Weekly Sabbath Service
Songs of Praise
Opening Prayer
The week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread symbolises the continuing changes in our life as we learn to walk in Jehovah’s Way. This weekly Sabbath is special as it is a combination of a regular weekly Sabbath and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It thus reflects on our Lord Jah as the Creator and also reminds us of our coming redemption and joyous everlasting life with Jeshua, our saviour.
First, let us reflect on Jehovah and Jeshua as our Creators: (Hebrews 1:1-12)
What wonderful Creators we have! And how fantastic will it be to watch as they collapse our universe when it is old and then totally renew it?
And what of the Feast of Unleavened Bread as it was being kept by the Israelites as they were fleeing from Egypt? They had God leading, supporting, protecting and sustaining them as they walked rapidly towards freedom, enduring long marches that some days continued day and night: (Exodus 13:20-22)
But they had to do the walking to become truly free from Egypt. Like them, we need to participate in God’s transformation of our lives. Like them, we need to be willing to keep on going, even when it is beyond what we can do in our own strength. Just as God enabled them with extra strength, He is merciful and will enable us in our struggles to overcome Satan and our fallen nature.
The Book of Romans teaches us that we all need Jehovah’s mercy, which is given to us through His Son Jeshua. This passage also shows that the Gentiles are being accepted by Jehovah now, but in the future the nation of Israel will also be redeemed: (Romans 11:26 to 12:2)
For just as you at the first were disobedient to God, now you have favour because of their disobedience, even as these also have been disobedient to the mercy upon you now, there will also be mercy upon them. For God has confined everyone to disobedience, so that He will have mercy on everyone.
Therefore I beg you, my brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is a reasonable service. And you are not to imitate this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, and you will discover what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God.
And so we are all to be living sacrifices to our God, and must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. And we must always remember that every one of us have our role to fulfil in Lord Jah’s church: (Romans 12:3-16)
For I say, through the grace given to me, to all of you, that you should not value yourself beyond what is necessary, but you should only value yourself modestly, as God distributes to every person a measure of faith. For just as there are many parts in one body, and all of the parts do not have the same function, so we also, who are many, are one body in the Anointed, and each one of us is a part of each other.
Now there are a variety of gifts corresponding to the grace that is given to us. There is that of prophecy, according to the measure of his faith; there is that of service, it is for that one in his service; and there is that of a teacher, used in his teaching; there is that of comforter, used in his comforting; and giving, used with generosity; and a main leader, used with diligence; and that of a caregiver, used with cheerfulness.
And do not let your love be deceitful, for you are to hate evil and cling to good. You are to be affectionate to your brethren and love one another, preferring to give honour to each other; be diligent and not lazy, be enthusiastic in spirit, and serving your Lord; be rejoicing in your hope, be enduring in your tribulations, be persistent in your prayers; be supportive of the needs of the saints, be friends of strangers. Bless your persecutors; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
And whatever you esteem about yourselves, do it also for your brethren. And do not esteem your opinions highly, but go to those who are humble. And do not think yourself wise in your own opinion.
We must always remember to do good to everyone: (Romans 12:17 to 13:14)
Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but you should be committed to doing good before all the children of men. If it is possible, according to all that comes from within you, make peace with everyone.
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority that does not come from our God, and the authorities that exist are under instructions from God. Therefore whoever stands against the authority stands against the Instructions of God, and those who stand against them will bring judgement on themselves. For judges are not a terror to the doer of good, but to the evil. Therefore, if you do not want to be afraid of the authority, do good, and you will have praise from him. For he is God’s servant to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not wear the sword in vain; for he is God’s servant, a wrathful avenger on those who practice evil. Because of this, it is necessary for us to be subject, not only due to wrath but also for conscience’ sake.
Let us always behave in a way that brings joy to Jeshua and our elders: (2 Corinthians 3:2 to 5:7)
For you are our letter, written in our hearts, and known and read by everyone; and you know that you are the Anointed’s letter, which is served by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of the heart of flesh. And in this way our trust is through the Anointed to God. We do not think we are sufficient in ourselves in anything, as our power is from God. He made us worthy to be servants of the new covenant, not by writing but by the Spirit; for the writing kills, but the Spirit gives life.
But if the service of death, written and carved in stone, was glorious, so that the children of Israel were not able to gaze at Moses’ face because of the glory of his face in that which is passing away, therefore how will the service of the Spirit not be greater in glory? For if the service of condemnation had one glory, how much more will the service of righteousness exceed it in glory? For what was glorified was not even glorious in comparison to the excellent glory of this. For if what is passing away has had its glory, that which remains is so much more glorious.
But even if our Good News is hidden, it is hidden to those who are lost, those whose intellects the god of this world has blinded because they do not believe, lest the light of the Good News of the glory of Messiah, who is the image of God, should dawn on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but the Messiah, Jeshua our Lord, and we who are your servants for Jeshua’s sake. For it is God who said that from the darkness the light will shine. He has dawned in our hearts and enlightened us with the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jeshua the Anointed.
But in us this treasure is in earthen vessels, that the greatness of the power will be from God and not from us. For in all things we are hard pressed, yet not strangled; we are harassed, but we are not condemned; we are persecuted, but we are not forsaken; we are struck down, but we are not defeated; all the time we bear the dying of Jeshua in our bodies, that the life of Jeshua may also be revealed in our bodies.
Because of this, it is not tiresome to us, even if our external being is being destroyed. Conversely, we are being renewed from within day by day. For though the suffering of this time is very small and fleeting, it prepares us for great glory without limits, for ever and ever. For we do not rejoice in these things which are seen, but in these things which are not seen. For the things seen are for this time, but the things which are not seen are those that are eternal. For we know that if our house on earth, this body, is destroyed, there is a building from God for us, a house made without the work of hands, eternal in the heavens.
And concerning this we are made to groan, as we long to wear our house which is from heaven, for indeed, though we are clothed, we seem to be naked to us. For while we are now in this house we are made to groan from its weight; not because we want to be stripped, but that we want to put on Life, that this mortality may be swallowed up.
And He who prepares us for this is God, who gives us the pledge guarantee of His Spirit. Therefore, because of this we know and are convinced that as long as we live in the body we are living away from our home with our Lord. For we walk by faith, and not by sight. 2 Corinthians 3:2 to 5:7
Let us pray that our Lord Jah will guide our hearts: (2 Thessalonians 2:16 to 3:5)
Now He, our Lord Jeshua Messiah Himself, and God our Father, who have loved us and given us everlasting comfort and good hope by His grace; may He comfort and establish your hearts in all words and every good work.
From now on, brethren, pray for us, that the word of our Lord will be running and be glorified in every place, as it is with you, and that we will be saved from evil and vicious men; for not every person is of the faith. For Lord Jah is faithful; He will keep you and will deliver you from evil.
And we put our trust in you in our Lord, that whatever we command you, you have done and you will also do. And our Lord will guide your hearts into the love of God and into preaching the Anointed.
Let us all become imitators of those who are heirs of the Promise: (Hebrews 6:10-20)
For God is not evil, that He would forget your works and your love which you have shown in His name, in that you have served the saints, and you do serve. And we desire that each one of you have this diligence for the perfection of your hope until the end, and that you do not become faint, but that you become imitators of those who in faith and in patience have become heirs of the promise.
For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, and He said, “Blessing, I will bless you, and multiplying, I will multiply you.” And so, he was patient and he received the promise.
For the children of men, they swear by that which is greater than them, and in every dispute there is among them, a sure end is brought to it by an oath. Therefore God was all the more willing to show the heirs of the promise that His declaration would not change, so He bound it with an oath, that by two things which cannot be changed, because God cannot lie, it is great comfort to us who have sought refuge in Him, and we may lay hold of the hope which has been promised to us.
It is He who is to us like an anchor which holds fast in our soul, that we will not be moved and will enter inside the veil, where Jeshua has entered already, for our sake, and has become the eternal High Priest in the image of Melchizedek.
Never forget that Jehovah God is both our Creator and our Anchor. He will lead us through the veil, to where He and Jeshua are waiting for us.
Last, and certainly not least, as this Sabbath ended in the year of our Messiah’s Impalement, it marked the moment of His Resurrection. We will rejoice in this further in the Wave Sheaf Offering ceremony.
Closing Prayer
Prepared by the Central Highlands Congregation of God
Revised 14 April, 2023
Permission is given to copy and distribute this service provided it is copied entirely and distributed without charge.
Scripture quotes are from the CHCoG translation, based on the Aramaic Peshitta New Covenant.
Endnotes
1 See Joh 1:18 footnote.
2 See Jeshua's parable on this in Mat 21:33-44, Mar 12:1-11 & Luk 20:9-18.
3 Psa 110:1
4 Psa 2:7
5 2Sa 7:14
6 Deu 32:43 (Septuagint), less directly in Psa 97:7
7 Psa 104:4
8 Num 24:17
9 Psa 45:6-7
10 Genesis chapters 1 & 2, Joh 1:1-3
11 Psa 102:25-27
12 Means “Booths”
13 Means “Their plowshare with them”
14 Isa 40:28-31 & 1 Cor 10:1-3
15 Isa 59:20
16 Isa 61:7-8
17 Dan 1:17, Psa 139:6
18 Isa 40:13, Lord Jah (MarJah) in the Peshitta, councillor is literally “Lord of Council”.
19 Job 35:7, Job 41:11
20 Probably derived from Deut 32:35, which has Jehovah, the Peshitta uses God in this instance.
21 Exo 20:13-17, Lev 19:18, Mat 22:38
22 Or salvation.
23 As in Exo 34:33-35, Lord Jah (MarJah) in the Peshitta.
24 As in Isa 61:1-2, Lord Jah (MarJah) in the Peshitta.
25 Psa 116:10