1. INTRODUCTION

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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. 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.”

4. WORSHIp SONG 

Song: Build My Life

Verse 1
Worthy of every song we could ever sing
Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring
Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe
We live for you
Oh, we live for you

Verse 2
Jesus, the Name above every other name
Jesus, the only One who could ever save (worthy…)
Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe
We live for you

Chorus
Holy, there is no one like You
There is none beside You
Open up my eyes in wonder
Show me who You are and fill me
With Your heart and lead me
In your love to those around me

Verse 1
Worthy of every song we could ever sing
Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring
Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe
We live for you
Oh, we live for you

Verse 2
Jesus, the Name above every other name
Jesus, the only One who could ever save (worthy…)
Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe
We live for you

Chorus
Holy, there is no one like You
There is none beside You
Open up my eyes in wonder
Show me who You are and fill me
With Your heart and lead me
In your love to those around me

Bridge
I will build my life upon Your love
It is a firm foundation
I will put my trust in You alone
And I will not be shaken

Chorus
Holy, there is no one like You
There is none beside You
Open up my eyes in wonder
Show me who You are and fill me
With Your heart and lead me
In your love to those around me

Bridge
I will build my life upon Your love
It is a firm foundation
I will put my trust in You alone
And I will not be shaken

Chorus
Holy, there is no one like You
There is none beside You
Open up my eyes in wonder
Show me who You are and fill me
With Your heart and lead me
In your love to those around me

“Build My Life”
Song by Pat Barnett, Matt Redman, et al.
Performed by Richard & Debbi Balach
Courtesy of The Way Church – Lakeland, FL

5. Lectio Divina

Read through Philippians 2:3-11. 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.

Philippians 2:5-11 (Tree of Life Version)

Do nothing out of selfishness or conceit, but with humility consider others as more important than yourselves, looking out not only for your own interests but also for the interests of others.Have this attitude in yourselves, which also was in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus),

6. 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.

7. HOMILy 

Fall Festival Schedule 2022
Festival of Trumpets (Yom Teruah) – September 25-27
Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) – October 4-5
Festival of Tabernacles (Sukkot) – October 9-16

LEVITICUS 23:33-34, 40-43

The LORD spoke to moses saying, ‘speak to the Israelites saying,’ ‘On the 15th day of the seventh month, and lasting seven days they shall be the festival of booths ot the LORD. On the first first day you shall take the fruit of majestic trees, branches of palm tree, bows of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. You shall live in booths for seven days. All who are native born in Israel shall live in booths so that your generations may know that I made the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of the Land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’”

Sukkot is a festival of joy and for rejoicing!

Desert Definition

“An area of dry land that is usually covered with sand and is very hot. A barren area of landscape where little rainfall occurs and consequently where living conditions are hostile for plant, animal, and human life.”

“To Desert” Definition

“To abandon, to leave, to give up, or to quit.”

Popular Stories In The Desert

• The Israelites
• Moses
• Jesus

Desert/Wilderness

Desert in Hebrew = Midbar (MDBR – מדבר)
Speak in Hebrew = Dibar (DBR – דבר)

Rabbi Samson Hirsch

“Depart from under your sheltering roof and of your own accord live the poorer life and learn the lesson. God sustained your forefathers in the wilderness in booths. That same God still lives and He is your God, and as the twinkling of the stars shines through the roof of foliage so does He with his watchful eye embrace you in lovingkindness. Behold your suffering, behold your tears, hear your sighs, and know your cares. He will not forsake you as He did not forsake your forefathers in the desert.”

“Spread over us Your sukkah of peace.”

““Ufros aleinu sukkat sh’lomekha”

“ופרש עלינו סכת שלומך”

8. HYMN 

Hymn: O God Our Help In Ages Past

1. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

2. Under the shadow of thy throne,
Still may we dwell secure.
Sufficient is thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

3. Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting thou art God,
To endless years the same.

4. A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

5. O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while life shall last,
And our eternal home.

Video Courtesy of Jason Martin

“O God Our Help In Ages Past”
Isaac Watts, 1709

9. 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.

Matthew 26:26-29

“And as they were eating Jesus took the bread, blessed it, and broke it and said, ‘Take and eat. This is my body.’”

“Then he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying, ‘Drink of this. All of you. For this is my blood in the New Covenant which is shed to many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine for now until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.’”

After you’ve taken the time to examine yourself, please take the elements when you are ready.

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.