Shabbat Shalom

I just had my first Shabbat dinner and I am so grateful for the experience. Aside from reading the Bible and watching Fiddler on the Roof, I do not really know much about Jewish culture. But tonight was just amazing altogether. It may not have been the super traditional dinner and we may not have said all the prayers correctly, but it was pleasing to God and it was relaxing to my soul.

Thank you to the Chapmans and everyone who was there, and to Rafi who explained what the parts of the prayers and meal mean. Thanks, Marlene, for the great and filling meal and for hosting all of us.

Here are some of my thoughts about Shabbat and tonight's experience:

• Shabbat is a time to put aside the past week and enter God's rest. It's a time to enjoy, to quiet one's self and to refocus on God. We all need that, every week. Too often, I bring the burdens of the week into the weekend, and I realize now, that's just not the way God intended it. 
• Taking time to stop, pause, remember, recalibrate, realign, refocus -- we all need that -- God knew we would need that. Hence the Sabbath.
• I love how the Jews take time to bless their spouses and children and to say special prayers for them. I read before about how the Jews are so blessed because they speak blessings over their families all the time. Too often when we focus on the things that are wrong in our loved ones, we end up criticizing when we should be blessing, getting frustrated when we should be appreciating.
• What we did as we shared the bread and the juice or wine was to take communion together, and it's about what Christ has already done for us. I love how Jesus was at the center of our Shabbat dinner.
• Real community is possible, and it's such a great blessing -- sharing, talking, laughing, and getting serious all at the same time. 
• As we worshiped God at the dinner table it reminded me not to take God and his grace and mercy for granted. It also made me want so many others to experience the same thing we have.
• The weekend has not even begun and I already feel so refreshed, and my "energy tank" got filled up so much and I did not even know it was that empty! 
• Understanding Shabbat is so crucial in our relationship with God, why He ordained it and how we are to practice it -- not with legalism but knowing it's for our benefit, that Shabbat was made for us. 

Shabbat Shalom!