[This revisit commemorates the passing on of one of Sinai 6000’s founding members on this month, year 2016; here’s the original introduction:
The author of this post is Sinaite LSS who, depending on the season of the year, resides where the good weather is; but when she’s ‘in town’, she never misses attending Shabbat fellowship and catches up with the S6K core community current views. This is her tribute to our eldest Sinaite VAN who, we would like to think, fast-forwarded his trek from our long lonely journey from Sinai 6000 to meet the Sinai Revelator in his time and in His Time, January 23, 2016.
Godspeed indeed!~ADMIN1]
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Image from true-blood.net
VAN was a good friend and co-trekker. He and his wife BAN, with NSB (founder of the Sinai6000 website) had a common goal: to know God.
I had something in common with these Sinaites: we started as Catholics, became Evangelical Christians, studied with the Messianics — which was already an attempt to fuse Old and New Testaments. We then went further on from there because of more unanswered questions.
The ongoing journey was to accommodate this incessant thirst for knowing just Who God is and what was wanted of us human beings — to whom freedom was given: freedom to think and freedom to be! I joined their studies whenever I could — not only because it was lonesome trekking by myself, but because they were truth seekers who felt they had not yet arrived. I liked that about them (that they knew they didn’t know it all). And then, there was the fact of their being ongoing researchers. I was not as active as they. I was simply looking around for faith companionship of the same feathers when I alighted upon the Sinaites just forming.
I say VAN was a good friend because VAN has left our midst. The head chair that his wife, BAN, set for him in their living room during Erev Shabbat nights is noticeably empty. This Sinaite group regularly welcomes the Sabbath by sundown Friday, with
regular
celebration at VAN and BAN’s home. A home always bedecked by flowers when we walk in.
VAN’s wife BAN opens the ceremony by lighting two candles with a brief opening prayer welcoming the Queen of days. Then her husband VAN blesses the plate of bread and passes it around. VAN’s gourmet wife used to bake special bread for this occasion but now resorts to special bread from her freezer, such as heated ensaymadas purchased from a baker friend, wrapped in linen lace on a basket or silver platter. Everyone politely takes a small piece except me. VAN chuckles when I feast over the leftover bread, just as he chuckles when I bring up feminist issues in the Bible that I have trouble with. He should be irritated by me because he is the typical macho man and I am your typical feminist woman, but I do not faze him. He is simply humored by that part of me. I appreciate that, and like that I can make him laugh. We do a lot of hysterical laughing in these sessions. It is the most joyful I have felt in my life.
[In the beginning, when BAN first met this Espanol mestizo, VAN was the epitome of the macho man. A lawyer by profession, his gracious wife (who is the epitome of the apostle Paul’s submissive wife but likewise also the true Proverbs 31 woman) transformed him into a gentler macho, who over time began pastoring other hungry male believers. He remained macho to the end.]
To go on with their ceremony, wine is poured in glasses as we pray blessings on our lives, families, children, grandchildren and friends. This is drank to a toast of L’Chaim (to life!) Or Mabuhay! (Live!) — because we are not inherently Jews. We are inherently Filipinos looking deeply into the heritage of the Jews (as Israelites descended from Jacob who was renamed Israel) after wrestling with a formidable opponent– possibly God Himself/Herself.
We then proceed to a liturgy of prayer and songs –prepared by NSB, the talented musical literature major who has invested her gifts from YHWH (pronounced Yahuwah) by becoming the studious researcher that she is, then translating her learnings in words shared on the Sinai6000 website, not only through her heartfelt prayers but through beloved hymns of the centuries. The songs become teaching hymns reflecting who God is to us, as manifested and revealed in the roots of Bibical Scripture. We sing accompanied by NSB’s piano-playing prowess, done digitally and transmitted to their Sinai6000 website, so we actually have music from the IPads or MacAirs we carry and read from, as our Shabbat missals.
We would then transfer to the elegantly set dining table — for a gourmet dinner prepared by BAN with her two assistant servers waiting upon us through dinner, after which we go back to their living room for a night of further studies and sharing.
VAN’s departing should not have been a surprise. But earthly death always is. It signals the end of our physical association with significant others. VAN was surely ready for it. He was 88 and struggling with a number of health issues, some age-appropriate, some of genetic nature. In fact, his triumphs over these health bouts, we simply attributed to miracles, coupled with VAN and BAN’s openness to natural health practices that came with educating themselves on clean and unclean foods as prescribed in Leviticus, as well as learnings from current researchers on health.
It seems VAN willed his departure and was ready for it. He had not decided on what to do with his earthly remains until that week when he forewent his desire to be buried to finally agreeing to be cremated.
Image from Inscribed on My Heart
I heard he sang with gusto that night [Admin1: please check out the Havdalah song on that 3rd Sabbath of January, it could not have been more providential!
VAN pronounced his shortest Havdalah ever by reciting Israel Erev Shabbat’s Shema in Hebrew.
Early the following morning, his caregiver checked on him, he was asleep on his side. Around 8 a.m., his caregiver found him turned on his back, lifeless.
VAN would be pleased, timely meeting his Maker — who reserves Sabbath to be with Sabbath Keepers of the fourth commandment, a refreshment time for actual face-to-face worshipping of this Almighty Creator of our Universe.
Image from www.pinterest.com
I imagine VAN being welcomed with open arms. Mostly, the Sinaites simply ask to be included in the Book of Life, rethinking heaven and hell concepts. We like to think VAN has simply returned to the Maker who breathed life into us all.
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To mourn VAN is to mourn two others who went before him. I don’t know if ‘mourn’ is the appropriate word but I went through the same feelings of loss when I learned of Sinaite ELZ@S6K departure by stroke a day before the New Year of 2015. I had met her after she had written her doctoral dissertation on Exodus in a nonsectarian educational setting. That made me want to know her more and pick her brains. She was of our questioning calibre. She taught seminarians. I had met her a few times during the Sinaite’s Erev Shabbat studies, and felt a sense of deep loss over our short-lived camaraderie. I envied her exploratory courage and accomplishment as a Bible teacher. I had looked forward to knowing her more. [God is near, do not fear . . . Friend, Sinaite, goodnight.]
The other was ‘Ciso’ whom I noticed during our Messianic studies at three consecutive conferences. He and his wife had been Evangelical Christians. They had moved forwarded as Messianics. I never knew ‘Ciso’ but I admired his enthusiasm over what he was learning — so much so that he had began conducting formal Bible studies for his employees led by a Christian Bible teacher who had transformed into the Messianic faith. Ciso was into construction. He wanted to share his findings with his crew. I noticed him because of his joie de vivre during the Messianic hymnnals. He would lapse into charismatic-controlled dancing movements with eyes reverently shut. I heard he died like Vic, in his sleep, after joyously dancing during the hymnals celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles. What a way to go — meeting with the God of Israel who referred to the Leviticus 23 feasts as “MY feasts” and not “Israel’s feasts”; after all, these people YHWH had chosen for specific reasons (to model His Way of life) was training to be His ‘light’ to other nations! [“And He Called” 2 – Ciso’s Season of Joy]
L’Chaim! -To life! – Mabuhay! Indeed! as we are coming to know what life should be about!
LSS@S6K
[From: The AMIDAH, the ‘standing prayer’ of the Jews]
“Remember us for life,
O King Who desires life,
and inscribe us in the Book of Life,
for Your sake,
O Living God.”
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