Let Us Be Awe-Struck

The Jewish New Year
commemorates the creation of the world,
the bringing forth of order where once there was only chaos,
the birth of the building blocks of life.

Man in silhouette playing a shofar during sunset on Lake Erie

As Jews within and beyond these walls
begin to celebrate Rosh Hashanah tonight,
let us all celebrate,
let us marvel,
let us be awe-struck...
For the same force that brought our planet into being,
the same force that evolved
tiny atoms and molecules and DNA into intelligent life,
the same power that transforms summer into autumn and autumn into winter—
that same power
is still at work in the universe
and in us,
always bringing about new seasons,
new creations, new possibilities.

Breath of Life,
breathe in us, with us, and through us
this day
as we gather—
one in community,
one in commitment to truth, love, and justice.
Open our minds and hearts
to the new that's always being created.
Come, my friends,
let us celebrate,
let us marvel,
let us be filled with awe.
Come, let us worship together.