Shabbat to Shabbat: A House of Gathering
05/18/2017 04:46:37 PM
A House of Gathering
“Let them build me a sanctuary and I will dwell among them.” (Ex. 25:8) Words that we read from the book of Exodus a few months ago certainly give us a reason to pause and take stock. For 49 years, Temple Sinai has gathered in a sanctuary (or social hall) and reviewed the year, asking and answering questions about the life of the congregation. From day to day, week to week and month to month, we get glimpses of our community. We attend life cycle events or a learning series, we are moved during worship, or watch as our kids engage Jewishly with their peers. This Sunday at 10am we weave all of those pieces together and get the view of our congregation from 30,000 feet at our annual meeting. It will astound you to hear about all of our endeavors in education, social action, governance and worship. The annual meeting is a time to take pride in the strength and integrity of our community. It takes many hands and hearts to make Temple Sinai come alive; what a wonderful opportunity we have to celebrate who we are and what we’ve done in a year. To put it simply and borrow a title of a popular TV show, we get to step back, smile, marvel at the past year, and say, “This Is Us.”
We are told that a house of God should be three things: a house of study, a house of prayer and a house of gathering. As we prepare for this annual gathering, let us acknowledge that the hard work and dedication of our members has made this place a place where God dwells among us and we are, indeed, blessed.
Shabbat Shalom,
Beth
Here’s a little celebratory song for us to celebrate US!
