Friday, September 14, 2007

Rosh Hashanah

On Wednesday night I participated in a Rosh Hashanah service like you would never believe and unlike any other in the world. "Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!! Lord, I am not worthy!" Before Wednesday I didn't know that Black Southern Christian Churches celebrated Jewish holidays. Now I know better. When they celebrate, they cel-e-brate! I have never heard so much sound in one place in all my life: a fully miked orchestra drums, bass, keyboards, a black gospel choir, a praising, singing, jumping, congregation, dancers, etc.! I wore earplugs so as not to go deaf. It was wonderful to see the kind of joy each soul seemed to be expressing to the Lord. They praised him, begged for forgiveness, pleaded to be able to remember and to change. It was meaningful to me to see the children's choir repeatedly sing, "Israel's God, our God, one God." I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I was in the presence of one of the tribes of Israel, that they knew their sacred lineage, and that when they are gathered in with the other tribes they will bring a wonderful, valuable, and unique set of histories, culture, and traditions.

PS. Not to distract from the feelings expressed above, one those great traditions ;) was announced as I was leaving: "We are faaaaasting tomorrooooo, but tomorrow night is a feast. And do you know what we're havin' for dinner to- mor -row?! We are havin' fa-riiied chicken! We are havin' mac-a-roni and cheeeeeese! We are have gah-reen beans and mama's home-made rolls!" (Note: we left early, so this was not an end note. :) )

1 comments:

kjirsti said...

mmmmm. I want mac and cheese. Actually I have been wanting to make Mac and Cheese for several weeks- like a gourmet type. Barb was telling me about one she made that was really good, and had all sorts of spices in it. We have several boxes of elbows, that Tom doesn't feel are worthy of other pasta dishes. So one of these days I am just going to buy all the cheese and go for it!