A Sinaite’s Liturgy – on the 1st Sabbath of a New Year 2020

[If you haven’t yet entered “The Sabbath World”, this is as good a start as any. It has been called “a sanctuary in time” by Abraham Joshua Heschel and rightly so.  It is a dimension in time that the Lord of the Sabbath, YHWH, the Creator Himself set apart to rest from His creative work and, as Revelator on Sinai, enshrined into the 4th of His 10 Declarations etched on tablets of stone.Who are we to ignore this sacred appointed time with the Master of the universe who has commanded that we rest from our labors, delight in His day, be joyful with family and friends, or even spend alone in a different way from the way we spend the other six days of our daily routine?

 

To this day there is confusion about which day is the Sabbath day. Why? Who changed it from the original 7th, as in Saturday? For the answer, simply go to any history book or google it.  Now, as to HOW does one observe the Sabbath? Different religions have different traditions. The Jews have through the centuries developed their characteristic ways — it is family-oriented on erev (sundown Friday) and synagogue-centered on the Sabbath day.  The basics are:  YHWH,  rest,  joy, Torah.

 

Our little Sinaite community has settled into a Sabbath fellowship during which we initially incorporated some traditions of the Jewish Sabbath in our celebration.  Then,  just two months before the end of 2013, we added structured prayers and hymns before our meal and Torah study.  We have shared each ‘liturgy’  on this website, and we hope that you visitors are benefitting from it in some way.  For those who are exposed to our Sabbath liturgy for the first time, we reiterate that for the “musical” liturgy,  we simply rewrite the lyrics of Christian hymn music we have grown accustomed to for all the decades we were Christ-centered Church-goers. 

 

Shabbat Shalom to one and all, and have a YHWH-blessed 2020!–Admin1.]

 

 

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Kindle the Sabbath Lights

 O YHWH,  LORD of the Sabbath,

As we celebrate new beginnings this new year,

we look back to the beginning of this world You created

and marvel at how Your wisdom and Your Creative design is so perfect

such that everything works in harmony and balance,

that species continue to perpetuate their own kind,

multiplying as You commanded.

We look back to the beginning of earthly time:  

how You structured it according to

seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years,

designing seasons for predictable agricultural guidance,

that tillers of the soil might continue to produce food for human sustenance,

that all Your creatures might be fed from the bounties of nature.

You gave humanity the responsibility to tend ‘the garden’

Your world, and care for all its creatures,

and learn to work with the natural order rather than against it.

You thought of everything that would sustain life on earth,

and especially the life of Your ‘crown’ of creation — humankind.

We look to You with heartfelt gratitude,

O Creator of the universe, 

for Your divine providence that benefit all living creatures and all humanity,

but specifically for the blessing You have been and continue to be

to all Sabbath-keepers who gather to remember

the first Sabbath that You celebrated

with the first man and woman,  representative humanity.

What a joy and delight they must have felt to be in Your Presence,

and yet it is the same joy we feel today,

for blessing comes with simple obedience,

and we presume Your Presence in every gathering of Torah-keepers

who enter Your Sabbath world, Your dimension in time,

Your sanctified holy seventh day.

You, YHWH, You alone,

are the TRUE LORD of the Sabbath.

We acknowledge You, YHWH,

 God of Israel, God of the nations,

LORD of lords, KING of kings,

as GOD and LORD of our Sinaite community.

Amen.

 

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The beginning of wisdom is reverence for God.

[Proverbs 1:7]

 

 

 

 

[Original Tune:  “O Danny Boy”, revised lyrics]

1.  I do not know why He, our God-Creator,

Whose words brought forth the universe we see,

All worlds in all the heavens, all the space between,

the skies above, the deep abyss, the sea.

Why God would make all humans in His image,

Why He would give free will, the right to choose,

to mortal men, with understanding limited,

Who could resist, defy, reject His Grace, His Will.

 

 

2.  I do not know why God Who filled the heavens,

With sun and moon and stars to give earth light,

Who parted land and sea, filled each dominion,

with fish and fowl, with creatures big and small.

Why this great God would grant the highest favor,

in vesting man with power and self-will

to make the choice to disobey commandments,

And choose his will against his Maker and his Lord.

 

3.  I do not know how God could love us sinners,

who hear His call,  yet choose to go our way,

who turn away from blessings for obedience,

who choose what’s wrong instead of choosing right.

And yet the Source of Love, the Source of all good things,

The Source or Life Himself, our very breath,

All that He asks is turn to Him, repent and change,

And be restored to where we were before we sinned.

 

4.  How can we serve, how can we love a God like this?

so filled with lovingkindness, endless grace,

Who tempers justice with so great a mercy,

Whose love for man, we cannot comprehend.

And yet we have within ourselves the will to turn

toward the path that leads us back to Him,

Repent and love Him, serve Him, please Him, live His Way,

For all He’s given, let us live for Him each day.

 O YHWH our God, we seek Your favor,

Your blessing upon our families —

[name them]

parents, husbands and wives, children, grandchildren, extended kin,

who are with us and those who are far away;  

we seek Your providence and protection

and thank You for the blessing they have been to us.  

We join Jewry and all gentile Sabbath-keepers in declaring:

“Blessed are You,

YHWH our God

King of the universe,

Creator of the fruit of the vine,

Creator of the bounties of nature that yield food for all creatures,

We thank You  specially

for the food we will share at our Sabbath meal,

and for those who prepared it.

We join the Jewish people in saying:

L’Chaim!  To life, and to the Giver of Life!

 

Sabbath Meal

 

HAVDALAH

 

Oh YHWH,

Eternal God of new beginnings:

You have configured  earthly time 

to signal to time-conscious and time-bound humanity

 that there are always  opportunities  to start over 

with a new day,  a new week,  a new month,  a new year;

whatever it is  that we need to stop doing and start doing,  

whatever it is in our life that we need to set aright, 

even if we have taken the wrong direction,

fallen into bad habits, made wrong decisions, 

been living unwisely resulting in unhappy and broken relationships,

stressing ourselves to the point it has negatively affected

our physical, mental, and spiritual health—

we can turn our direction around and start over.  

 

You have given us the precious gift of free will

with the sole power to wield it according to our own choice,

so that at any point in our lives,

we could remain where we are, following a self-destructive course

that negatively affects us and those around us,

or, 

we could repent of our wrongdoing and turn our course around

toward the right direction to the blessing of ourselves as well as others,

by aligning our will with Your Will.

 

As time continues to tick nonstop,

marking every second adding up to minutes and hours of each day,

may we ever be conscious that each moment instantly turns into a thing of the past,

and that we need to value the gift of the ‘present’  which is ever fleeting,

that we should not waste any precious moment—  

irreplaceable time You give us —

on wasted opportunities we might never recover,

on meaningless and fruitless endeavors

that lead nowhere,

or amount to nothing

and benefit no one;

may we endeavor to spend Your time allotted to each of us

more wisely—

whether time at home or time at work,

 time to keep busy and time for rest,

time alone and time with people,

 family time and time for friendships,

time to pause and cease from our strivings,

time to welcome Your Sabbath, the Queen of days,

time to seek You in prayer and in the study of Your Torah,

and simply time to be still and seriously ponder Your instructions for life,

where we have succeeded or failed in applying them.

May we spend more time studying Your Self-Revelation,

for there is no knowledge more important than the knowledge of You,

deeply appreciate Your goodness, loving-kindness and mercy,

reflect on Your Righteousness and Your Justice,

and be grateful for Your willingness to forgive the truly repentant soul.

O YHWH, Giver of second chances,

may we listen to Your Will for all humanity as expressed in Your Torah,

understand what it means to be truly considerate of others

and be ever conscious that we live in community,

thereby endeavor to be less self-centered and self-absorbed.

May we experience being in awe of who You are,

the Eternal and Timeless One,  Creator God,

to understand Your acts in history, 

be consciously aware of as many of Your attributes

as You have revealed in the Scriptures of Your chosen people,

that we might worship You and You alone

revere Your Name, YHWH,

and love You through our actions,  not merely through words,

through obedience to Your revealed Will,  

choosing to live Your Life

that we as Gentiles might also be bearers of Your Light,

to follow the mandate given to Israel in illuminating Your Way

so that others might discover the path leading to You 

and thereby abandon gods of man’s own making.

In so doing, may it be —

that You will be pleased with the lives we have lived

so that our names will be written in Your Book of Life.

Indeed, may it be so,

Amen.

 

and a blessed new year to one and all!

In behalf of the Sinai 6000 Core Community,

NSB@S6K