These days, as long as you had the time and the money, access to an indestructible tent and an unending supply of puncture repair kits for your airbed, you could spend the entire summer at some festival or other if you wanted. From the curious mix of commercial rock, diehard folk and eclectic spirituality that is Glastonbury to the more ‘blissed-up’ ambient charms of the Big Chill, festivals have become big business.

And why not? With good reason we relish the idea of exchanging for a few days our dusty ceilings for a starlit canopy, stale city smog for a gulp of fresh country air, MP3 downloads for good, old-fashioned live music. Never mind the cowpats, Portaloo overflows and the fragrant waft of BO from people abstaining from showers for the week, these seasonal shindigs take us back to basics and we love it.

Of course, the Christian community has more than its fair share of annual gatherings. Many speakers play national hopscotch the whole summer long as they skip from one county showground to the next. But, again, why not? Festivals are not just a good idea, they’re a God idea. Just as holidays derive from holy days, so the roots of festivals are in feast days – days set aside for religious celebration, which usually revolve around my favourite festive activity, eating.

One smaller Christian festival I attended this summer took this particular idea to heart and, as well as decking out the campsite with giant inflatables, organised a pig roast. So, a time to soak up some fun, sun and a bit more fat – but plenty of God as well.

The festivals God established in Old Testament times had many purposes, but they were largely concerned with celebrating his faithful provision. They were seasonal affairs that offered up thanks at such key points in the year as harvest time; but they also commemorated God’s more unique interventions in the past – for example, during the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.

Every time we feast on Christ in faith we remember our own journey from death to life. We have continual cause for celebration, so let’s not reserve the feasting and fun for the summer, let’s build it into our church lives week by week.