This is only my fourth time ever, but every time is magnificent. Here, we worship together as people who are "double chosen", chosen as natural sons of Israel and chosen again by the King of Kings, Yeshua.
There is music and dancing, with most lyrics in Hebrew. Even though my Hebrew is limited, I learn more every time I go as they display the lyrics in Hebrew and English and phonetically. The sanctuary is stunningly beautiful and the chairs are first rate and comfortable.
The women and children and some men form a dance line that circles the front half of the sanctuary for the extended period of worship. It is so wonderful to see the families together and even the smallest of children worshiping.
As worship wound down, Senior Rabbi Marty Waldman went to the podium and read Psalm 111. You have never really heard scripture read until you have heard him read. He goes at exactly the right pace and puts exactly the right amount of loving care into each syllable.
I have only briefly met him, as when I was there a few months ago I had just written on a web site about the unique blessing that I had of being in a mental hospital after an overwhelming God encounter. The sermon that day was on a pretty obscure story in Psalm 34 about David and his unique blessing of hiding as a supposed crazy person among the Philistines. I stayed for a few minutes and asked him to read what was on the web site and hopefully understand how it miraculously corresponded to the sermon that was just preached by his son, Rabbi Ari Waldman.
Rabbi Ari has a similar beautiful cadence and tone when reading scripture and preaching as his father. I sure wish other churches would catch on to how this adds so much richness to a worship service- making every word worship.
The sermon on this day was preached by Rabbi Daniel Juster. It was fairly unremarkable but my understanding is that he is a major figure in the rise of Messianic Judaism, which has just lately become such a huge blessing on my life.
One thing he did say was, "We are living in eschatological times." and that is certainly my testimony as well. I'm not sure but I feel like I've experienced the rapture, the second coming of Christ in me, and being born again from above simultaneously in one blessed event a few months ago. Everything has changed and all in Christ is so beautiful!
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