SHAVUOT SERVICE for the Home
NOTE: Each number in parenthesis represent a
reader. (1) is the leader. Paragraphs in bold are for everyone.
NOTE Also: All the hymns for this service are on EloHymns CD Vol II.
There are streamloads to these hymns below, but we would
appreciate your purchase of the CD. Thank you.
(1) The breath of
all that lives praises you, Sovereign Yahweh Elohim. The spirit of all
flesh exalts you, our King, forever and ever. Beyond space and time, You
are Elohim. Without You we have no one to rescue and redeem us, to save
us and sustain us, to show us mercy in disaster and distress. Master of
all ages, Elohim of all creatures, endlessly extolled, You guide the world
with kindness, its creatures with compassion. Yahweh neither slumbers nor
sleeps. You stir the sleeping and arouse the dormant. You give voice to
the speechless, free the fettered, support the falling, and raise those
who are bowed down. To you alone we give thanks.
(2) Could song
fill our mouths as water fills the sea and could joy flood our tongues
like countless waves, could our lips utter praise as limitless as the sky
and could our eyes match the splendor of the sun, could we soar with arms
like eagles' wings and our feet speed swiftly as the deer, never could we
fully state our gratitude for one ten-thousandth of the lasting love which
is Your precious blessing, dearest Elohim, Granted to our ancestors and
us.
(3) From Egypt You
redeemed us; from the house of bondage You delivered us. In famine You
nourished us; in prosperity You sustained us. You rescued us from the
sword, protected us from pestilence, and saved us from dread and lingering
disease. To this day Your compassion has helped us; Your kindness has not
forsaken us. Never abandon us, Father Yahweh our Elohim!
(4) Therefore, the
limbs which You formed for us, the spirit and soul which You breathed into
us, the tongue which You set in our mouth, must thank, praise, extol,
exalt, and sing to Your righteousness and sovereignty. Every mouth shall
thank You; every tongue shall pledge devotion. Every knee shall bend to
You; every back shall bow to You. Every heart shall revere You, every
fiber of our being shall sing Your glory, as the Psalmist sang:
“All my bones
exclaim — Master, who is like You, saving the weak from the powerful, the
needy from those who would prey upon them?” Who can equal You, who can be
compared to You, great, mighty, awesome, exalted Elohim, Creator of the
heavens and the earth? We extol You even as David sang: “Praise Yahweh, my
soul; let every fiber of my being praise His set-apart name.”
(5) You are Elohim
through the vastness of Your power, great through the glory of Your name,
mighty forever, revered through Your awesome works. You are King,
enthroned supreme.
He abides
forever, His name is exalted and set-apart. As the Psalmist has written:
“Let all who are righteous rejoice in Yahweh. It is fitting for the
upright to praise Him.” By the mouth of the upright are You extolled, by
the words of the righteous are You praised, by the tongue of the faithful
are You acclaimed, in the heart of the saintly are You kadōsh.
(6) The assembled
throngs of Your people, the house of Israel, O our King, shall glorify
Your name in song in every generation. For it is the duty of all
creatures, Yahweh our Elohim and Elohim of all generations, to thank and
extol You, adding our own praise to the songs of David, Your anointed
servant.
(7) You shall
always be praised, great and holy Elohim, our King in heaven and earth. It
is ever fitting to acknowledge Your might and Your dominion in songs of
praise and gratitude. Yours are strength, sovereignty and eternity,
sanctity, grandeur, and glory. We offer You our devotion; we open our
hearts in thanksgiving.
Blessed are
You, O Yahweh, King, greatly to be praised and thanked, an Elohim who
works wonders, who delights in songs of praise, who is our exalted and
eternal sovereign, life of the world.
(1) Let the glory
of Elohim be extolled; let His great name be hallowed in the world whose
creation He willed. May His kingdom soon prevail, in our own day, our own
lives, and the life of all Israel, and let us say: Amēn.
Let His great
name be blessed forever and ever.
(1) Let the name
of the Holy One, blessed is He, be glorified, exalted, and honored, though
He is beyond all the praises, songs, and adorations that we can utter, and
let us say: Amēn. Bless Yahweh, to whom our praise is due.
Blessed be
Yahweh, to whom our praise is due, now and forever. Praised are You, 0
Lord our Elohim, Ruler of the universe, who makes light and creates
darkness, who ordains peace and creates all things.
(1) You shall be
praised forever, our Rock, our Redeemer, our King, Creator of all the
hosts of heaven. The ministering angels that You fashioned to serve You
stand in the heights of the universe and reverently proclaim the words of
the living Elohim and eternal King. In complete harmony, they all vow to
perform the will of their Creator. They call to one another, singing of
Elohim's power and majesty, setting their Maker apart in clear tones and
sacred melody, chanting with reverence —
Kadosh, kadosh,
kadosh is Yahweh of Tsviōt, the whole earth is full of His glory.
(1) The host of
celestial beings join in a mighty refrain, in a chorus of adoration, as
they respond:
Praised be the
esteem of Yahweh throughout the universe.
(1) To the blessed
Father they sweetly sing; and they celebrate in song the living, enduring
Savior, for He is unique, doing mighty deeds, creating all that is new.
He is Commander of battles, sowing righteousness and reaping triumph. He
creates healing for all our hurts; He is awesome in praise, for He is the
Master of marvels. In His goodness He renews creation day after day, as
the Psalmist sang:
Give thanks to
the creator of great lights, for His love endures forever.
(1) O may a new
light shine upon Zion, and may we all be worthy to share soon in its
splendor.
Blessed are
You, O Yahweh, Creator of light and grantor of the Word.
(1) Deep is Your
love for us, Lord our Elohim, boundless Your tender compassion. You
taught our ancestors life-giving laws. They trusted in You, our Father and
King. For their sake, graciously teach us.
Father,
merciful Father, show us mercy; grant us discernment and understanding.
Then will we study Your Torah, heed its words, teach its precepts, and
follow its instruction, lovingly fulfilling all its teachings. Open our
eyes to Your Torah; help our hearts cleave to Your mitzvoth. Unite all our
thoughts to love and revere You; then we will never be brought to shame,
for we trust in Your awesome righteousness. We will delight in Your
deliverance. O bring us safely together from the four corners of the
earth, and lead us in dignity to our set-apart land.
(1) You are the
Source of deliverance. You have chosen us from all peoples and tongues,
constantly drawing us nearer to You, that we may lovingly offer You
praise, proclaiming Your oneness.
Blessed are
You, Lord, who has chosen His people Israel in love.
(1) Hear, 0
Israel: Yahweh is our Elohim, Yahweh is One!
(Sing) She-ma
Yis-ra-eil: A-do-nai E-lo-hei-nu, A-do-nai E-chad! Blessed is His
glorious kingdom forever and ever! You shall love Yahweh your Elohim
with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might.
Listen to our version of the Shema.
(1) Set these
words that I command you this day upon your heart. Teach them faithfully
to your children; speak of them in your home and on your way, when you lie
down and when you rise up. Bind them as a sign upon your hand; let them be
a symbol before your eyes; inscribe them on the doorposts of your house
and on your gates.
Lovingly, O
Sovereign, have You given us festivals for joy, holidays and appointed
times for rejoicing, this festival of Shavuot, season of the giving of our
Torah, returning first fruits and celebrating the Set-apart Spirit in our
lives.
Our Elohim and
Elohim of our ancestors remember us with grace and mercy. Remember Your
people Israel as they pray on this day of Shavuot. Be mindful of the
Messiah, the scion of David, and of the New Jerusalem, Your set-apart
city. In Your love and compassion, grant us goodness, life, and peace.
Remember us this
day for well-being. Bless us this day with Your nearness. Help us this day
to a fuller life. Remember Your promise of salvation and mercy; have
compassion upon us and save us, for we place our trust in You, merciful
and gracious Elohim.
Yahweh our
Elohim, bestow upon us the blessing of Your festivals, for life and for
peace, for joy and for gladness, even as You have promised. Our Elohim and
Elohim of our ancestors add righteousness to our lives with Your mitzvoth and may Your Torah be our portion. Fill our lives with Your
goodness and gladden us with Your triumph.
Cleanse our hearts
and we shall serve You faithfully. Sovereign Elohim, grant that we
inherit Your gift of festivals, so that the people Israel who value Your
name will rejoice in You. Praised are You, Yahweh, who blesses the people
Israel with the festivals.
Accept with
favor, Yahweh our Elohim, the prayers of Your people Israel. Restore
worship to Your sanctuary in Zion and with loving favor accept Israel's
offerings and prayer. May the worship of Your people Israel always be
worthy of Your acceptance.
May we witness
Your merciful return to Zion, Yahshua Yahweh. Blessed are You, Master,
who restores His Presence to Zion. We gratefully acknowledge that You are
Yahweh our Elohim and Elohim of our ancestors, the eternal Elohim.
You are the
Rock of our life, the Power that shields us in every age. We thank You and
sing Your praises: for our lives, which are in Your hand; for our souls,
which are in Your keeping; for the signs of Your presence we encounter
every day; and for Your wondrous gifts at all times, morning, noon, and
night.
You are
Goodness: Your mercies never end. You are Compassion: Your love will
never fail. You have always been our hope. Halleluyah!
EloHymn 20
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 9:6
You Are
Wonderful
EloHymn 26
Tehillim (Psalms) 25 Show Me Your Ways,
O
Father
|
|
The Nazarene Acts of the Apostles,
aka The Recognitions of Clement, a
new, true names translation
of
one of the most important sources of first-century religious
practice. Generous Glossary. (Hear
an excerpt.)
The Odes of Shalome,
A New, True Names Setting
of the earliest excusively Nazorean songbook.
(Hear
an excerpt.)
These and many more rare new
translations
are available at
Apostolia.us. |
 |
About the First Fruits
This page requires
the installation of SLGreek and SLHebrew fonts, which may be freely
downloaded here:
http://www.studylight.org/fonts/
Shemot (Exo) 5:1. After this, Moses and
Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what Yahweh, Elohim of
Israel, says, ‘Let my people go, so that they can hold a feast in my honor
in the desert.’” 2. “Who is Yahweh,” Pharaoh replied, “for me to obey what
he says and let Israel go? I know nothing of Yahweh, and I will not
let Israel go.”
This passage shows
us that the feast of Weeks was in the mind of Yahweh before the Torah was
given. Here is the Word from the Torah on the subject.
Wayikra (Lev) 23:5. From the day after
the Sabbath, the day on which you bring the sheaf offering (month 1, day
15), you will count seven full weeks. 16. You will count fifty days (penthkonta
‘hmerav
– pentēkonta hēmeras, ē sounds like ay), to the day after
the seventh Sabbath, and then you will offer Yahweh a new grain offfering.
Now we understand
why this Feast of Weeks is called Pentecost – a Greek word. Why do
you suppose we call the feast by a Greek name rather than the Hebrew word
for fifty (ey##mx ewy
– Yowm Chamishshiym).
17. You will bring bread from your
homes to present with the gesture of offering, two loaves, made of
two-tenths of wheaten flour baked with leaven; these are first-fruits for
Yahweh.
What is this
“gesture of offering”? (Check your version of Scripture.)
In our two-house understanding of the feasts, what might these loaves stand
in for?
_______________________
_______________________
What is the
literal meaning of the loaves? What is the spiritual meaning?
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
The Catholic
Church has a term for the Protestants – Catholic authorities call
non-Catholic Christians “separated brethren.” How might that term be
useful to us as well?
18. In addition to the bread, you will
offer seven unblemished lambs a year old, a young bull and two rams, as a
burnt offering to Yahweh with a cereal offering and a libation, as food
burnt as a smell pleasing to Yahweh. 19. You will also offer a goat as a
sacrifice for sin, and two lambs a year old as communion sacrifice. 20.
The priest will present them before Yahweh with the gesture of offering,
in addition to the bread of the first-fruits. These, and the two lambs,
are set-apart things for Yahweh, and will revert to the priest.
We spoke of
priests as intermediaries between Elohim and the people. The offerings to
be brought in went toward the commonwealth of Priests, who were of the
tribe of ___________ .
Debarim (Deu) 10:8. Yahweh then set
apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, to stand in
the presence of Yahweh, to serve him and to bless in his name, as they
still do today. 9. This is why Levi has no share or heritage with his
brothers: Yahweh is his heritage, as Yahweh your Elohim then told him.
This amount was /
is per family unit. Everyone in the family “kicked in” on it
because the families all raised animals in agricultural commune fashion.
(They were in a way ancient
kibbutzim.)
First Fruits is
an ascension feast, one of three. The other two are
________________________ and
________________________ .
So at least one
member of the family was required to take the offering to “up” to
Jerusalem every year.
Those that didn’t
raise livestock bought it when they got there or on the way from
money they had saved from their businesses.
By Yahshua’s time,
the Priests had the livestock concession, leading to a very serious
incident that dipped into the pockets of the priests and leaders who were
corrupt. Do you remember what Yahshua had to do with livestock in the
Temple courts?
Yochanan (John)
2:13-21. ___________________________
Notice that
Yahshua “went up” to Jerusalem for the Feast; that is, he ascended.
What does it mean that he went up to Jerusalem? Is it because Jerusalem
was north of wherever he was? _______________________
What was the name
of the mountain Jerusalem was/ is situated upon?
(There are a
couple names.) __________________________
There are songs
that pilgrims sang on the way to Jerusalem called “Psalms of Ascent.” See
Psalms 120 – 131. Let’s sing a couple of them.
EloHymns 33
Psalm 120
I Called Upon Yahweh
EloHymns 23
Psalm 131
Now and forever
EloHymns 40
Psalm 122
Come and Go With Me
After the
sacrifices of animals ceased (Amos 5:21-27) so did the formal
ministrations of the Levites. Can you think of at least two reasons why
the sacrifices ceased?
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
It became
customary on the Feast of First Fruits for each family to present an
annual offering of the contemporaneous value of the prescribed sacrifices to the spiritual priest, rabbi, teacher, pastor
or leader of the Assembly. (These offerings “revert to the priest,” acc
to Scripture.)
(Current prices of
dressed animals:)
9 lambs $140 each = $1260
2 rams $175 each = 350
1 goat $130
each = 130
1 bull $700 each = 700
Total
……………………………………..……………………………
$_____
(PLUS wine and bread).
21. On the same day, you will hold an
assembly; for you this will be a sacred assembly; you will do no heavy
work. This is a perpetual law for your descendants, wherever you live.
We learn 2 very
important things about First Fruits –
1. a solemn,
sacred assembly is to be held (a High Sabbath, a Yom Tov).
2. this is to
be practiced forever and wherever. However, we do the best we can
for now.
And implies a
third –
3. we develop
customs that are passed down to our descendants. We have celebrated
several First Fruits Feasts together.
What customs have
we created? _________________________
What customs do
you suppose will pass down? ______________________________
______________________________
22. When you reap the harvest in your
country, you will not reap to the very edges of your field, nor will you
gather the gleanings of the harvest. You will leave them for the poor and
the stranger. I am Yahweh your Elohim.”
This is another
indication of the “saving up” through the year for First Fruits is the
commandment to honor the poor and the foreigner.
What are
“gleanings”? ________________________________
How may we provide
gleanings today?
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
And to whom do
these gleanings go?
_____________________________________
One of several
First Fruits customs that has been passed down to us is that the
book of Ruth is read during this day. Most of the sources I checked into
on the subject of First Fruits cannot explain why reading Ruth became
customary. Why do you suppose Ruth is appropriate considering verse 22 of
our text?
Look at:
Ruth 1:4 – she was
a ________________
Ruth 1:7 – she
decided to make an ____________ to Judah
Ruth 2:1-6 – she
_____________ in order to feed her family
Ruth 4 – doing
these things preserved her and she became the ancestor of both
____________________ and ____________________ .
What kind of
people will you be ancestors to?
EloHymn
36 Psalm 31 The Secret Presence
Waving of the
Loaves Ezek 37:15-26
Closing
PRAYER FOR RAIN
Our Elohim and
Elohim of our fathers, remember Abraham who yearned for Your Presence,
whom You blessed as a tree planted by streams of water; You shielded and
rescued him from fire and water as he sowed his seed wherever there flowed
water. For his sake, send Your gift of water. Remember Isaac whose father
was ready to offer him as a sacrifice to You, to shed his blood like
water. Yet his own faith soared high, and trusting in You, he dug wells
and found water. For his sake, send Your gift of water. Remember Yahshua,
whom you sent to gather the twelve tribes of Israel and bless them. Though
they executed him on a stake, still you blessed them with pure rain.
Remember these twelve tribes of Israel and the mixed multitude, for whom
You parted the water; and for whom you sweetened the bitter waters. Their
children were ever ready to serve You and to shed their blood like water.
O turn in mercy to us for we are engulfed by hostile tides of water. For
their sake, send Your gift of water. For You are Yahweh our Elohim, who
causes the wind to blow and the rain to descend:
For blessing and
not for disaster. Amēn.
For life and not
for death.
Amēn.
For abundance and
not for famine. Amēn.
We give thanks for
the miracles, the redeeming wonders, and the mighty deeds by which our
people are being saved at this season of the year as in days of old. We
thank you for mighty rains.
|
|
The Nazarene Acts of the Apostles,
aka The Recognitions of Clement, a
new, true names translation
of
one of the most important sources of first-century religious
practice. Generous Glossary. (Hear
an excerpt.)
The Odes of Shalome,
A New, True Names Setting
of the earliest excusively Nazorean songbook.
(Hear
an excerpt.)
These and many more rare new
translations
are available at
Apostolia.us. |
|
