L'shanah tovah tikatevi v'taihatemi…

Or, Pausing to Utter

Utter:
carried to the utmost point or highest degree


Believe it or not, I waited to blog until today for a very specific reason. Today is the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. Specifically, it started at sundown last night and continues until sundown tomorrow. It is the Jewish New Year; the new year of new years, when they change the calendar. It is now the Jewish year 5769.

So, what does that have to do with me, a Christian, you may ask. Well, Jewish tradition is something that I have come to respect and appreciate. The customs that occur on Rosh Hashanah also coincide with my word of the week.

I have been hearing a lot of secrets lately. Things that Christians are choosing to carry the weight of themselves, rather than share with the brothers and sisters God has provided to them. That thought depresses me more than I can describe with simple words.

Where did we lose our way? The Acts church that I hear about so much, the one we all espouse to become, was not like this. In two places we are told how the first believers lived:

“All the believers were together and had everything in common.” Acts 2.44

“All the believers were one in heart and soul. No one claimed that any of his possessions were his own, but they shared everything they had.” Acts 4.32

We instantly think about money and material possessions. But think about it this way; in those close quarters, did they have many secrets? Could they hide much of anything from one another? In the original Greek New Testament, the reader was not able to distinguish between the words heart and soul in this text, but only that there was harmony in thought and affection.

That being said, I ask again, where did we lose our way? Is it our stubborn individualism that forces us to carry our burdens alone? Our rugged American ‘pull yourselves up by your bootstraps’ mentality has trapped Christians in a box. Is physical pain not worthy of sharing because you may seem weak? Are marital problems taboo because ‘true Christians’ would never understand? May that never be true!

If my sister is in pain, I want to carry that pain with her. I may not be able to help, but I believe I can help her carry it in spirit. I can certainly pray for her. That is not something to be taken lightly. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was he replied “Love God, and love one another as yourselves.” I believe when we bear our burdens alone, without allowing one another to come along side of us, we are sinning.

Do not misunderstand. We are not called to run around telling everyone every little secret. We need to practice some safe discretion when it is called for. However, I think we take that a bit too far when we choose not to ‘complain’ or ‘unload’ or ‘whine.’ A very wise pastor has told me many times that the worst Christian swear word is ‘fine.’ As in ‘I’m fine.” Why do we choose to lie?

Peter was the apostle who at one time thought Jesus was ‘too important’ to wash his feet. Later in his life he wrote this:

“All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” 1 Peter 5.5b

When we are humble in our weakness Jesus can use his body, us, to care for each other. When we are proud, no one can do anything.

Now, onto Rosh Hashanah. A popular practice of the holiday is Tashlikh ("casting off"). The Jews walk to flowing water, such as a creek or river, on the afternoon of the first day and empty their pockets into the river, symbolically casting off their sins. Small pieces of bread are commonly put in the pocket to cast off.

The ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are called the “Days of Awe.”

This is how Judaism 101 describes these days:
“One of the ongoing themes of the Days of Awe is the concept that G-d has "books" that he writes our names in, writing down who will live and who will die, who will have a good life and who will have a bad life, for the next year. These books are written in on Rosh Hashanah, but our actions during the Days of Awe can alter G-d's decree. The actions that change the decree are "teshuvah, tefilah and tzedakah," repentance, prayer, good deeds (usually, charity). These "books" are sealed on Yom Kippur. This concept of writing in books is the source of the common greeting during this time.”

“Among the customs of this time, it is common to seek reconciliation with people you may have wronged during the course of the year. The Talmud maintains that Yom Kippur atones only for sins between man and G-d. To atone for sins against another person, you must first seek reconciliation with that person, righting the wrongs you committed against them if possible.”

I know that God takes great interest when His people repent, pray and care for one another. If we truly want to be an Acts church, if we want to be ‘one heart and soul’ we need to step out in the faith we hold so dear and become a little more vulnerable to one another. We all need to consider what things we need to cast off, and I believe this to mean the secret pains we carry alone too. We need to be Utter Christians.

And, as I wrote the common greeting during these Days of Awe at the top of this message; “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.”