That seems to be where we’re headed. Our government is not protecting us from these terrorists. Instead, it is letting them have their way. Why??? They say they’re fighting terrorism. They lie.
Begin Anew With Joy!
This is an email that I get from Keren Hannah Pryor at jcstudies.com. She puts really neat graphics in the emails that she sends out, so if you want to see them, subscribe to her email weekly devotional study, and you will get the full effect. Details are at the bottom of this teaching.
SIMCHAT TORAH – JOY OF TORAH
A New Beginning
The conclusion of the annual Torah reading cycle at this time and the immediate beginning of the cycle for the next year is the central reason and focus of the holiday of Simchat Torah. An old gate is closing and a new one is opening. We celebrate the new beginning and the opportunity to step forward into another year of relationship with our Father, the Giver and Source of Life, and into continuing growth in knowledge of His Word and thereby of Himself. We can lift our hearts and rejoice and sing with the Psalmist:
“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things in Your Torah.
Your testimonies are my delight, they are my counselors. …Give me understanding, that I may keep Your Torah and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it.
The sum of Your Word is truth; and every one of Your righteous ordinances endures for ever… my heart stands in awe of Your words. I rejoice at Your Word, like one who finds great treasure”
(Psalm 119:18, 24, 34-35,160-162).
Be glad and rejoice in Simchat Torah and give honor to the Torah…
for she is our strength and our light (Simchat Torah song).
The central means of celebration on Simchat Torah is singing and dancing! Simchat Torah calls us to rejoice before God with all our hearts and might… to celebrate the Word of God as King David did when he returned the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 15:28-29). What would we do without the light and wisdom of God’s Word? Simchat Torah gives us an opportunity to rejoice over the wonder, the depths and the power of His Word with childlike abandon; to drop our self-conscious defenses and throw ourselves joyfully into rejoicing greatly before our Father in Heaven! To “dance as David danced” is a challenge to adults, but now a wonderful occasion is given for children and adults to sing and dance in joy together at the great gift God has given of His Torah, His precious and eternal Word, and the incarnation of this Word in the life of His Son and our Messiah – Yeshua. How can we not find reason to rejoice greatly?
In synagogues, the dancing takes the form of seven hakafot, or circles, which reinforces the concept of the cycles of life. This also highlights the relationship of God and His people as that of a Bride and Groom, one of Covenant love, and recalls how at Mount Sinai the Torah can be seen as the ketubah, the wedding document of the bridegroom and the bride. In some traditional Jewish wedding ceremonies the bride circles the groom seven times, signaling the constant daily presence of the Shekhinah of God that surrounds us in steadfast love. Joyful dancing is also the means of celebration at a wedding, the elation of which is expressed in the final of the Sheva Brachot, the Seven Blessings that are prayed over the bride and groom. This crowning blessing also encapsulates the heart of Simchat Torah, and the heart of our relationship with the Beloved of our souls:
Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who created joy and happiness, bride and groom, gladness, jubilation, cheer, and delight, love, friendship, harmony, and fellowship.
O Lord our God, let there speedily be heard in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem the sound of joy and the sound of happiness, the sound of the Bridegroom and the sound of the Bride…
Blessed are You Lord, who gladdens the Groom with the Bride.
Hakafot at the Kotel – Western Wall
At the synagogue evening service all the Torah scrolls are removed from the Ark [special cupboard that houses the Torah scrolls], to be passed lovingly from person to person during the seven hakafot. Sometimes a lit candle, or a Bible, is placed in the now empty Ark to show that the light of Torah never goes out.
After the dancing, the last portion of the Torah is read, VeZot HaBeracha – And This is the Blessing (Deut. 33:1-34:12); the only time of the year that the Torah is publicly read at night. Then the scroll is rolled back to the beginning and a part of the first portion of Genesis, B’reishit – In the Beginning, is read. The cycle of the Word continues without interruption, in harmony and joyful gratitude.
Oh How I love Your Torah!
During the morning service on the following day, celebrations are a little more subdued and the deeper values of God and His Word are reflected upon. In accord with the understanding that the Torah is “a tree of life to those who grasp it,” the opportunity on Simchat Torah to literally hold it close to oneself is meaningful. To touch and hold a person one loves is a great blessing, so too one finds blessing in touching and holding the Torah scroll, which is resplendent in a finely embroidered robe, is crowned with a beautiful crown and adorned with a decorative breastplate. As we grasp the Torah scroll it is an expression of our deep longing to embrace the Beloved of our souls, the Word made flesh, the King of kings!
An IDF soldier holds a Torah scroll
After further hakafot, quieter singing and dancing with the scrolls, to enable every person to hold and kiss a scroll, all but three of the Torah scrolls are returned to the Ark. Readings are done from the three scrolls and certain people are honored in making aliyah to the Torah, being called up to read. Recognizing the connection with marriage, the first person called is named “groom of the Torah” (chatan Torah), who reads the last verses of Deuteronomy. The second is the “Genesis groom” (chatan B’reishit), who has the honor of reading the first chapter of Genesis. The third and last one is called “the groom for the reading of the prophets” (chatan maftir), who reads about the succession of leadership from Moses to Joshua.
A special aliyah is made for the last blessing of the Torah readings, when all the children are called up to the bima, the central platform from which the Torah scroll is read. A large tallit (prayer shawl) is spread over them and the rabbi blesses them and the congregation recites Genesis 48:16,
“The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the youths; and let my name [Jacob] be named upon them and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
The children are the next generation and this is a powerful gesture of the desire to fulfill the biblical injunction: “And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children…” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).
The Feasts of the Future
It is of interest to note that, in Temple times, identical sacrifices were offered at the altar on both Rosh HaShanah and Shemini Atzeret (the Eighth Day, together with Simchat Torah, which in Israel, as well as in the Reform tradition of Judaism, are celebrated on the same day). This was not merely coincidence as the Temple sacrifices were a significant component of worship of God and they were meticulously planned and executed in order to express the meaning and essence of each festival. The matching sacrifices thus tied Rosh HaShanah to Simchat Torah, embracing the Fall Feasts as one unit. This fact reinforces the understanding that this group of feasts is the “crown” and culmination of the Festival Cycle and represents the aim and fulfillment of all the holy days of the year. Whereas the previous Feasts are rooted in history, and relate to an historic event already experienced by God’s people, the Fall Feasts celebrate prophetic events that await fulfillment in the future.
At present, on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur we recognize with gratitude our present relationship to God as our Father and King of the universe, and we can come before Him in repentance, clothed in the righteousness of Yeshua our Messiah, and accept His loving forgiveness. Also, on Sukkot we rejoice in the knowledge that we are covered by the Hand of God and can rest in His protection and provision on our tenuous journey through life. On Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, we joyfully thank God for His Word and anticipate eternity in His Presence. The true and full promises of these Festivals, however, are yet to be experienced. On that Great Day known only to the Father, the final ‘new beginning’ of Rosh HaShanah, the last great trump will sound – the Tekiah Gedolah of the great Shofar – announcing the arrival of Mashiach ben David, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Messiah the Son of David. The dead will be raised; and all mankind will stand before the King who sits on the Throne of Judgment. On the final Yom Kippur, the judgment on all nations and people will be sealed and delivered. Those who are to enter the great sukkah – the banqueting hall of the Wedding Feast of the King and His Bride – will assemble and great will be the rejoicing. Shemini Atzeret, the Eighth Day, will begin – the Day that is all Shabbat – the time of true peace, a time of eternal, unbreakable unity and blessing, harmony and joy. The King will be reigning in Jerusalem and the Kingdom of God will be established in all the earth. HalleluYah!
Until that time, we wait in hope and faith and continue on the next cycle of our journey through life. Let us join hands, united in the true and faithful Word and promises of our Father in Heaven, in the fellowship we have in Messiah, and in the love and power of the Holy Spirit. Let us step confidently into the winter season ahead, anticipating the beautiful, dancing lights of Hanukkah that shine the light of God’s Presence into the darkness of the world – just as we are called to do.
With the flame of God’s love bright in our hearts, let us shine for Him!
Chazak! Chazak! ve’Nitchazek!
Be strong! Be strong! And may we strengthen one another!
Baruch HaShem! Praise His Name! We are reaching the end of another year of study of the precious Word of our God and of His pleasant paths.
A NEW BOOK
Keren’s devotional studies on the weekly portion, A Dash of Drash, are now available in well-formatted book form – hot off the press in time for the new Torah study cycle that begins the first Shabbat of October, (2nd Oct., 2010). An excellent way to review and dig deeper into the text during the year ahead!
You can order your copy now through our secured website JC Studies
You can also take advantage of our special offer to obtain a set of both commentaries, A Taste of Torah and A Dash of Drash, at a special launch price. Good to keep in mind for your gift-giving!
Thank you for walking with us this past year, may our faithful Lord continue to guide and bless our steps on the path ahead – for His glory!
Keren Hannah and the JC Studies team
You have subscribed to Keren Hannah Pryor’s weekly devotional study through the five books of Moses, in order to better understand how knowing the Bible in its original context helps us live more intentionally in God’s Presence today. Visit us at www.jcstudies.com.
Our contact information:
The Center for Judaic-Christian Studies
P.O. Box 750815
Dayton, OH 45475
1 (937) 434.4550
If you desire to contribute financially, thank you.
Copyright (C) 2010 Keren Hannah Pryor & The Center for Judaic-Christian Studies. All rights reserved.
Correcting Our Understanding of Heaven As Our Home
In recent years, we have studied more of the Jewish thought and the Hebrew roots of Christianity. One of the sources I have been learning from is Dwight Pryor. He crystallizes his mission statement like this:
My strong conviction is that the Lord is restoring the Hebraic foundations of the Church so that together we all can move forward in greater faithfulness and maturity in the service of the Messiah and the Kingdom of God. Toward that end we should be Father-focused, Christ-centered and Spirit-saturated. We should stand with and pray for Israel. Our teaching should strive to be biblically balanced and theologically sound.
Of all the followers of Jesus, we who are being reconnected to the olive-tree roots of our faith, who study Torah and treasure Jewish wisdom surely we should be the most humble and wise, with a servant heart and a good eye, like Abraham, our father in the faith. Love should abound in all that we do. More than just knowledge, if the fruit of the Spirit is not characterizing our lives and our communities, then we are in the wrong movement.
At the end of the day, we can never improve upon Jesus and his example. His passion was for one movement alone, the Kingdom of God, and his priority was for the raising up of disciples through sound instruction and godly example. To authentically emulate that and to carry on that mission should be the raison d’etre of the Hebraic renewal community.
One of the common misconceptions among Christians is what we will do after we die – and where we will live. Here are some thoughts to help us clarify what the Bible really says about it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is Heaven Our Destiny?
Author: Dwight A. Pryor
THE BELIEF IN LIFE AFTER DEATH IS nearly universal among the world’s religions. Unique to the biblical faiths of Judaism and Christianity, however, is the conviction that there will be a life after life-after-death (to borrow a phrase from N.T. Wright). In other words the afterlife will not be our final destination, but we shall be materially embodied once again in the resurrection of the dead at the Last Day.
The implications of this seem not to have registered fully on the popular Christian culture, which tends to define salvation as “going to heaven when you die.” In a carryover from medieval times, when the travails of this present world were countered by the Church’s otherworldly spirituality, the common sentiment among Christians today remains:
This world is not my home; I’m just a passing through. My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue. Just over in Glory land we’ll live eternally …
This popular point of view runs counter to the witness of Scripture — which indicates that our ultimate destiny as believers is not “heaven” but a new “heaven and earth” (the biblical idiom for created cosmos).
THE VISION OF A NEW OR RENEWED universe is common to both Testaments, as well as to Jewish apocalyptic literature during the four-hundred year intertestamental period. The earth will go through a period of judgment, purging and cleansing at the Apocalypse before it is restored at last to the pristine condition of Gan Eden (Garden of Eden).
The Apostle Peter foresaw that Day of the Lord when the cosmos will dissolve into its elements by fire, to be renewed according to God’s promise by “new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home” (2 Pet 3:13). The Hebraic terminology “new heavens and a new earth” derives from the prophetic vision of Isaiah (65:17ff), in which a new Jerusalem will become a joy and delight to the nations and the natural created order will be restored to innocence and shalom, so that “the wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox” (65:25).
This end-time scenario of course is found also in the Apocalypse of John. The Apostle envisions a restored heaven and earth, after evil and wickedness have been destroyed, with the “holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God” (Rev 21:1-2).
Then the Creator himself will descend and take up habitation among redeemed humankind. “He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (21:3). The “Immanuel” (God-with-us) that found fulfillment in the Incarnation will come to its consummation in the Last Days when the Lord God will dwell fully and perpetually in the midst of His people (Ezekiel 37: 26-27).
The creation itself shall then be set free from its enslavement to futility and decay to obtain the “freedom of the [resurrected] glory of the children of God” (Rom 8:21). It will be purged, purified, transformed and glorified. It will not be annihilated, but made new or renewed. As the One seated on the Throne promises, “Behold, I am making all things new!” (Revelation 21:5).
THE HOPE WE HAVE IN THE LORD therefore is far grander than some post-death consciousness or some everlasting state of disembodied bliss. Our final home will not be “over in Glory land.” Heaven will be but a temporary layover on the way to a better world.
Our ultimate destiny is to dwell forever in the House of the Lord. His habitation will be in a renewed heaven and earth. We have no need of resurrected bodies in heaven. But when at the Last Day heaven comes to earth and the Jerusalem which is above, whose architect and builder is God (Heb 11:10), descends upon the present city — then indeed we will need and will prosper in the transformed physicality of resurrected bodies.
Like the risen Jesus, our bodies will be in continuity with our previous existence, and yet also new, glorified and animated fully by the Spirit. Then we shall walk with our Redeemer and have unhindered fellowship with the true and living God. Our joy will be complete and His purposes for the creation will be consummated. That is our destiny!
© 2010 Dwight A. Pryor and The Center for Judaic-Christian Studies.
All rights reserved.
www.jcstudies.com
40 Days for Life Fall 2010
Reports from opening events at local 40 Days for Life
campaigns are rolling in … WOW!
Not only is this the biggest campaign ever, but more
and more people are getting involved in local efforts
from the very start!
Here are just a few examples …
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA:
One of the speakers at the Indianapolis kickoff
talked about embracing the crosses that come with
praying at an abortion center for 40 days.
The people attending the event had an opportunity
to sacrifice their personal comfort almost
immediately: a two-and-a-half mile walk to the
local Planned Parenthood abortion center — in a
rainstorm!
“The Holy Spirit must have been at work,” said
Joseph, one of the coordinators.
“The best part of the experience was being led by
the high schoolers,” said Mary, who took part in
the walk. “I believe that the sight of our group
marching in the pouring rain with our banner and
signs was quite compelling as thousands of people
drove past us. Let’s pray for the most successful
40 Days for Life ever!”
Click here to see a photo of prayer volunteers in
Indianapolis processing with their umbrellas:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=1024
GLENDALE, ARIZONA:
It didn’t rain in Arizona; it was just HOT! By
the time the candlelight vigil began at the 6 pm
Glendale kickoff event, it had “cooled off” to
108 degrees.
Still, several dozen turned out for the first-ever
40 Days for Life vigil at the Planned Parenthood
center in Glendale.
Click here a photo of the candlelight event:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=1024
FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA:
The team in Fairfax decided to try something new
to get the word out about their local campaign.
They set up a booth at a Christian music festival
in their area — an opportunity to reach out to
a huge crowd with the 40 Days for Life message.
It worked! At least 100 people signed up to pray
at the Fairfax 40 Days for Life vigil.
“This project was part of our mission to saturate
our culture with the pro-life message,” said
Jonathan, the Fairfax coordinator.
“It pays to go around and ask people to sign up
for 40 Days for Life,” he said. “It pays to be
bold and tell people the truth.”
Click here to see a photo of the Fairfax 40 Days
for Life booth at the Awakening Festival:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=1024
Those are just a few of the many, many encouraging
stories that are flooding in already. I’ll have more
to share tomorrow.
THANK YOU to everyone who’s answering the call to
pray and fast!
We had a GREAT kickoff event Tuesday in Fayetteville,
Arkansas … and I met a lot of wonderful people on
Wednesday at three stops in Wisconsin. Today, I’ll be
making another Wisconsin visit, as I’m heading to the
40 Days for Life vigil site in Milwaukee.
David Bereit, our national 40 Days for Life director,
reports great turnouts of enthusiastic volunteers at
kickoff events where he’s spoken in Orlando, Florida,
as well as Dallas and Conroe, Texas. Next he’s
heading to Minneapolis / St. Paul, Minnesota where
he’ll visit the local 40 Days for Life site.
Where will you be praying today?
Here’s the link to the list, just in case you haven’t
signed up yet:
http://40daysforlife.com/location.cfm
Here’s today’s devotional from Fr. Frank Pavone,
National Director of Priests for Life…
—————————————————–
DAY 2 INTENTION
—————————————————–
Pray for those who work in the abortion industry, and
for those who have repented of committing abortions
and have resolved to defend life.
—————————————————–
SCRIPTURE
—————————————————–
Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into
your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said
this, he breathed his last. The centurion, seeing
what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this
was a righteous man.”
— Luke 23:46-47
—————————————————–
REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
—————————————————–
“Those of us who have participated in the killing of
unborn children are the Centurions of today. We have
dropped our swords against the unborn child. Now we
must recognize the depth of our guilt and deal with
the ramifications… To revitalize our humanity we
need to forgive and be forgiven, to reconcile and be
healed.”
These words come from a brochure of the Society of
Centurions, an organization for former abortion
providers. These words convey in a beautiful and
moving way what is happening across the nation as
hundreds of abortionists and their staff members
experience repentance, conversion, and healing.
How does this conversion begin? Dr. Philip Ney
writes, “The factors that changed their opinion on
performing abortions, in the following order of
frequency, were: evidence of the infant’s humanity, a
spiritual experience, personal distress, evidence of
the mother’s distress, scientific articles, being
accepted as a person, a personal relationship with a
pro-lifer, pro-life pickets.” (The Centurion’s
Pathway, p. 77).
The journey is not easy. But the Jesus who heals us
calls us to face the truth of what we’ve done, make
restitution where possible, and engage in the hard
work of mending relationships. Let’s pray for the
Centurions; may their numbers increase!
—————————————————–
PRAYER
—————————————————–
Lord, we thank you for those who have repented of
committing abortions and have resolved to defend
life. We too repent and resolve.
We repent of every instance in which fear has made us
silent when we should have spoken. We repent of the
ongoing bloodshed in our land, and for thinking that
we can deprive the unborn of protection but keep it
for ourselves.
We resolve that we will advance the cause of
righteous candidates for public office, and that we
will be more afraid of offending you by our silence
than of offending others by our speech. We resolve
that we will proclaim your name to the nations,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Love Him Back!
This is the follow-up to the devotion that David Wilkerson wrote yesterday and I posted earlier here.
Our Father sings over us, and our hearts should respond to such exuberant love with dancing and singing and rejoicing.
I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine.
Think about that. Own it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
David Wilkerson Today
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2010
THE OTHER SIDE OF COMMUNION
Walking in God’s glory means not only that we receive the Father’s love,
but that we love him back as well. It’s about mutual affection, both giving
and receiving love. The Bible tells us, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might”
(Deuteronomy 6:5).
God says to us, “My son, give me thine heart” (Proverbs 23:26). His love
demands that we reciprocate, that we return to him a love that’s total,
undivided, requiring all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
However, the Lord tells us in no uncertain terms, “You can’t earn my love.
The love I give to you is unmerited!” John writes, “Herein is love, not
that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the
propitiation for our sins” and “We love him, because he first loved us”
(1 John 4:10, 19).
Just as God’s love for us is marked by rest and rejoicing, so our love for
him must have these same two elements:
1. David expresses a rest in his love for God when he writes, “Whom have I in
heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee”
(Psalm 73:25). The heart that loves the Lord ceases completely from looking
elsewhere for comfort. Rather, it finds full contentment in him. To such a
lover, God’s lovingkindness is better than life itself!
2. Such a heart also rejoices in its love for God. It sings and dances in
joyous ecstasy over the Lord. When a child of God knows how much his Father
loves him, it puts a delight in his soul!
Let me give you one of the most powerful verses in all of Scripture. Proverbs
give us these prophetic words of Christ: “Then I was by him, as one brought
up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;
rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the
sons of men” (Proverbs 8:30–31).
Beloved, we are the sons being mentioned here! From the very foundations of the
earth, God foresaw a body of believers joined to his Son. And even then the
Father delighted and rejoiced in these sons. Jesus testifies, “I was my
Father’s delight, the joy of his being. And now all who turn to me in faith
are his delight as well!”
So, how do we love Jesus in return? John answers, “This is the love of God,
that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (1 John
5:3).
What are his commandments? Jesus says, in essence, there are two and “on
these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40).
The first and most important is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul and
mind. We’re to hold nothing back from him. And the second is that we love our
neighbor as ourselves. These two simple, non-grievous commands sum up all of
God’s law.
Jesus is saying here that we cannot be in communion with God or walk in his
glory if we bear a grudge against anyone. Therefore, loving God means loving
every brother and sister in the same way we’ve been loved by the Father.
Read this devotion online: http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/devotions/2010/the-other-side-of-communion
"Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is placed in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse in to the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into its soul to see its possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny,--she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no other's hands the sacred and holy trust given to her." -JR Miller
