Post by Mark on Dec 10, 2007 8:11:16 GMT -8
One of the things that I'm working on in our community is trying to help those coming from the gentile Church see the beauty and value of the Messianic Liturgy, as taken out of the Jewish Synagogue. I've been writing a paper each week on different prayers and thought some of you might be interested in what I've shared thus far. I'll start posting them in this area, as I go along, hoping that these generate some response of praise to Adonai our God, or stimulate questions on the Judaic perspective of our faith.
Sh’ma
"Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one God…" This is the central of all Jewish prayer, to call the people Israel back to her heritage from Abraham, to be the chosen people, living in obedience and love. Yet, there is an amazing perplexity for these words, this appeal to the people of God, to be uttered from the mouths of gentiles. "Hear, O Israel, your God is also my God. He is One in the Same."
Each time we utter the Sh’ma we, as gentiles, are speaking the fulfillment of prophecy.
They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. (Deu 32:21 KJV)
There is certainly a catch to this understanding. The petition of the Sh’ma does not end with, "We’re worshipping the same God." It continues that we, both Jew and gentile, must love Adonai our God with all of our heart (our inner-most feelings), with all our soul (the substance of our life), and all of our strength (to hold nothing back). "And these words which I command you this day…" the substance of the
, every word, shall be protected among our inner-most feelings. The resulting consequence of in this position is that we will diligently teach the things of to our children and we will speak the things of to one another when we sit, when we walk, when we rise up or lie down. It will be the default setting of our heart and thus the natural course of our conversation.
To call to the people of Israel, "Sh’ma, Israel" is to invite our brothers to come along. We are following, cherishing it in our heart, as a response of love toward the one true God, the God of the Jews, who has made place for us to worship along side of them.
Israel is provoked to jealousy, not because we say that their God is our God, too. This evokes little more of a response than contempt. It is the same relationship between the Jew and the Samaritan. "You worship on this mountain. We worship in Jerusalem. You don’t even know what you worship; but we do." (John 4:21-22). Yet, to say, "Let us walk together in obedience of Adonai," has a much stronger reaction. It is, in effect, the break down the middle wall of partition, the barrier between the Court of the gentiles and the Court of the Jews, and declare that the House of God, the Temple, is to be a house of prayer for all people… together. (Ephesians 2:12-14) The response from the Jewish community has been stronger. If I may suggest, even jealous.
Sh’ma
"Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one God…" This is the central of all Jewish prayer, to call the people Israel back to her heritage from Abraham, to be the chosen people, living in obedience and love. Yet, there is an amazing perplexity for these words, this appeal to the people of God, to be uttered from the mouths of gentiles. "Hear, O Israel, your God is also my God. He is One in the Same."
Each time we utter the Sh’ma we, as gentiles, are speaking the fulfillment of prophecy.
They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. (Deu 32:21 KJV)
There is certainly a catch to this understanding. The petition of the Sh’ma does not end with, "We’re worshipping the same God." It continues that we, both Jew and gentile, must love Adonai our God with all of our heart (our inner-most feelings), with all our soul (the substance of our life), and all of our strength (to hold nothing back). "And these words which I command you this day…" the substance of the
, every word, shall be protected among our inner-most feelings. The resulting consequence of in this position is that we will diligently teach the things of to our children and we will speak the things of to one another when we sit, when we walk, when we rise up or lie down. It will be the default setting of our heart and thus the natural course of our conversation.To call to the people of Israel, "Sh’ma, Israel" is to invite our brothers to come along. We are following
, cherishing it in our heart, as a response of love toward the one true God, the God of the Jews, who has made place for us to worship along side of them. Israel is provoked to jealousy, not because we say that their God is our God, too. This evokes little more of a response than contempt. It is the same relationship between the Jew and the Samaritan. "You worship on this mountain. We worship in Jerusalem. You don’t even know what you worship; but we do." (John 4:21-22). Yet, to say, "Let us walk together in obedience of Adonai," has a much stronger reaction. It is, in effect, the break down the middle wall of partition, the barrier between the Court of the gentiles and the Court of the Jews, and declare that the House of God, the Temple, is to be a house of prayer for all people… together. (Ephesians 2:12-14) The response from the Jewish community has been stronger. If I may suggest, even jealous.
