1. INTRODUCTION

First virtual hangout (POSTPONED): New date: October 13, 2022 @ 8 PM EST

Make sure to engage in the private FB Group: Click Here to access.

Fall Festivals:

September 25-27: Festival of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah

October 4-5: Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement

October 9-16: Sukkot/ Festival of Tabernacles

2. SH’MA

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hebrew: Sh’ma yis’rael adonai eloheinu adonai echad. Baruch shem k’vod malchuto, l’olam va’ed. V’ahavta et adonai elohecha, b’chol l’vavcha, u’vchol nephshecha, u’vchol ma’odecha.

English: Hear Israel, The LORD* (YHWH) our God the LORD (YHWH) is one. Blessed be the name of His glorious Kingdom forever and ever. And love the LORD (YHWH) your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your strength.

*When LORD is spelled with all caps it means that in Hebrew it is referencing the name of God which is YHWH. We believe from sufficient scholarly research the best way to pronounce the name is Yahweh. Many Jews and some Christians have refrained from using the name at all so as to not misuse the name (Exodus 20:7). If you don’t feel comfortable pronouncing the name YHWH, we say Adonai (Lord) to replace it in Hebrew. Many also call YHWH “HaShem” which means “The Name.” 

3. Go For A WalK

Take 7 minutes to walk around outside. Put a timer on your phone and come back when the time is up. If you can’t walk outside, just walk around your house or apartment. Use this time like an Examen and spend time pondering the questions below as you spend time with God. 

1. Become aware of God’s presence.

2. Reflect on things you’re grateful for today.

3. Pay attention to some of the emotions you’ve felt throughout the last 24 hours.

4. Take one thing from the past day and pray about it. It’s okay if you don’t know what to pray. Feel free to just spend this time reflecting.

5. Take a moment to think about the rest of this day or tomorrow. Is there something you need to give to God to handle? Or is there an area when you’ll need to be more reliant upon the Holy Spirit for guidance?

4. Lectio Divina

Read through Isaiah 51:3-6. Follow the prompts below after reading.

1. What words speak out to you?

2. What phrases speak out to you?

3. Say a short prayer based on the verses.

4. Take a few moments to be silent and reflect on the verses.

Isaiah 51:3-6

“The LORD will surely comfort Zion
and will look with compassion on all her ruins;
he will make her deserts like Eden,
her wastelands like the garden of the LORD.
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the sound of singing.
“Listen to me, my people;
hear me, my nation:
Instruction will go out from me;
my justice will become a light to the nations.
My righteousness draws near speedily,
my salvation is on the way,
and my arm will bring justice to the nations.
The islands will look to me
and wait in hope for my arm.
Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment
and its inhabitants die like flies.
But my salvation will last forever,
my righteousness will never fail.”

5. LORD’S PRAYER 

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the Kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory forever.
Amen!”

The Lord’s prayer can be found in Matthew 6:9-13 except for the final line. You can learn more about that final line in this article here.

6. CandLe Lighting

Matthew 5:14-16: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Candle Blessing – ALL: “Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who sanctified us in his commandments, and commanded us to be a light to the nations, and who gave to us Jesus our Messiah, Light of the World.”

Let’s pray together: LORD we pray that the lights we now kindle will inspire us to use our lives to heal, and not to harm. To help, and not to hinder. To bless, and not to curse. We ask that You would free us from the selfishness and bitterness that keep us from loving you with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Release us from the pride that keeps us from loving our neighbors as ourselves. As we walk into this world as the light of the world, we ask that you would guide our footsteps, protect us from the enemy, and that we would use your light to share your lovingkindness, with the world! Amen.

7. WORSHIp SONG 

Song: With Us

VERSE 1
Not a king adorned in splendor, robed in glory
But a baby in a manger born to save
Not a warrior who fights His way to power
But a friend who faced the cross to set us free

CHORUS
You are with us
You are with us
In every moment
You are with us
You are Jesus
Your are Jesus
In every moment
You are with us

VERSE 2
Wrapped in rags, receive the gift of heaven
With a word You bring the dead to life again
You were there from the beginning of creation
With a promise to be with us in the end

CHORUS
You are with us
You are with us
In every moment
You are with us
You are Jesus
Your are Jesus
In every moment
You are with us

Bridge
When we don’t understand
We know You’re working
For our good, For our good
We’re trusting in Your plan
Your purpose always wins
You are with us, You are with us

CHORUS
You are with us
You are with us
In every moment
You are with us
You are Jesus
Your are Jesus
In every moment
You are with us

“With Us”
LC Worship
Courtesy of Life.Church

8. COMMUNION 

You will need the elements at this point if you’re wanting to participate. Please know you do not have to participate if you would rather not. Click here to learn more about communion.

Why do we take communion every week? Because it’s a reminder of what Jesus accomplished for us both on the Cross and in the Resurrection: Forgiveness of sins, reconciliation to our Creator, and new life in the resurrection.

Why do we take communion so seriously?

1 Corinthians 11:27-29: “So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.”

Click here to view the different views on communion.

We do not take communion lightly. We do believe that Jesus actually meets us here in this sharing of the bread and cup. Please make sure to take time and answer the questions below before participating.

Scriptures To Consider:

Isaiah 53:4-5
Acts 2:42-47
1 Corinthians 5:6-8
Mark 14:22-26
Luke 22:14-20
John 6:52-58 (See article here for more insight)
1 John 1:8-9

9. HOMILy 

Sukkah (Sukkot = Plural): A temporary hut or shelter (tabernacle) to remember the journey through the wilderness to the promised land. 

Yes, I am defining a Yinzer in my sermon 😂 This is taken from the Urban Dictionary: A provincial, typically residing in the western half of Pennsylvania (USA), who strongly identifies with the nearby city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, often due to a fervent, pseudo-religious loyalty toward one or more professional sports teams headquartered there. “Yinzers” are so called because they speak a regional dialect of American English featuring the use of “yinz” or “yunz” as the second-person plural pronoun. Yinzers are the subject of a number of stereotypes, some of which they are actively proud and consciously reinforce to strengthen their sense of identity, an example being their use of French fries as a condiment.

Leviticus 23:33-36, 39-43

The LORD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD’s Festival of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days. The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. For seven days present food offerings to the LORD, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the LORD. It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work.

So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees —and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in temporary shelters for seven days:

All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’”

What Was Tabernacles For The Everyday Israelite?

1. It was a week-long festival with Sabbaths on the first and last day (Lev. 23:35-36)

2. It was essentially a harvest celebration (Lev. 23:39)

3. It was to be a week of joyful celebration with leafy trees (Lev. 23:40)

4. They were to live in a temporary shelter for 7 days to remember their journey in the wilderness.

In other words:

1. Live in temporary shelters for 7 days.

2. Celebrate using luxurious branches.

3. Bring celebratory offerings to YHWH.

4. Special Sabbaths on the first and last day.

John 1:14

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” -NIV

“The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” The Greek here is “σκηνόω (skay-no’-o)” which can mean a temporary tent/structure, usually with relation to God “tenting” or making his residence with Israel.

About Jesus & Sukkot

Here’s an article that dives deeper into Jesus’ connection with the Festival of Tabernacles.

Revelation 21:1-4

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See! The home of God is among mortals! He will dwell with them. They will be his people. And God Himself will be with them. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. Mourning and crying and pain will be no more. for the first things have passed away.”

10. BLESSING

Blessing (Numbers 6:22-27 + Justin’s Addition):

“May the LORD bless you and keep you. May the LORD turn His face toward you and shine upon you and give you grace and peace as you go throughout your week. And may you always remember, no matter how dark it gets, Jesus will always be there when you need him. No matter what. Jesus will always dwell by your side.”

Want To Get Involved?

Thank you so much for being a part this week! If you’d like to help us out, here’s what was need: 

1. We’re in need of people who love worshipping and can record worship music. Or have their own music already recorded that they would be willing to let us use in these sessions.

2. We’d love for you to lead some of the sections (For example, you would film yourself using your phone blessing and lighting the candle, or saying the Lord’s prayer. And we’re open to other spiritual practices that help you grow with Jesus).

3. If you know how to edit videos, use WordPress sites, and/or love social media and would like to help out, please reach out!

You can email us at [email protected] or use the form on the website here.

Would you be willing to share your feedback? It’s completely anonymous and will help us make these sessions better in the future. It should only take a minute or two and you can fill it out here.