Rabbi’s Reflections – Thursday, July 29, 2019 

Shalom,

Special Reminder: There will be a Shabbat dinner at Shomair this Friday night beginning at 6:00PM.  Please bring a covered dish, salad, or dessert to share.  Visitors are welcome.  Following the dinner, at 7:00PM we will have a short Kabbalat Shabbat service (which will conclude with Holy Communion).  The next morning, on Saturday, July 31st, the building will be locked up tight and there will be no regular Shabbat morning service.  We are doing this once a quarter, every 5th Saturday.  As we say in Hebrew, “Al Tishkach” (don’t forget).  End SR.

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Holy Communion – part 3:  When we left off yesterday, I was about to tell you why Jan and I have adopted the custom of celebrating Holy Communion every night.  But I’ve decided it’s too personal to share.  No really (that was a joke), it provides us with an opportunity to end each day by looking at every situation in the light of the countenance of Yeshua.  

Rabbi’s Note:  If you are single, you can do this yourself.  Jan was doing it for 6 months alone before we got married.  Ending every day with a time of personal thankfulness toward God just makes sense, since Communion is so important to me too.  And our highest thanks is always reserved for Yeshua.  God sent His Son for us.  That alone changed eternity, and we will be forever thankful.  End RN.

At Communion, we look back on our day and recount the number of times the Lord moved for us.  He is always showing Himself strong.  Too often we honor “lady luck” or providence or good fortune when it is God Who is showing His love for us.  

Rabbi Trail: Reminds me of a good joke.  A man was running late for a court appointment (it’s not good to make the judge wait), so he began to pray for a parking spot on the street in front of the courthouse (very rare), and immediately one opened up. right in front.  The man quickly ended his prayer, “Never mind, I got one.”  Bad dum bum.  End RT.

Communion is a visible act of thanksgiving.  An attitude of thanksgiving  is critical to our biblical worldview.  According to the Bible, we can’t even get past the entry gate of the Temple without thanksgiving in our hearts.  Psalm 100:4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise! Praise Him, bless His Name. 5 For Adonai is good. His lovingkindness endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.

I’m writing this on Wednesday (for Thursday).  The Psalm for Wednesday is Psalm 94, which has nothing directly about thankfulness.  Then many communities continue with the first 3 verses of Psalm 95:1 O come, let us sing for joy to Adonai. Let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving. Let us shout joyfully to Him with songs. 3 For Adonai is a great God and a great King above all gods.  Does that help put you in a frame of mind to thank God through Holy Communion?

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)

Thu 29 July 2021 20th of Av, 5781

De 10:12-11:9Ez 40:24-491 Ch 20(Jn 8:1-30)1 Ti 4

Week 31
Memory Verse: John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We looked upon His glory, the glory of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth.

151   7/26  Monday:       Luke 1

152   7/27  Tuesday:      Luke 2

153   7/28  Wednesday: Matthew 1-2

154   7/29  Thursday:     Mark 1

155   7/30  Friday:          John 1