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All Saints Sabbath Suppers

A few years ago at a Parish Retreat on the topic of Sabbath, guest speaker Rabbi Sharon Brous inspired us with her description of the Sabbath in the Jewish tradition especially the meal. With the lighting of the candles on Friday night, one crosses the threshqld into some liminal space, a time outside regular time, into God's time. The evening begins with the blessing of the light, the bread and the wine. The conversation revolves around where people are on their journeys, what they have found meaningful in their past experiences, and any other naturally arising topics which help people connect with one another. Although the Jewish Sabbath is on Friday evenings, our Sabbath Suppers are held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings on the last two weekends before Easter. Sabbath Suppers provide an excellent opportunity to take time out from the fast pace of our lives. The Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown, no matter what. It cannot be delayed until one is ready for it. It just comes. And one stops. In our culture the idea of stopping before one's work is done is daunting. We worry about stopping before we've completed our work and the items on our 'to-do' list. However, as we realize when we do take timeouts, we're still able to accomplish what we set out to do. The Sabbath Supper offers a special opportunity for that reenergizing time-out. Sharing food is at the heart of our Judea-Christian faith. The holy meal of Eucharist is the centerpiece of our faith community. The idea that God sets a banquet before us with room for every single person on the face of the earth is central to our life. A meal is a lovely way in which to reflect on life and its meanings. We are fed by the actual food and by our understanding of one another. Sabbath Suppers offer wonderful opportunities to receive this sustenance. May you experience the presence of God while you enjoy the fellowship of All Saints friends.

PRAYERS FOR A SABBATH SUPPER These prayers should be read prior to eating the meal. One prayer is read when lighting the candles, one is read when taking a sip of wine and one is read when the bread is broken and served.

CANDLES Before lighting the candles, circle your hands toward your eyes three times to welcome the Sabbath (as if you were wafting a sweet scent toward your face). Light the candles and say the prayer: May our hearts be lifted, our spirits refreshed, as we light the Sabbath candles. May the light fill our home with kindness and peace. Blessed is the loving spirit by whose power we consecrate the lighting of these candles. WINE Blessed are heaven and earth, the sources of all life, who offer us the fruits of the vine. May we find in this act of drinking, the grateful humility to accept all the sorrows and joys we have been given. As we drink, may we find rest for our souls.

BREAD The bread is covered with a towel or napkin before the prayer. Pull the cover off and say the prayer: Blessed are the sources of life that bring forth grain from the earth. Blessed is Mother Earth, who offers her body that we may be fed. May we be nourished. May the strength we receive be used to heal ourselves, heal the earth and heal all the family of the earth.

A Blessing for Beauty


by Jotm O'Donohue

May the beauty of your life become more visible to you That you may glimpse your wild divinity. May the wonders of Earth call you forth from all your smaU, secret prisons, And set you free in the pastures of possibility. May the light of dawn anoint your eyes That you may behold what a miracle a day is. May the liturgy of twilight shelter all your fears and darknesses Within the circle of ease. May the angel of memory surprise you in black times With new gifts from the harvest of your vanished days . .May you allow no dark hand to quench the candle of hope in your heart. May you discover a new generosity toward yourself And encourage yourself to engage your life as a great adventure. May the outside voice of fear and despair find no echo in you. May you always trust the urgency and wisdom of your own spirit. May the shelter and nourishment of all you have done, The love you have shown, and suffering you have carried, Awaken around you to bless your life a thousand times. And when love finds the path to your door, May you open like the Earth to the dawn, And trust your every hidden color toward the nourishment of its light. May you find enough stillness and silence to savor the kiss of God on your soul And delight in the eternity that shaped you, that holds you and calls you, So that you may know That despite confusion, anxiety, and emptiness, Your name is written in Heaven. And when you come to see your life As a quiet sacrament of service which awakens around you, Where what is awkward and strained can find elegance Where crippled hope can find wings, And torment can enter at last into the grace of serenity. May Divine Beauty bless you.

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