Menorah Ministries - Epistles - Rabbi John Fischer's Menorah Ministries

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ARCHIVE: JUNE 2002

Sivan - Tammuz 5762

RESURRECTION AND REPRINTING?

Every year for 20 years the people of our Messianic synagogue have gathered at a nearby park for a Jewish-style celebration of Yeshua's resurrection. We all climb to the top of a small hill--hills in Florida are ALWAYS small, and very few in number--overlooking the waters of the Tampa Bay. This provides a beautiful setting for the traditional Jewish morning prayers. These prayers focus on God as our Creator, as the one who will send the Redeemer to Israel, and as the God who raises the dead. It's a great lead-in to seeing Yeshua as the resurrected Messiah and as the center of the Ceremony of Firstfruits (1 Cor. 15:20) which occurs at this time. John usually speaks about the solid historical evidence for Yeshua's resurrection and about the profound Jewish significance of that dramatic, earth-shaking event (Mt. 28:2). Usually, there are a number of visitors who have heard, or read in the spapers, about this unique Jewish celebration that we observe. And, this year was no different.

In fact, one Jewish visitor wrote out his reflections and recently sent them to us in a letter. In it, he eloquently described the beautiful setting of our celebration: the trees as they rustled in the wind, the birds as they sang and flew overhead, the water and the sound it made rushing past the hillside. All this reminded him of the wonder of creation, and helped him reflect on the great God who literally spoke it all into existence. His thoughts were sharpened and focused as he prayed the words found in our festival siddur (a book of worship services for the traditional and Messianic Jewish holidays, which we publish and distribute worldwide):

"Deserving of praise are you, O Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who forms light and creates darkness, who makes peace and creates all things. In mercy you bring light to the earth and to those who live on it, and in your goodness re each day the miracle of creation."

He enjoyed singing the Jewish songs, and was touched as he prayed the traditional prayers. He was amazed to learn the Jewish nature, background and relevance of Yeshua's resurrection. And, he was encouraged as he realized the reality of His resurrection as "the best documented FACT of ancient history." So, he was thrilled to respond in praise with the words of the festival siddur:

"You have demonstrated your awesome might, O Most High, raising Yeshua our Messiah from the grave, taking him up through the clouds and seating him above every being and power in the universe. By this you showed the world that he is both Messiah of Israel and Sovereign of the Universe. Deserving of praise are you, O Lord, who raised our Messiah from the dead."

"Let us see the days of our Messiah soon when great things will take place. Speedily cause the offspring of your servant David to flourish, and lift up his glory by your divine help because we wait for your deliverance all the day. Deserving of praise are you, O Lord, who causes the strength of our salvation [the Hebrew reads "yeshua" here] to flourish."

So he thanked us for the opportunity to join in our Jewish celebration of Yeshua's resurrection. And, we were encouraged by his poetic words.

However, our response was--as they say--"bitter-sweet." You see, we realized that the festival siddur he found so helpful desperately needs to be reprinted. (We have only a couple of cases of them left, and the fall Jewish holidays are only a couple of months away.) And, we lack the funds to reprint the festival siddur. This is due to the fact that there was a very dramatic increase in typesetting, printing and paper costs (well over 50%) in the last several months as we went through the process of revising and reprinting the Sabbath siddur (which we told you about reprinting in a previous sletter). As a result, all our "reserve funds" are used up, and we will need $17,600 to reprint the festival siddur and finish paying for the Sabbath siddur.

Please pray for us, and about how God might want you to help; and please ask him if there are people you know who might be able to help as well. We appreciate you, are grateful for your prayers and involvement, and are thankful that you stand with us in this vital ministry.

Most warmly in Yeshua,

John & Patrice

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