The Ten Days of Awe – Rosh-Hashanah and Psalm 81. Sing and shout joyfully to God our strength; raise your voices and acclaim the God of Jacob. Raise a song, take up a melody, and sound the timbrel, the psaltery, the sweet harp, the pleasant lyre. Blow the shofar at the new moon, at the full …
The Ten Days of Awe – Rosh-Hashanah and the Binding of Isaac. “Some time later, The God tested Abraham’s faith. ‘Abraham!’ God called. ‘Yes, here I am,’ he replied. God said, ‘Please take your son, your only son who you love so much, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as …
The Ten Days of Awe – Rosh-Hashanah and the Tashlikh Experience. Tashlich: A “Casting Off” Experience for Families that Celebrates God’s Forgiveness. “Who is a God like You, who pardons (“nasa”) sin and forgives (“waober”) the rebellious crimes of His precious people? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again …
The Ten Days of Awe – Rosh-Hashanah and the Shofar. “… And the trumpet shall sound!” What is it about the trumpet blast that moves the spirit and gives your soul a talking-to? Are we programmed in some way to respond in a deep way to the trumpet, as if it’s nature’s own wake-up call? There’s …
The Ten Days of Awe – Celebrating Rosh-Hashanah. “The Lord Yahweh said to Moses, ‘Tell the people of Israel, In the seventh month the first of the month is to be for you a complete rest for remembering, a holy convocation announced with blasts on the shofar…” (Leviticus 23:23). The Spiritual New Year for Jewish …
The Ten Days of Awe – The Big IF of Forgiveness. “IF you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15). The Big IF. Sometimes our eyes just skip over small words in Scripture when we are reading in a …
The Ten Days of Awe – Reconciliation and Shalom. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” (Matt. 5:9). Another Way to Put This Beatitude. “You are so fortunate! You will grin from ear to ear when you are able to harmonize people and help those in discord to sing the same …
The Ten Days of Awe – The Jewish Roots of Forgiveness in the Hebrew Bible. “Who is a God like you, who pardons (“nasa”) sin and forgives (“waober”) the rebellious acts of his special people? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will trample …
The Ten Days of Awe – Celebrating the Jewish High Holy Days. “Seek the Lord while He lets Himself be found. Call upon Him while He is nearby. Let the evildoers abandon their ways, and the sinful ones banish every evil thought. Let them turn to the Lord, and He will have merciful compassion on them. …
The Ten Days of Awe – Why Study the Jewish Holy Days and Biblical Feasts? “These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.” (Lev. 23:2). Why Bother? Doing a deep-dive into the Jewish High Holy Days begs the question… Why even bother with celebrating the …
Awestruck: How the Brain is Affected by Awe. “Lord Yahweh, there is no God like You! You are wondrously great, and Your name is mighty in power. You are unrivalled in Your greatness! Who can fail to be impressed by You, King of the nations. It is completely proper to reverence You, for who could fail …
Awe-Inspiring Words from Saints Luke, John and Paul. “And the believers were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to community life, to the breaking of bread in common meals together, and to prayer. And everyone kept feeling a deep sense of reverent awe (“phobeo”); and many wonders and miracles were taking place through …