Friday, May 25, 2012

Sing and Celebrate: Shavuot

Shavuot begins tomorrow.  I hope you have a blessed holiday.

(this is repost from the past) 


Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Matthew 24:35

Our long awaited package from Israel had finally arrived! Eyes glistening with tears, Rabbi Jem’s hands shook as he opened the carefully wrapped package. Tenderly, he lifted the precious 350-year old Torah scroll from its’ wrappings. Rabbi Jem and I unrolled the scroll and marveled at the soft dear skin parchment and the beautiful precision of the Hebrew letters. We both were overjoyed because the scroll arrived just in time for our Messianic synagogue’s celebration of Shavuot. How appropriate.

Shavuot celebrates two things. First, we thank God for His blessings on the first of the summer grain crops (barley). The festival reminds us that without Him and His provision of sun and rain, we would not have food. Second, we celebrate the giving of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) to the Jewish people. When this festival comes, there is great celebration because of our love and gratitude for the Scriptures. The giving of the Torah is God’s blessing, for the Word of God is our spiritual food. On the first day of Shavuot, we read the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20 to remind us of the Laws that give us Life. On the second day of Shavuot, we read the book of Ruth, which is the beautiful picture of Yeshua (Jesus), as our Kinsman Redeemer.

As Messianics (believers in Yeshua as Messiah), we also celebrate Shavuot as the day when the Ruach Hakodesh (Holy Spirit) descended on the believers in Yarushalem (Jerusalem). In Acts 2, you will see how Jews from all over the world were assembled for Shavuot. The Spirit came down, appearing as tongues of fire upon their heads, and they all spoke with other tongues (languages). Thus, the Good News about Yeshua was given to people in their own language. Believers received the indwelling of God, and His Word was written on their hearts. He came inside the believers, and gave them power to be witnesses all over the world and to spread the Gospel (Good News). Thus, these believers were the First Fruits of the Ruach Hakodesh.

As Messianic believers, on Shavuot, we celebrate the giving of God’s Holy Word, physically, and the coming of the Word into our hearts, spiritually. Shavuot is a powerful, visual reminder that God’s Law is important to our lives, and that the power to live that Word has been given through the Ruach Hakodesh. No longer does it need to be hard to follow and obey God, because He, Himself, indwells us to give us the desire and the power to follow and obey.

That night, at our synagogue, we celebrated Shavuot and God’s blessing us with our own Torah scroll. Rabbi Jem explained how many years it takes a person to prepare to write a scroll, and how it can take an entire year or more to actually write. We were in awe to learn that a modern day scroll compared to a 1000 year old scroll would be exactly the same. Not one jot or tittle (the very tiniest Hebrew letters) would be different. We thanked God for His Word, and for the faithfulness of Jews who have preserved it for us.

Later, the scroll was carried on the shoulder of our very first congregation member. We followed behind, dancing and singing with joy, waving flags and banners, and rejoicing that God favored us by giving us His Torah, and that He lives within our hearts. 


I'm linking up with:

19 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing about Shavuot.

    I'm truly thankful for the Word God has given us.

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    1. We are so blessed to be able to hold it in our hands.

      Blessings to you and yours

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  2. Gail--stopping by from 'God Bumps' at Jennifer's place. We celebrated Shavuot Sunday at our Foursquare Church with the blowing of the shofar during several pieces of music. No doubt about it, God's Spirit came down.
    Your website looks intriguing--I'll have to come back.
    I see we share the same life verse--Psalm 45:1....
    God bless you.

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    1. Jody - it thrills me to know that your church celebrates Shavoat.

      Thanks for stopping by Gail-Friends today.

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  3. I came over from Hear it On Sundays, and I'm so glad I did. This was just amazing to me!!! I've never attended a Messianic service and I read your post with goosebumps!!!! I actually felt so guilty as I think I take my Bible for granted --- I have several, have always had a Bible of my own. You gave me a new appreciation for God's Word today and I thank you for that. What a special service this must have been. Wish I could have been there!

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    1. Cora, hope you get to visit a Messianic synagogue. It is quite an experience.

      Thanks for stopping by today.

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    2. This is so interesting and I thank you for linking it up to Playdates with God this week. I love learning more about the Jewish traditions, as I think it definitely adds a deeper dimension to faith,

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  4. Hi Gail, I popped in from Word-Filled Wednesday. What a lovely post. And what a sweet joy to have received such a precious treasure in such perfect timing. God's timing is always perfect, isn't it! Thank you for blessing me with this post.

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  5. What a blessing! Filled my heart with joy and amazement. It would have been delightful to watch what you experienced. Thank you for sharing.

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  6. How lovely to dance and sing with joy like that. What a blessed time of worship. Thank you for sharing with the community at www.GettingDownWithJesus.com.

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  7. Great post!! I love learning & this post definitely taught me quite a bit...thank you!!

    Thanks for linking up to First Day of My Life's Thankful Thursday <3

    Be blessed!

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  8. You've added to my store of knowledge, Gail. I love your celebration of the Word. It's a precious gift we have to read and obey.

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  9. Like Pamela, you've added to my knowledge today. Your post reminded me of a visit I made as a tourist to a Jewish synagogue several years ago. I felt the presence of God so strongly there that I wept - wept with joy for the preservation of God's Word, and wept with sadness because there was no inclusion of the fulfillment of the Messiah's coming as recorded in the
    Gospels.

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  10. What a beautiful description. Thank you for the information and encouragement.
    Blessings,
    Charlotte

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  11. we are neighbors at shanda's today...this is beautiful...I love learning about the Jewish traditions and how much it can deepen our walk with the Lord...blessings to you~

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  12. Hi Gail! I am so excited to meet you! I've been wanting to meet a Messianic Jew (the wife of one is almost the same thing!). I watch the Daystar channel here in the Philippines and they're always talking about Israel, the Jews, Messianic Jews and the last days. My sister Meldy ordered mezuzahs to put on our doors and gave it to us as gifts for Christmas. I see my sister Peggy follows you, and now I am too! Patsy from
    HeARTworks

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Thank you so much for stopping by today and taking the time to leave a comment! I read each one of them and love to respond back to those who visit! Blessings to you.