MEDITATION 458: Rosh Hashanah (9/8/21)

Dear Friends,

We hope that you are safe and well.

The Jewish Community is celebrating Rosh Hashanah--the New Year. We joint them with Today's Meditation featuring prayers by Alden Solovy, Jewish poet, teacher and liturgist.

We invite you to join us as we commit ourselves to working tirelessly to end systemic and structural racism in our society, in the church, in healthcare, in the workplace--wherever it shows up so that everyone may come to have more abundant life. May this meditation nourish our contemplative-active hearts and sustain all of us in action.

In the spirit of our philosophy of co-creating community and our awareness that the Spirit speaks through each of us, we invite you to share your meditations with us as well. We truly believe that it is God's economy of abundance: when we share our blessings, our thoughts, our feelings, we are all made richer.

We hope and pray that you find peace, healing, hope and the infusion of joy in your life!

With our love and care,

Ron and Jean

MEDITATION 458: Rosh Hashanah

A traditional greeting for Rosh Hashana:

A good and sweet year to you,

may you be inscribed and sealed for a good year!

For the New Year by Alden Solovy

G-d of time and space,

Hand of rhythm and grace,

You’ve granted me moments and breaths,

Life like a river

Rapids and flats,

Deep narrow canyons

And bright open skies,

Thundering, churning waters

And calm gentle flows.

A life of beauty and wonder

Beyond my understanding,

Beyond my wildest dreams.

And yet,

And still, Heavenly Redeemer,

You also give me choices,

To live in grief or joy,

Fear or awe,

Tears or laughter.

To lift my life in glory and radiance,

A shining light of kindness and love.

G-d of all being,

May the New Year bring us closer to You

And each other,

Guided by justice and mercy.

A joyous celebration of life in its fullness.

Grant us wisdom and compassion as we witness

Births and deaths.

Marriages and divorces,

Monumental joy and crushing loss.

Help me stay awake and open,

Embracing each new moment with dignity, vitality and charity,

So that I may be of gentle service to those in need.

In gratitude for Your gifts, Holy One,

Bless this New Year with health and happiness,

Family and friendship,

Prosperity and peace.

Another Year: An Introspection by Alden Solovy

Another year slips away,

As do they all,

Day by day,

Hour by hour,

Moment by moment.

Many used wisely,

Many wasted.

Another year opens,

As do they all,

With anticipation,

With wonder and amazement,

With excitement.

With consolation.

Was last year so different from the one before?

What will the New Year bring?

What will I bring to the New Year?

This I pledge to myself:

Love is my answer to grief,

Hope is my answer to loss,

Strength is my answer to fear,

Honor is my answer to slander,

Action is my answer to injustice.

This I pledge to you

My sisters and brothers:

To see you as you are,

To respect your journey,

To hear your truth,

To stand with you in dignity,

To walk with you as a companion and friend.

This I pledge to You

G-d of my ancestors:

To seek Your wisdom,

To follow Your command,

To obey Your Law,

To observe Your Sabbath,

To rejoice in Your works,

To do Your will.

G-d of time and space,

Another year slips away,

As do they all.

Another year opens before me,

As they all do:

With one hundred choices,

One thousand possibilities

And one sacred duty.

Life. This life. My life.

Fr. Austin Fleming writes: Our Jewish neighbors and friends will begin their celebration of Rosh Hashana at sundown Monday, September 6 and will conclude at sundown on Wednesday, September 8. (The 10 days starting with Rosh Hashana and ending with Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) are kept as the Days of Awe.)

• For background on this celebration of the Jewish New Year, take a look at Judaism 101.

• For beautiful prayers for Rosh Hashana, go to our friend Alden Solovy's page, To Bend Light.

• Rosh Hashana FAQs:

Ten Most Important Things to Know About Rosh Hashana

Ten Step Guide to Celebrating Rosh Hashana

Rosh Hashanah Glossary

Rosh Hashana Prayers and Torah Readings

About Shofar

About Tashlich

Rosh Hashana Food Customs

Rosh Hashanah Recipes

Pastor's Letter