Shofars in Christian Contexts

[DeanZF]

Why do you sometimes blow the shofar while covering yourself up in that prayer shawl?



Great question! Part of the ministry that Helena and I have been given is to remind the church of her Jewish roots. No, we are not Jewish, nor are we judaizers, trying to convert Christians to Judaism or to convince them that they must observe Talmudic interpretations of "the Law". As I’ve shared many times, our goal is not to convert anyone to Judaism or to a Messianic expression of his or her faith in Jesus Christ, but it is, however, important to me (and I believe to God Himself) that we Christians understand that everything that we do and everything that we believe as people of faith has its root in Judaism. So much of what Father instructs in what we call the Old Testament is not aimed at the Jews alone. Much of it is specifically pointed at Abraham’s descendents. Since we are called the "seed of Abraham", and since Paul makes it clear that both Jews and Gentiles who believe in Jesus are grafted into the same root system, the same life giving “sap” flows through both sets of veins!



Why do I cover myself? The wearing of the tallit or prayer shawl is a long tradition for shofarists. The shawl is really a Jewish man’s prayer closet! By wearing the prayer shawl, the shofarist’s hope and trust is that you will hear God’s calling and not see man’s playing. And as we have prayed in weeks past, we are praying for others to hear and to heed God’s calling. It is a prophetic act, one done in faith, that even without physically hearing the horn’s blast, they will hear it in their spirit and respond.



Please, pray with me: “Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has commanded us to hear the shofar’s blast.”