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Sabbath Service
January 9, 2010

Scriptures used in this service are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible,
with sacred names restored.

Torah Reading: Exodus 1:1—6:1
Haftorah Reading: Isaiah 27:6—28:13 and 29:22-23; Jeremiah 1:1—2:3
Brit Chadasha: Acts 7:17-29

(You may incorporate the Torah. Haftorah, and Brit Chadasha portions into the following service, or read them before, after, or at some point during your Sabbath observance.)

MESSIANIC OPENING (Others may drop down to “Call to Worship”)
(Written for families — modify parts for other small groups or for individuals)

Lighting of Candles
The father says:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim … Through him all things were made … In him was life, and that life was the light of men. … The Word became flesh and lived for a while 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 (John 1:1,3,14). Yahshua is ‘the light of the world’ (John 8:12), the ‘true light that gives light to every man’ (John 1:9). Through him we are empowered to be lights in the world (Phil. 2:15). As we light these two Shabbat candles, we set this night apart unto Yahweh to remember that we are given both physical rest and spiritual rest through the gift of Yahweh by his Son, Yashua Messiah.
The mother lights two candles while saying this blessing:
Blessed are you, O Yahweh our Elohim, King of the universe, who has set us apart by your Word and has called us to be the light of the world.

Blessing Yahweh for the Wine
The father pours wine into a cup, and holds it up, saying:
Wine represents to us the joy that we have in knowing that through the shed blood of Yahshua we have ceased from our labors and entered into his rest. Through it we remember the price that he paid for our redemption.
The father prays this blessing:
Blessed are you, O Yahweh our Elohim, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
All partake of the cup.

Blessing Yahweh for the Bread
The father holds up the bread, saying:
Bread reminds us that we have shared the true bread from heaven in the person of Yahshua, our Master.
The father prays this blessing:
Blessed are you, O Yahweh our Elohim, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.
All partake of the bread.

Blessings on Wife, Husband, Sons, and Daughters

Sound the Shofar 

Praise

Call to Worship
The presence of Yahweh is in this place;
Let awe and silence fill the whole earth.
Come, let us worship and bow down
Let us kneel before Yahweh, our maker!
For Yahweh will hear our prayers,
heal our diseases, forgive our sins,
and fill us with renewed vigor of life.

Hymn #130   (Blue Hymnal, piano accompaniment only)

How Excellent Is Thy Name!
Psalm 8
Dwight Armstrong

How excellent in all the earth, Yah (Lord) our El (Lord) is Thy name!
Who hast Thy glory far advanced Above the starry frame.
From mouths of babes and infants, Yah (Lord), Strength by Thee is ordained,
So that Thy enemies by crushed; Thy vengeful foes restrained.

When I look up unto the heavens Which Thine own fingers framed,
Unto the moon and to the stars, Which were by Thee ordained;
Then say I, what is man that Thou Should be mindful of him?
Or what, the son of man, that Thou So kind to him should be?

For Thou has made Him little less Than the angels above;
With glory and with dignity; With honor crowned his head.
Appointed Yah (Lord) of all Thy works, All things under His feet;
All sheep and oxen, yes, and beasts That in the field do stray.

Opening Prayer
O Yahweh, in whom we live and move and have our being, we have gathered in your presence to sing your praise. Gather up the prayer of each heart into one harmony of worship and service, that we might truly be one body in Messiah. Accept the words of our mouths and the thoughts of our hearts, for we are your in Messiah Yahshua. Amen.

Psalm Reading
Psalms 29:1-11 RSV
1 A Psalm of David. Ascribe to Yahweh, O heavenly beings, ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to Yahweh the glory of his name; worship Yahweh in holy array.
3 The voice of Yahweh is upon the waters; the Elohim of glory thunders, Yahweh, upon many waters.
4 The voice of Yahweh is powerful, the voice of Yahweh is full of majesty.
5 The voice of Yahweh breaks the cedars, Yahweh breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of Yahweh flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of Yahweh shakes the wilderness, Yahweh shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of Yahweh makes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forests bare; and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10 Yahweh sits enthroned over the flood; Yahweh sits enthroned as king for ever.
11 May Yahweh give strength to his people! May Yahweh bless his people with peace!

Prayer on the Word
Come, Messiah Yahshua, be our guest,
and may our lives by you be blest.

Come, Elohim-with-us,
and free us from the false claims
of the empires of this world.
We are lonely for you and your peace.

Come, Emmanuel, and dwell with us,
Make us your people indeed,
the people through whom you bring
love and justice to the world.

Come, Yahshua, and reign;
Claim your rightful place in our hearts
and in the midst of our community.
Plant the seeds of hope among us.
Establish Elohim’s reign on earth.

For we pray as you taught us
that Yahweh’s reign might come in fullness on earth.

**NOTE: Offering a variety of different types of Messianic or sacred name music each week, we will dance before the King much as David danced when he led the Ark up to Jerusalem.

Dance before Yahweh (Messianic and Sacred Name Music)
Click on the first Track to begin the player. After all songs have played, or when you have reached the point of ending your dance, click on the “Stop” button at the top of the player (otherwise the tracks will just keep playing over and over).

This text will be replaced by the flash music player.

***Please be seated and return to the service.***

Words of Praise
We have seen the Light,
We have heard the call,
We will dance in the Light
with our Elohim.

Listening

Prayer on the Word
Faithful Elohim, whose Spirit descended as a dove on Jesus, we pray for spiritual baptism today. Confirm in us the gifts that enrich our knowledge and empower our speech. May your steadfast love and saving help equip the body of Messiah to witness more courageously and serve more fully. Amen.

Hebrew Scriptures Reading (from the prophets)
Isaiah 42:1-9 RSV
1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not fail or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.
5 Thus says Elohim, Yahweh, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 “I am Yahweh, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am Yahweh, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to graven images.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

Gospel Reading
Matthew 3:1-17 RSV
1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Master, make his paths straight.”
4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair, and a leather girdle around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan,
6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bear fruit that befits repentance,
9 and do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father; for I tell you, Elohim is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
13 Then Yahshua came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.
14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 But Yahshua answered him, “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.” Then he consented.
16 And when Yahshua was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of Elohim descending like a dove, and alighting on him;
17 and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Comments
To new covenant believers, the idea of baptism appears to suddenly spring on the scene with John the Baptist here in the early chapters of the Gospel. Few have questioned where the idea came from or what the function of it may have been in the community during the time frame of John the Baptist. Was this a new idea he instituted? Why did the people so readily submit to it?

The scriptures certainly don’t paint John the Baptist as a popular, charismatic speaker of his day. Rather, from the description we are given, he might have actually been somewhat frightening in appearance. Yet droves of people went down to the river to be submerged in the waters. No sprinkling here. They were completely dunked. So how did this all come about?

Actually John’s baptism was a very ancient practice of mankind, and especially of the nation of Israel. It is called mikvah and was practiced as a way to restore a person to a state of purity before they came before the presence of Yahweh. The Old Testament makes several references to the washing in water to establish ritual cleansing.

Immersion in the mikvah has offered a gateway to purity ever since the creation of man. The Midrash relates that after being banished from Eden, Adam sat in a river that flowed from the garden. This was an integral part of his teshuvah (repentance) process, of his attempt at return to his original perfection.

Before the revelation at Sinai, all of Israel was commanded to immerse themselves in preparation for coming face to face with Yahweh.

In the desert, the famed “well of Miriam” served as a mikvah. And Aaron and his sons’ induction into the priesthood was marked by immersion in the mikvah.

In temple times, the priests as well as each Israelite who wished entry into the House of Yahweh had first to immerse in a mikvah.

On Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), the holiest of all days, the High Priest was allowed entrance into the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber of the Temple, into which no other mortal could enter. This was the zenith of a day that involved an ascending order of services, each of which was preceded by immersion in the mikvah.

Today, the primary uses of mikvah by our Jewish brothers and sisters are delineated in Jewish law and date back to the dawn of Jewish history. They cover many elements of Jewish life. Mikvah is an integral part of conversion to Judaism. Mikvah is used, though less widely known, for the immersion of new pots, dishes, and utensils before they are used by a Jew. The mikvah concept is also the focal point of the taharah, the purification rite of a Jew before the person is laid to rest and the soul ascends on high. The manual pouring of water in a highly specific manner over the entire body of the deceased serves this purpose.

Mikvah is also used by men on various occasions; with the exception of conversion, they are all customary. The most widely practiced are immersion of a groom on his wedding day and by every man before Yom Kippur. Many Chassidic men use the mikvah before each Shabbat and holiday, some even making us of mikvah each day before morning prayer. But, today, the most important and general usage of mikvah for the Jews is for purification by the menstruant woman.

So John the Baptist wasn’t instituting a new ritual for the new covenant. With the knowledge of this ancient custom, suddenly the entire story of John the Baptist and of the baptism of Yahshua comes into sharper focus. We see that submersion in water was something the people were familiar with already and something they likely practiced regularly already. Yahshua had probably practiced mikvah his entire life up to that point in history as he most certainly would have been familiar with temple practice and the reasons for ritual cleansing.

John the Baptist was using a known ritual to call the people to a greater repentance in preparation for the arrival of the promised Messiah. It was never intended to be a once-in-a-lifetime ritual, but rather a regular practice of the people.

When Yahshua instructed his Apostles to go out into the world and to baptize people in his name, he was referring to the use of mikvah in conversion, just as had been practiced for centuries up to that point in time.

If you want a closer walk with Yahweh, bring the mikvah back into your life. Don’t concern yourself about any baptism you may have already participated in. It was probably at the time of your conversion and has served its purpose. But keep the commandments of Yahweh and practice mikvah on a regular basis. Repent and submerge yourself in the mikvah in order to approach Yahweh in as ritually pure a state as possible.

If you live near a lake or stream, use that source of living water … or use a swimming pool, if you have one. But for most of us, we have to use our bath tub. Fill it full enough that you can completely submerge your head under the water. Its not quite the same, but some people have stood under a shower, allowing the water to flow from the top of their head, down their body and to their feet. It is better than nothing, but lacking an actual mikvah bath in most of our homes or communities, we need to do the best we can.

The important thing is to bring the mikvah into your life and to practice it regularly. It is not a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

Hymn #73 (Blue Hymnal, piano accompaniment only)

Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Thomas O. Chisholm
William M. Runyan

Great is Thy faithfulness, O El (God) my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever will be.
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Yah (Lord), unto me.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Yah (Lord), unto me.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth.
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide.
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.
Blessings, all mine, with ten thousand beside.
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Yah (Lord), unto me.

Epistle Reading
Acts 10:34-43 RSV
34 And Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I perceive that Elohim shows no partiality,
35 but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
36 You know the word which he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace by Yahshua Messiah (he is Master of all),
37 the word which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:
38 how Elohim anointed Yahshua of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for Elohim was with him.
39 And we are witnesses to all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree;
40 but Elohim raised him on the third day and made him manifest;
41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by Elohim as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
42 And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that he is the one ordained by Elohim to be judge of the living and the dead.
43 To him all the prophets bear witness that every one who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Study Paper, Video or Audio Sermon (Optional, Your Choice)

Speaking

Prayer of Petition
Elohim, El Shaddai,
I ask not to be enrolled among the earthly great and rich,
but to be numbered with the spiritually blessed.
Make it my present, supreme, persevering concern
to obtain those blessings which are
spiritual in their nature,
eternal in their continuance,
and satisfying in their possession.
Preserve me from a false estimate of the whole or
a part of my character;
May I pay regard to my principles as well as my conduct,
my motives as well as my actions.
Help me never to mistake the excitement of my passions
for the renewing of the Holy Spirit,
never to judge my religion by occasional impressions and impulses,
but by my constant and prevailing disposition.
May my heart be right with you, and my life as becomes the gospel.
May I maintain a supreme regard to another and better world,
and feel and confess myself a stranger and a pilgrim here.
Afford me all the direction, defense, support, and consolation
my journey hence requires,
and grant me a mind stayed on you.
Give me large abundance of the supply of the spirit of Yahshua,
that I may be prepared for every duty,
love you in all my mercies,
submit to you in every trial,
trust you when walking in darkness,
and have peace in you amidst life’s changes.
Yahweh, I believe, help me my unbelief and uncertainties.

Hymn #129 (Blue Hymnal, piano accompaniment only)

Take My Life And Let It Be
Frances Ridley Havergal, 1874
Henri A. Cesar Malan, 1827

Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Yah (Lord), to Thee;
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love,
At the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee;
Take my voice and let me sing
Always, only, for my King,
Always only, for my King.

Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee;
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold,
Not a mite would I withhold.

Take my love, my El (God), I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.

Silent and Personal Prayers

The Shema
       Hear, O Israel, Yahweh our Elohim is One. Blessed be the name of Yahweh whose glorious kingdom is forever! You shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all of your heart. You shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all of your soul. You shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all of your mind. You shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all your strength.
       And these words, which I am instructing you today, shall be on your heart, and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them, when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets on your forehead. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house, and on your gates. (Deut. 6:6-9)

       Yahshua said, “You shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt. 22:37-39)

Closing Prayer
O Yahweh, you have blessed our lives by revealing your love for us in Yahshua, your beloved Son. We offer the gift of our lives to you as expressions of our joy and gratitude, and pray that through them, and through our witness and service, other may come to recognize and experience your presence in the world. In Yahshua’s name, we pray.
Amen.

Aaronic Blessing
Yahweh bless you and keep you: Yahweh make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you: Yahweh lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.