnation for those who reject it, and a glorious eternity for those who faithfully accepted God’s call.

Youth ministry president Stephen Scale gave a sermonette entitled “Christianity: A Single-minded Approach.” He presented biblical principles for remaining focused on kingdom goals rather than be distracted by worldly enticements.

Elder George Ramocan, on his return from Feast travels in the US, delivered a sermon entitled “Kingdom Parables of Matthew 13,” and another entitled “The Day of the Dragnet”(Matthew 13.46-48), showing how this parable had to do with the hopeful symbolism of the last great day. This was a day when God would finally bring the vast majority of humankind into the truth, and his kingdom.

I gave a sermon entitled “Wilderness Survivor Strategies,” in which I provided a plan for overcoming temptations and setbacks similar to the Israelites in the wilderness. These dangers included fear, suffering, boredom, and a proclivity to being influenced by worldly associates.

Pastor Boyne’s other sermons included an exposition on Psalm 133, in which he highlighted the need for unity. While we might not be able to bring the churches of God together, we can promote unity in our families, and our congregation, he said.

Despite recovering from a bout of flu, Mr. Boyne also gave a powerfully insightful sermon entitled “How to Deal with Crises.” He dealt frontally with real problems, suffering, and personal hurts that members were experiencing. He led listeners to ask themselves the deep life question of what their lives were about, and whether they were prepared to face the most disastrous circumstances and not capitulate under pressure. This sermon dealt in a profound way with the practical strategies for meeting and overcoming the inevitable vicissitudes of life. It addressed the most far-reaching issues related to spiritual overcoming, in this writer’s opinion, and thus was most important, even if not the most exciting in terms of presentation style.

Social Occasions & Fun Events
The Feast was enriched with many social activities to complement the rich spiritual messages. These included an exciting Sports Day, which saw Jeremiah returning to their winning ways. The Talent and Family Fun Show and Jamaica Night provided wonderfully entertaining occasions for the hundreds who turned out at each event.

The Annual Herbert W. Armstrong Memorial Debate was eagerly anticipated, as last year’s competitive runner-up Stacy-Ann Hall vowed to end the reign of the seemingly unbeatable Sandra-Mae Robinson. This year the topic being debated was “The Seventh-Day Sabbath and the Holy Days Stand or Fall Together.” The two main rivals had a thrilling showdown, but at the end, it was unanimous: Sandra-Mae was vanquished, finally. Stacy-Ann walked away with the trophy and the J$30,000 first prize amidst the jubilant celebration of her many fans.

Six Persons Baptized
The shore of tranquil blue waters of the Caribbean Sea was the venue for baptising six new members into God’s church. The Ocho Rios beach was well populated as these six souls were immersed by Pastor Boyne and Deacon O’Connor, amidst joyous singing. For the first time, there was even someone who requested baptism on the day. Also, for the first time, several people have expressed the strong desire for post-feast baptism and are being counselled by Mr Boyne, who expressed the likelihood that there could be a pre-Passover baptism. This has not taken place in many years in Jamaica.

GS.