Prayer from a Neshnabe perspective

Prayer—-madmowen, dodaskewen, dotmowen, najdowen, nokanawen, etc. (Bodewadmimwen inspired)

What is it?

Prayer is seeking

Prayer is worship

Prayer is praising the Powers that be

Prayer is meditating and reflecting

Prayer can be deep introspection

Prayer is intercession, interceding for somebody or something

Prayer is travailing or asking for somebody else or something to happen

Prayer is maintenance in one’s life

Prayer is thoughtful

Prayer is heartfelt asking

Prayer is inclusive of all

Prayer is never exclusive

Prayer is compassionate

Prayer is gentle

Prayer is faithful

Prayer is pervading strength of purpose

Prayer is from the heart

Prayer is grounding or centering

Prayer is seeking guidance when needed

Prayer is enlightening

Prayer is wisdom activated

Prayer is wisdom, understanding, knowledge and prudence in all

Prayer is gratifying….

In the English language, prayer is largely defined by the idea of asking. In old English one could say, either to God or to anyone else: “I pray thee to do such and such.” The basic concept here is heart-felt request. The Jewish concept of prayer, however, is best defined by its Hebrew word “tfilia” (תפילה).

The primary meaning of the verb “lehitpalel” (להתפלל), the verb behind the noun, is self-judgement or introspection. Especially in Jewish Hassidic traditions, tfilia is understood to be an introspection that results in bonding between the creature and the Creator, as a child would bond with his/her father.

It is not a surprise that when the Jewish Christ was asked by his disciples how they should pray, he taught them what to request, making sure to address their Heavenly King as “Our Father” (Matt. 6:9). Shortly before that Jesus warned them to avoid using vain repetitions that characterized pagan approaches to prayer (Matt. 6:7).

In Isaiah we find a curious text: “… these I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in the house of my prayer” (וְשִׂמַּחְתִּים בְּבֵית תְּפִלָּתִי). Note the wording: not “my house of prayer”, but “the house of my prayer.” (Isaiah 56:7; Barachot 7A) But how is it possible for God to engage in prayer? And with whom?

The answer lies in understanding that Hebrew prayer is not only a “request-making session.” It is a communal bonding between God and his child. The house of “his prayer” is, therefore, where God himself engages in introspection and in so doing bonds deeply with his people. They in turn reciprocate this action in their own prayers and bond with Him.

Hau Mesho,

Oh Grandfather

Odo pi ébyayak

At this time we come

Éndodmoyak i jitmowen

We ask for this help 

Mine I zhawendagsewen ge ninan shote ednesyak

And this blessing upon us who live here

Énizhopamséwat se ode Aki

As they walk together on this Earth

Nizhokmoyak émnozhewébsiyak ode nwézhobmadsewen

Help us to live this long life

Nizhokmoshek jayék gé ninan

Help all of us

Nishokmoshek épandewébniyak

Help us as we search

I géte myéwen

For the true way

Mine i débwéwen

And the truth

Mine i bémadsewen

And the way of life

Gin se mteno éje penmoyak odo pi

You alone we depend on at this time

Ahau, Migwéch.

Ho, thank you

Iw énajmoyak odo pi

That is all we say at this time

A General Prayer.

Hau nmeshomes

Oh my Grandfather

Mine gi meshomsenanek

And all of our grandfathers

Mine Mamogosnan eshe ne kasyen gego

And Creator as you are also known

Mine o Nokmeskignan

And our Grandmother Earth

E bya ygo ngom

So we come today

Ebgednegoygo ode sema

To put down our tobacco

Mine anet se ode wisnewen

And some of this food

Ik she gwien ekedgoygo

To say thank you

Mine ode kigdowen nake ode madwomen

And this talk or our prayers

Emno widoktadwiygo jayek se ninan

That we may all interact well together all of us

Mine eminangoygo i mnobmadsewen

And we may receive this good life

Ewi mnomajishkaygo mine ewi

That we may be healthy and

Ni zhokmagomen jayek

We may receive the health/help we all need

Pene shna emnobmadziygo

That we always live good lives

Ewi pamseygo se ode kiwen

As we walk about this Earth

Mine ewi mno wdabjetoygo

And that we use in a good way

Jayek gi nozhownen emingoygo

All those gifts we’ve been given

I ye i endotmoygo ngom

That is what we ask of you today

Pene shna emno widoktadwiygo

That we always live well together

Epa bmadziygo shote

Where we live about here

Gego wnikeken gode pwagnen

Don’t forget these pipes

Ewi nizhokmagoygo epenmoygo gi

That we depend on to help us

Ibe pi ebodyego gi pwagnen

When we fill them those pipes

Mine engemwiygo gode gemwenen enajdoygo

And as we sing these songs all of us asking

Gnizhokmagejek ewi byewat shote ednesyego

These powers to come here where we live

Enizhokmagomen emneseygo

To help us in things we need

Ode bmadsewen

Of this life

I ye i wa je penmoygo pene

That is why we depend always

Shna i mendowen etoyen

On this spiritual power you have

Ibe ednesyen

There where you are

Iw enajmoyan…..

That is all I have to say…….

The Hidden Jesus/Yeshua

From Jerusalem To Rome: The Hidden Messiah

By Julia Blum August 26, 2021No comments

By now, we know what Peter revealed: the great mystery of the Gospel, the secret things that Father has hidden …from the wise and prudent and revealed to babes, is the messiahship of Jesus. In Luke’s Gospel, this secret is hidden and concealed from Israel; in Acts, Peter is sharing this secret with all the house of Israel. This contrast between the Gospel and Acts is a dramatic one. No words can better describe this abrupt change in the atmosphere from the Gospel to Acts than this verse from Luke himself: What you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops[1]. As against the hidden, concealed, only in the ear revealed secret of the messianic dignity of Jesus in the Gospel, there is an open proclamation of his messiahship in Acts. Not only in this first speech but in his first three public speeches – in chapters 2, 3, 4 of Acts – Peter proclaims loudly, almost literally on the housetops, that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah. “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus who was crucified both Lord and Christ (Messiah – JB)”[2] “let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel…” [3] All of a sudden, the secret, esoteric knowledge of the Gospel becomes a widely broadcasted message in Acts. Why? For what reason do we see Jesus consistently hiding his messiahship in the Gospel, and even commanding his disciples to keep silent?  And on what account does his messiahship yield to the public proclamation in Acts? Why this drastic difference between “before” and “after”?

“Hidden Savior” in Second Temple Judaism.

Jesus was Jewish and undoubtedly was influenced by contemporary Jewish ideas—by his Jewish upbringing and by the completely Jewish context of his life. Can we find an explanation of this New Testament quandary in contemporary Jewish thought of the day? Indeed, we can!

The literature and historical evidence prove that almost every trend of Second Temple Judaism held some beliefs concerning the Hidden Messiah. Of course, different patterns can be discerned regarding this messianic incognito. There are some texts—mainly apocalyptic ones, but also Targums (Targums are free Aramaic renderings of the Old Testament for use in synagogues)—referring to a “hidden” Savior proper; to the one who had been concealed from the beginning and will be revealed only when the appointed time comes. The texts of the second group are built around the “unrecognized” motif: Messiah, when he comes, would be hard to identify; he would be “hidden, without esteem, unknown, his secret sealed up”[4].This motif is present to a certain extent in some Qumran texts and becomes especially clear in later rabbinic literature. In any case, if Messiah is not supposed to be recognized, that means that he would need to remain silent concerning his messianic status, and would go unrecognized until God makes him manifest. The thought that Messiah needed to remain hidden and silent and could not reveal who he was,  became the prevailing idea in Jewish religious thought at the turn of the era.

Hidden Prophecy

To sum it up, we can say that referring to Messiah as hidden and revealed may be taken as representative of Second Temple Judaism. We can now ask our next question: how and why was this “hidden savior” paradigm developed in Jewish thought? Since all the Jewish texts were shaped and influenced by Scripture, we probably need to turn to the Tanach (Old Testament) to try and find the “Hidden Messiah” there.

For most Christians today, it is the 53rd chapter of Isaiah that presents a prophetic Messianic program that Jesus actually did fulfill to the letter. However, there is nothing about a hidden Messiah in this chapter you might say – and I would agree. There is nothing about a hidden Messiah there now, after all the translations that the text went through; but it is in this Chapter that we will discover a “hidden prophecy” that was completely lost in translation and which explains why Jesus, if he was to fulfil this program, needed to be silent about His messianic status.

What do I mean? A literal translation of the Hebrew text of Isaiah 53:3 would go like this: He was despised and rejected by men, a man of pains and knowing disease. And like (as though) one hiding his face, he was despised and we did not consider him. However, instead of “like one hiding his face” (an action referring to the Suffering Servant himself), in translations, we read: And we hid our faces from Him. Thus, the Suffering Servant is transformed from the object to the subject of this action: it is no longer his action, but something that the people around him did. I won’t go into detail showing how this happened – you would need to know some Hebrew for me to explain it properly (once again, those interested can read my book). The result, of course, is very different: The original meaning of this verse: as though hiding his face from us…  implies that the Suffering Servant hid his status, but this part of the Messianic program became completely lost in translation, and the prophecy itself became the “hidden prophecy”.

If we know that, according to Isaiah 53:3, the hiding of the face had to become an important step in the Messianic program, we would understand that probably, the “Hidden Messiah” motif in Second Temple Jewish literature had been developed under the strong influence of this verse. Furthermore, if a man considered himself to be the messiah, he had to be silent about his messiahship until the appointed time. Jesus had to fulfill every single step of this messianic program, and therefore, the hiding of the face in Isaiah 53:3b contained the main reason for him to hide his messiahship: He was supposed to hide the face; His messianic status had to be concealed during his life and ministry. Thus, we arrive at a new and deeper (and quite unexpected, I would say) understanding of the Messianic Secret: the silence of Jesus concerning his messianic status was precisely what was expected of the Messiah when came. The secret of his messiahship would be revealed on the Day of Revelation—on that glorious Shavuot day in Jerusalem that we witness in Acts 2 right now!

Thus, the two volumes of Luke, if read in the light of this “hidden prophecy” and in the light of the “hidden savior” paradigm, show clearly that Luke describes Jesus’ life and ministry in terms of a Messiah “hidden and revealed”—hidden until the appointed time for it to be revealed. This is the powerful and drastic transition that is marked by Peter’s speech: from Messiah visible, but hidden and not recognized – to Messiah revealed, recognized, but invisible. We really need to be aware of this dynamic if we want to understand the book of Acts.

[1] Luke 12.3

[2] Acts 2.36

[3] Acts 4:10

[4] 1QH xi 11

Teshuvah has to do with repentance

https://hebrew4christians.com/training/season-of-teshuvah/

Sometimes we need to test ourselves in accordance with God’s Word, and see where we are in His eyes. We cannot count ourselves righteous when it is only God that can do that, but we can test ourselves as to the will of God and how we are living on this planet. When finding where and what we lack, it is a good idea to repent of it and get back on track. Living a dedicated life, or Christian, if you prefer, requires some self examination every day and then some. Thoughts can creep up on us and so can actions we take, usually against others, that may need to be checked, and then you need to repent. I know I do, from time to time.

Living for Jesus requires a steady watchful eye on things in one’s life, not on other’s, but on yourself. Just some thoughts I have on living a successful Christ centered life.

Nin se Neaseno.

Hau mno waben ginwa

https://hebrew4christians.com/About_HFC/Site_News/site_news.html#loaded

Good morning:

I haven’t posted on here for awhile so I am attempting to play catch up since I have been on a small vacation and been witnessing of Christ’s great love all over the North country. It was good to visit old friends and old sites that I once haunted as it brought back many good memories of days gone by. I left a word of love and hope with those whom I re-visited in the hopes they would see the joy I felt and find Christ too.

Often we can witness of the love of Yeshu, but folks have to see him within us too and it is my considered opinion, that if one does not see him within, then simple talk won’t do. Some folks must see the love of God within us and others must witness the change in us, along with engaging conversation carefully crafted with the help of the Holy Spirit to tell of his love as well. Remembering the letter killeth, but the Spirit quickeneth and bringeth to life.

Iw enajmoyan.

Nin se Neaseno.