Congregation Chai v'Shalom, Apple of His Eye MO & Burning Bush Ministries

06/14/2026

Flag Day, also called National Flag Day, in the United States, a day honoring the national flag, observed on June 14. The holiday commemorates the date in 1777 when the United States approved the design for its first national flag.

In 1916 Pres. Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14 as the official date for Flag Day, and in 1949 the U.S. Congress permanently established the date as National Flag Day. Although Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, Pennsylvania celebrates the day as a state holiday. Each year the U.S. president delivers an address that proclaims the week of June 14 as National Flag Week, and all Americans are encouraged to fly U.S. flags during that week.

06/12/2026

Shabbat Mevarchim, "the Shabbat when we bless," is the sabbath before the new moon. The New Moon is an appointed festival to celebrate God's continued, and regular, provision for time and joy. For example, see Numbers 10:10. We are reminded of our freedom in Messiah Y'shua by Shaul (Paul) that we are not under obligation (Col. 2:16) and therefore shall not judge. But that does not prohibit us from the joy that comes from giving praise to God for all things, even the cycles of times and moons that continue to show us His constant care.

There are special prayers in the synagogue to mark the new moon and the new month, and also the timing of the new moon is announced.

The blessing recited on Shabbat Mevarchim is "May He who performed miracles for our fathers and redeemed them from slavery to freedom, speedily redeem us and gather our dispersed people from the four corners of the earth, uniting all of Israel, and let us say, Amen.
Rosh Chodesh (name of month) will be on (day(s) of week), which come(s) to us for good.

May the Holy One, blessed be He, renew it for us and for all His people, the house of Israel, for life and peace (Amen), for gladness and for joy (Amen), for deliverance and for consolation, and let us say, Amen. (Amen)

06/11/2026

Today is the annual feast day commemoration for Barnabas the Apostle.

Barnabas (/ˈbɑːrnəbəs/; Syriac: ܒܪܢܒܐ; Ancient Greek: Βαρνάβας), born Joseph (Ἰωσήφ) or Joses(Ἰωσής), was according to tradition an early Christian, one of the prominent Christian disciples in Jerusalem. According to Acts 4:36, Barnabas was a Cypriot Jew. Named an apostle in Acts 14:14 he and Paul the Apostle undertook missionary journeys together and defended Gentile converts against the Judaizers. They traveled together sharing the gospel with much success as many came to faith in Jesus (c. 46–48), and participated in the Council of Jerusalem (c. 49). Barnabas and Paul successfully evangelized among the "God-fearing" Gentiles who attended synagogues in various Hellenized cities of Anatolia.
His parents called him Joseph but when recounting the story of how he sold his land and gave the money to the apostles in Jerusalem, and the apostles called him Barnabas meaning "son of encouragement" or "son of comforter". Luke, in Acts 11:22–24, records that Barnabas “son of encouragement” was sent to Antioch, where he “encouraged” everyone to remain in the Lord with steadfastness of heart.

Barnabas' story appears in the Acts of the Apostles, and Paul mentions him in some of his epistles. Tertullian named him as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, but this and other attributions are conjecture.

Although the date, place, and circumstances of his death are historically unverifiable, Christian tradition holds that Barnabas was martyred at Salamis, Cyprus. He is traditionally identified as the founder of the Cypriot Orthodox Church. The feast day of Barnabas is celebrated on June 11.

Barnabas is usually identified as the cousin of Mark the Evangelist on the basis of the term "anepsios" used in Colossians 4, which carries the connotation of "cousin."

05/31/2026

Today is the feast day for the Visitation, the visit, described in the Gospel According to Luke (1:39–56), made by the Virgin Mary, pregnant with the infant Jesus, to her cousin Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, the pregnant Elizabeth felt the infant (St. John the Baptist) leap in her womb. Mary then said the Magnificat.

The Magnificat (Latin for "[My soul] magnifies [the Lord]") is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary. It is traditionally incorporated into the liturgical services of the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Lutheran Churches (see Service of Evening Prayer in LSB) and the Anglican Communion. Its name comes from the incipit of the Latin version of the text.

The text of the canticle is taken from the Gospel of Luke (1:46–55) where it is spoken by Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth.

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,

05/31/2026

Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

In the early Church, no special Office or day was assigned for the Holy Trinity. When the A***n heresy was spreading, the Fathers prepared an Office with canticles, responses, a Preface, and hymns, to be recited on Sundays.

A distinctive feature of Lutheran worship is the recitation of the Athanasian Creed on Trinity Sunday during Matins. It may also supplant the Nicene Creed during the Mass. The Lutheran Book of Worship, Lutheran Worship, and Lutheran Service Book specify this.

Who Was Athanasius? Quicumque vult - this phrase is the title attributed to what is popularly known as the Athanasian Creed. It was often called the Athanasian Creed because for centuries people attributed its authorship to Athanasius, the great champion of Trinitarian orthodoxy during the crisis of the heresy of A***nism that erupted in the fourth century.

That theological crisis focused on the nature of Christ and culminated in the Nicene Creed in 325. Though Athanasius did not write the Nicene Creed, he was its chief champion against the heretics who followed after Arius, who argued that Christ was an exalted creature but that He was less than God.

Athanasius died in 373 AD, and the epithet that appeared on his tombstone is now famous, as it captures the essence of his life and ministry. It read simply, "Athanasius contra mundum," that is, "Athanasius against the world." This great Christian leader suffered several exiles during the embittered A***n controversy because of the steadfast profession of faith he maintained in Trinitarian orthodoxy.

Though the name "Athanasius" was given to the creed over the centuries, modern scholars are convinced that the Athanasian Creed was written after the death of Athanasius. Certainly, Athanasius' theological influence is embedded in the creed, but in all likelihood he was not its author.

05/28/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EcSTcK6ki/

How can congregations make physician assisted su***de an unthinkable option for those who are suffering? Benjamin Parviz (Philosopher and Bioethicist at St. ...

05/24/2026

The Day of Pentecost. Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles of Jesus while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1–31).

The term Pentecost comes from Koinē Greek: πεντηκοστή, romanized: pentēkostē, lit. 'fiftieth'. One of the meanings of "Pentecost" in the Septuagint, the Koine translation of the Hebrew Bible, refers to the festival of Shavuot, one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals, which is celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover according to Deuteronomy 16:10, and Exodus 34:22, where it is referred to as the "Festival of Weeks" (Koinē Greek: ἑορτὴν ἑβδομάδων, romanized: heortēn hebdomádōn). The term has also been used in the literature of Hellenistic Judaism by Philo of Alexandria and Josephus to refer to Shavuot.

Shavuot is a harvest festival that is celebrated seven weeks and one day after the Sabbath during the Passover according to Leviticus 23:16 It is discussed in the Mishnah and the Babylonian Talmud, tractate Arakhin. The actual mention of fifty days comes from Leviticus 23:16.

The Festival of Weeks is also known as the Feast of Harvest in Exodus 23:16 and the Day of First Fruits in Numbers 28:26 In Exodus 34:22, it is called the "first fruits of the wheat harvest."

Rabbinic interpretations of the Sabbath of Passover have succeeded in separating Shavuot from Pentecost Sunday, but it is the same day. It is good to note here that Shavuot has become the celebration of receiving Torah on Mt. Sinai, and on Shavuot in the year that Y'shua was crucified, died and was resurrected, the disciples the Word written on their hearts as the Holy Spirit filled them, as prophecies by Jeremiah in Jeremiah 31:31-34. Peter preached a powerful sermon and 3000 Jewish people came to faith in Y'shua that day.

05/22/2026

Shavuot (Hebrew: שָׁבוּעוֹת, Šāvūʿōṯ, lit. "Weeks"), commonly known in English as the Feast of Weeks, is a major Jewish holiday, one of the three pilgrimage festivals, that occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan (in the 21st century, it may fall between May 15 and June 14 on the Gregorian calendar). In the Bible, Shavuot marked the wheat harvest in the Land of Israel. In addition, rabbinic tradition teaches that the date also marks the revelation of the Torah to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai, which, according to the tradition of Orthodox Judaism, occurred at this date in 1314 BC.

The word Shavuot means "weeks", and it marks the conclusion of the Counting of the Omer. Its date is directly linked to that of Passover; the Torah mandates the seven-week Counting of the Omer, beginning on the second day of Passover (by rabbinic tradition, though the Scriptures seem to clearly imply the Sabbath of the Passover, which would be the Friday/Saturday during Passover) to be immediately followed by Shavuot. This change from the Sabbath to the second day of Passover is an attempt by the rabbis to keep Shavuot from coinciding with the Day of Pentecost. This counting of days and weeks is understood to express anticipation and desire for the giving of the Torah. On Passover, the people of Israel were freed from their enslavement to Pharaoh; on Shavuot, they were given the Torah and became a nation committed to serving God.

Shavuot is sometimes referred to as Pentecost (in Koinē Greek: Πεντηκοστή) due to its timing after Passover, "pentecost" meaning "fifty" in Greek and Shavuot occurring fifty days after the first day of Pesach/Passover, but due to some rabbinic hijinx, the date of Shavuot has been moved so that it does not correspond with Pentecost, which comes fifty days after Easter.

In the year that Jesus celebrated his last Passover, the Sabbath of the Passover was as he laid in the tomb, and the Feast of First Fruits would have been Sunday. Jesus was raised on the Feast of First Fruits and as Paul said, "in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Cor. 15:20). It was during the Feast of Shavuot that the Holy Spirit was poured out, that Peter preached a great sermon, the Word was poured out and written on the hearts of those who heard, and received it, and thousands of Jewish people came to faith in Messiah Y'shua. The harvest festival is therefore embodied in the harvest of Peter's sermon and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. Jeremiah’s prophecy was fully fulfilled beginning on Maundy Thursday and finishing at Pentecost. See Leviticus 23:15-22; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Acts 2.

05/20/2026

Shabbat fellowship Friday night celebrating Shavuot.

05/15/2026

The month of Sivan begins tomorrow night so this sabbath is Shabbat Mevarchim, "the Shabbat when we bless. It is the sabbath before the new moon. The New Moon is an appointed festival to celebrate God's continued, and regular, provision for time and joy. For example, see Numbers 10:10. We are reminded of our freedom in Messiah Y'shua by Shaul (Paul) that we are not under obligation (Col. 2:16) and therefore shall not judge. But that does not prohibit us from the joy that comes from giving praise to God for all things, even the cycles of times and moons that continue to show us His constant care.

There are special prayers in the synagogue to mark the new moon and the new month, and also the timing of the new moon is announced.

The blessing recited on Shabbat Mevarchim is "May He who performed miracles for our fathers and redeemed them from slavery to freedom, speedily redeem us and gather our dispersed people from the four corners of the earth, uniting all of Israel, and let us say, Amen.

Rosh Chodesh (name of month) will be on (day(s) of week), which come(s) to us for good.

May the Holy One, blessed be He, renew it for us and for all His people, the house of Israel, for life and peace (Amen), for gladness and for joy (Amen), for deliverance and for consolation, and let us say, Amen. (Amen)