SERVICE FOR DECLARATION OF THE NEW MOON
The service begins when three stars are normally visible in the sky, and at nightfall whenever the stars are not visible. The new moon may be observed by the calendar's astronomical calculations.
1. OPENING PRAYER
Leader: We celebrate the festival of the New Moon as an appointment with YeHoVaH God, as He has commanded us.
Blessed are You, YeHoVaH our God, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Our Father, we fervently call upon You. You are the Great and Mighty One, Most High God, whose Name alone is Yahweh, the Eternal One, God of Hosts.
You are merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and keeping covenant forever with those who fear Your Name and keep Your commandments. You made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You. You are all-powerful to save and You bestow gracious favours to your people, in love. You are holy and Your name is holy and we separate ourselves this night to come before You to honour, revere and praise Your holy Name.
All: Blessed are You, YeHoVaH our God, God of Gods and Lord of Lords, the Holy One of Israel.
Leader: You have called us to this appointed time to offer unto You sacrifices and offerings and to rejoice before You in the salvation of our souls which You have provided through Y'shua our Messiah.
You have given us the beginning of months as a season of expiation, of atonement for sin and renewal of our consecration in offering an acceptable sacrifice of our lives to You upon Your altar.
All: Blessed are You YeHoVaH, our God, King of the universe, who has kept us and sustained us and enabled us to keep this appointment with You.
Leader: Accept us Your people we pray, and let our prayers come before You and may our worship be acceptable in Your Presence. We ask that You would restore Your holy sanctuary upon earth and dwell with us once more in Your glory.
May we have the blessing of beholding Your return to Zion when You will restore Your divine glory upon her.
All: We bless and praise You for Your eternal counsels when You will have compassion upon Your people and restore Your glory once again upon Zion and Your kingdom shall be exalted over all.
2. READING OF PSALM 81: 1-5
3. BLOW SHOFAR
Leader: "Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the shofar over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifice of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God: I am YeHoVaH your God." Numbers 10:10 :(all gather outside to observe the new moon where the shofar is blown in every direction turning once clockwise to announce Rosh Chodesh. The service may be concluded inside)
All: Blessed are the people that know the sound of the shofar, O Lord.
- We shall walk in the light of Your countenance, O Lord.
4. THE SHEMA Deuteronomy 6: 4-6
Sung: Sh'ma Yisrael, Adonai Eh-lo-hay-nu Adonai e-chad. Ba-ruch shema k'vode mahl-choo-toe l'oh-lahm vah-ed.
- Sh'ma Yisrael, Adonai Eh-lo-hay-nu Adonai e-chad.
Recited: Hear O' Israel, YeHoVah is our God, the Lord is One. Blessed is the Name of His glorious Kingdom for all eternity. Hear Israel, the Lord our God is one.
5. LIGHTING THE MENORAH
Leader: To separate Rosh Chodesh (the New Moon) from the rest of the month, we light the seven branches of the Menorah as a representation of the fullness of the Shekinah glory in the seven spirits of God which will illuminate the New Jerusalem.
We come before You Almighty God this night thanking You that all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Y'shua our Messiah and in Him is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge and we are believing tonight that as we light the Menorah that You would impart to us an increasing measure of Your Spirit to shine in our hearts and to fill these earthen vessels of ours with Your glory so that the illumination of Your Presence will be manifest through us. (Colossians 2: 3, 9-10; 1:27)
We ask that You would impart unto us "the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Y'shua, so that the eyes of our understanding might be enlightened to know what is the hope of His calling and the riches of the glory of His inheritance in us; And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power," "so that we might be strengthened with might through His Spirit in our inner man , that Messiah may dwell in our hearts through faith and that we might comprehend and really experience the love of Messiah which passes knowledge; .. .. and be filled with all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 1:17-19; 3:16-19)
- (Leader invokes the blessing of each of the seven spirits of God from Isaiah 11: 1-2 upon those present lighting each corresponding candle as the people by faith, receive the blessing)
Leader: Would you fill us Your people this night with the Spirit of the Lord ; (light first candle etc.)
- (wisdom; understanding; counsel; might; knowledge; and the fear of YeHoVaH God)
Response: We receive the spirit of wisdom; (understanding; counsel; might; knowledge; and the fear of YeHoVaH God)
6. SCRIPTURE READING
Ezekiel 45 :17, 46: 1-6; Isaiah 66:22-24
7. SANCTIFICATION OF THE MONTH
Leader: May it be Your will, YeHoVaH our God, and God of our fathers, that we begin this month with the pardoning of sin and the forgiveness of iniquity. Bless and sanctify this new month to us and to all Your people with joy and gladness, with blessing and provision for all our needs in peace and in prosperity.
Unite our hearts to fear Your Name so that we will keep Your commandments and walk in the paths of righteousness for Your honour and to receive Your blessing.
We long for that day when the Torah will go forth from Zion to all nations, when darkness will flee away, when the saints of the Most High will possess the Kingdom, when You will destroy those who destroy of the earth, when wars will forever cease, when justice and righteousness will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea and when “YeHoVaH will be King over all the earth, and His Name One.” And let us all say, Amein.
All: We express our gratitude to You, Creator of the universe, for the renewal of our lives and the hope we have in You for the coming month. Blessed are You, Who sanctifies Your people Israel in the beginning of the month.
8. PETITIONS
All: Oh YeHoVaH our God, we call upon You this day to hear our prayer for forgiveness for all our shortcomings, for all our transgressions and for all our sins. For Your holy Name's sake and for Zion's sake, and for Your people, and for all mankind. We turn to You and seek Your compassion and Your mercy, Yahweh, our Rock and our Redeemer. Hear our prayer!
Leader: O YeHoVaH, God of our fathers and our God, we ask that in this coming month that you would,
- give us what we need spiritually to grow into Your likeness;
- that You would give us what we need emotionally to walk in Your ways;
- that You would give us what we need mentally to be conscious of You and Your Word at all times;
- that You would give us what we need financially so that we would have sufficient for ourselves and can bless others;
- that You would give us what we need physically so we can serve You faithfully and glorify You in all we do, Amein.
9. BLESSING OF THE WINE
Leader: YeHoVaH is the Incomprehensible One, before the beginning of the creative process He was and ever shall be. Our Heavenly Father, the great Creator, chose to emerge from dwelling in the unapproachable light of eternity and reveal Himself through His creation, His manifestation of light into the world.
"For it is God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Y'shua the Messiah. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us" 2 Corinthians 4: 6-7
"Y'shua said, I am the Vine and you are the branches, He who abides in Me and I in him, bears much fruit:" John 15: 5a
All: Blessed are You YeHoVaH our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. (Pass the cup of blessing)
10. BLESSING OF THE BREAD
"He has in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." (Hebrews 1:2-4)
"For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering. For both He that sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren." (Hebrews 2:10-11)
All: Blessed are You, YeHoVaH our God, King of the universe, who resurrects Bread from the earth. (Pass the bread)
Blessed are You YeHoVaH, for sanctifying us Your people in the renewal of our lives this month.
11. THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE
We thank You and praise You for the redemption which You have provided in Y'shua our Messiah and for all the mighty acts which You have performed on our behalf and the victories which You have given us in our lives both at this time and in the previous times. You are a mighty God and Saviour and all who live shall thank You and praise Your Name in truth.
Blessed are You, O YeHoVaH, God of our salvation and our Succourer. You are Good and worthy to be praised and we give thanks unto You for all Your great benefits to us.
- (Time for personal testimonies)
12. FESTIVE MEAL
- (Grace after the meal)
13. DEVOTIONS AND WORSHIP
14. PRIESTLY BLESSING Numbers 6:24-26
He who exists will kneel before you presenting gifts and will guard you with a hedge of protection.
He who exists will illuminate you with the wholeness of His Being, bringing order (shalom), and He will beautify you.
He who exists will lift up the wholeness of His Being and look upon you to set in place all you need to be whole and complete.
- (a translation by Jeff Bennett from the Paleo Hebrew script)
For Rosh Chodesh a seven stick menorah is used to set it apart from the Sabbath. Seven candles mounted on a plate can be used as a substitute. (Based upon the standard Jewish New Moon service using suggestions for the service by Mike Clayton)