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WEEKLY SABBATH READINGS>
SABBATH READINGS 8/22/09
August 20, 2009
SHALOM!
Shabbat Shalom!
Tonight is ROSH CHODESH, the beginning of the sixth month. The sixth month is a month of PREPARATION. The seventh month is the Fall festival season with Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. So, this month, we focus on preparing ourselves for the upcoming festivals. Anyone who's ever hosted or organized an event knows that the preparation is just as important as the event itself.
PHYSICAL PREPARATION:
There's a lot to do to begin preparing ourselves for the set-apart days. In the physical or natural area, we begin planning for the days themselves. Will you be attending a place of worship? If you have to travel, finalize your travel plans to attend worship services. If you will be at home with your family, make sure you have the necessary 'worship materials'--scriptures, prayer guides, shofar, etc. Also, remember that these are VERY special days approaching. Most of us at some point in our past observed some pagan holiday of some sort. Remember the preparation, enthusiasm, and excitement we had for those days? Now, let's use that enthusiasm and excitement for the RIGHT celebrations! Plan a special Yom Teruah (Rosh HaShana) meal and invite guests. Decorate your home. Build a sukkah! In fact, start planning your sukkah now! Let's try to make these upcoming days truly important in our lives.
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION:
The sixth month is also about spiritual preparation. This is the month of repentance. We put forth a sincere effort to draw near to YAHUAH in true TESHUVAH (repentance). Some may say, "Didn't we just go through a time of repentance?" "Why does it seem like we're always repenting?" "Why are you always talking about sin? I didn't do anything!"
Well, the fact is: we're human. We are but flesh and we live in an unclean world. We all sin--intentionally or unintentionally, knowingly or unknowingly. YAH knows this. That is why He gave us YAHUSHUAH our Messiah, so we can always and forever have a means of forgiveness and atonement, to come before Him at any time to ask forgiveness. And He has also given us His appointed times. Times to stop and re-evaluate our lives. Times to consciously put away the daily tasks and focus on Him. Times to realign ourselves if we strayed even in the slightest way. This is one of those times. It is the time of teshuvah.
If sincere teshuvah is difficult, we pray for YAH to give us the gift of teshuvah, it is a gift that comes only through His Son YAHUSHUAH. Pray for YAH to bless you with COMPLETE, SINCERE teshuvah. YAH gives us this gift freely, but we must also do our part to draw near to YAHUAH. "Seek YAHUAH while He is to be found, call on Him while He is near" (Is. 55:6). Use this month to draw even closer to our Master. Commit to reading His Word more. Commit to praying more. Increase in knowledge of YAH and His will. Study to find out more about His important Set-Apart Days. It is our DUTY to SEEK HIM.
(For a short lesson on the sixth month go to our RESOURCES page. This page also has a prayer guide/order of service for Rosh Chodesh.)
DAILY REMINDER:
One of the ways to remind ourselves daily this month is to blow the Ram's horn (shofar). If you have one, blow it every day of this sixth month. It is a daily reminder for us to awaken our beings, examine ourselves, repent, and return to YAHUAH. Also, read Tehillim/Psalm 27 every day this month. Actually, try PRAYING Tehillim 27--not simply 'reading.' Let the words be your prayer to YAH and encouragement to your being.
(**If you don't have a shofar, you may want to consider purchasing one for Yom Teruah, the day we are commanded to blow the ram's horn. Try to get one soon, because you'll have to practice :) )
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SHABBAT READINGS for 8/22/09:
TORAH: Bemidbar/Numbers 35:9 - 36:13
HAFTORAH: Yehoshua / Joshua 20:1-9
Tehillim 119:89-176
BRIT CHADASHA: Yohanan / John 5:19-47
SPECIAL READING: 3rd Sabbath of Consolation-- YeshaYahu/Isaiah 1:12 - 52:12
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COMING UP--FALL FESTIVALS:
YOM TERUAH--Day of Trumpets: sundown 9/18 to sundown 9/19 (a SABBATH)
YOM KIPPUR--Day of Atonement: sundown 9/27 to sundown 9/28 (a SABBATH)
SUKKOT--Festival of Booths: 1st Day, sundown 10/2 to sundown 10/3 (a SABBATH)
(Sukkot continues for 7 days)
SHMINI ATZERET--8th Day of Assembly (at end of Sukkot) sundown 10/9 to sundown 10/10 (a SABBATH)
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