Appendix I: A Liturgy for Yom Ha
Shoah
The liturgy covers all aspects
from instigation and promulgation through to collaboration and indifference to
Jewish suffering. A plea for strength and courage to face the problems of
Christian antisemitism and the bloodstained history of Jewish-Christian
relationships is included. The liturgy concludes with a prayer for
reconciliation. Throughout there is the theme of the continuity of Judaism and
Christianity. Although designed initially for Yom Ha Shoah it can be used at
any time.
Preparation A Table should be set with two plain
candles. A bowl of water may be included for symbolic handwashing.
Leader Blessed art Thou O Lord our God, King of the
Universe who has brought us to this time. We light a candle of Remembrance for
all those who died as victims of hatred without cause. Let us take a moment to
remember them.
One or two minutes with a quiet
musical background - preferably a Jewish lament.
Leader We are gathered together on this night in memory
of those who died in the Final Solution of the Jewish Problem under the tyranny
of Nazi Germany. At the same time we remember all those Jewish people, men,
women and children who suffered and died at the hands of Christians as a result
of hatred without cause. We pray that the Holy One of Israel in His infinite
mercy will grant us a place of intercession for the Church, that the hatred
without cause will end, that there will be reconciliation between Jew and
Gentile and that the Church will abandon replacement theology and relate in a
biblical manner to the State of Israel.
Let us a take a moment to come
before the Lord and confess our personal sins, that we might enter the Holy
Place with clean hands and a pure heart. Are we in right relationship with God,
our spouses, our children, each other and the Church we belong to? (At this
stage a washing of hands may be appropriate as an expression of clean hands and
a pure heart).
To express our solidarity with the
Jewish people we will sing the Shema:
Shema
Israel Adoni Eloheynu Adoni echad
Baruch Shem kavod malchuto le
olam Va-ed
Leader Why is this night not like other nights?
Congregation Because this night we confess the sin of
the Church against the Jewish people, we remember their sufferings and declare
our intent that the Holocaust and its surrogates past and present will not
happen again.
Congregation We confess the sin of antisemitism in the
Church from its early days. We refute all antisemitic teaching, all anti-Jewish
sentiments, the misreading of scripture, removing Jesus from his Jewishness and
replacement theology. We confess that Christ loved the Church and gave His life
for those who would be part of it, both Jew and Gentile. We have failed to make
Israel jealous and in our history many times the cross of reconciliation has
become a sword of destruction. Lord have mercy upon us according to your
unfailing love. Amen.
Leader Let us confess our position concerning the
Jewish people.
Congregation We proclaim that they have not been
rejected, that they have not fallen beyond recovery. (Rom 11:1,11) Theirs
remain the adoption as sons, theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the
receiving of the law, the Temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the
Patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God
over all, forever praised. Amen.
Leader Praise the Lord.
Congregation The Lord's Great Name be praised forever
and to eternity. May the high praises of God be in our hearts and our mouths
and may both we and the house of Israel exalt His name together.
Leader Magnified and sanctified be His great name in
the world that He has created. According to His will may He establish His
kingdom during our life and our days and during the life and the days of the
house of Israel. May there be shalom upon both upon us and upon the House of
Israel.
Congregation May there be abundant peace from heaven
and well springs of life. May He who makes peace on the high places make unto
us shalom and shalom to the House of Israel. Amen.
Worship - A song of peace
Leader We appeal to you, O Lord Most High, to restore
the testimony of the Church to the Jewish people.
Congregation O good and merciful Father, what can we
say, what can we speak, before your face of righteousness and justice. Our
needs are many and our wisdom is slender, but our hope is in you. Restore, O
Lord, the honour of your Name and that of your son Yeshua the Messiah of Israel
in the testimony of your Church. Shame covers us as often as the remembrance of
the teaching of Yeshua and your unending love confronts us. No longer let the
Name of Yeshua bring reproach, but let it be received with joy by your people.
Amen.
Leader We acknowledge before your throne of mercy, O
Lord, the sin of indifference and ambivalence.
Congregation Forbid it Lord, that, as in times past and
particularly in the Shoah, we should stand idly by crowned with indifference as
your people suffer. Give us a courageous spirit to stand up against all
injustice and antisemitic positions. Forgive all silence where there should
have been speech, forgive us for abandoning your children to the flames.
Leader May your loving-kindness and mercy not depart
from us. Create in us a heart of love for your people and deliver us from all
future reproach.
Congregation Blessed is the man that walks not in the
council of the wicked nor stands in the ways of sinners or sits in the seat of
scoffers. Let our delight be in you, O Lord, and your word.
Leader May your loving-kindness and mercy not depart
from us. Create in us a heart of love for your people and deliver us from all
future reproach.
Congregation Blessed is the man that walks not in the
council of the wicked nor stands in the ways of sinners or sits in the seat of
scoffers. Let our delight be in you, O Lord, and your word.
Leader We give thanks that your word is a lamp to our
feet and a light unto our path and we walk in darkness at our peril. Lord, let
us be good and faithful hearers and teachers of your word.
Congregation Lord we acknowledge that your word is our
fence and our safety. Let us walk in the light of your word and live our lives
accordingly. We believe that as faithful students of your word we will be
equipped to deal with antisemitism in the Church and the world at large.
Worship - A song of reconciliation
Leader We now turn to specifics and we will respond by
repudiating and renouncing the causes of antisemitism and recognising the
activities of sin. In as much as it depends upon us we will ensure that such
things never happen again.
Leader For the antisemitism of the apologists and early
Church fathers, the demonisation of the Jews and the charge of deicide.
Congregation We repudiate and renounce this teaching in
Jesus' Name.
Leader As for the teaching of contempt.
Congregation We renounce all blood libels, charges of
profaning the host, and conspiracy theories in Jesus' Name.
Leader As for the demonisation of the Jews.
Congregation We renounce and acknowledge as sin the
demonisation of Jewish people. We renounce all negative stereotypes in Jesus'
Name. We confess that the Jewish people remain your beloved.
Leader As for the Crusades.
Congregation We acknowledge that the Crusades brought a
dark stain to the history of the Church when the cross was turned into a sword.
We renounce the Crusaders' activities as an expression of Christ and His
Kingdom. As for all movements that persecuted and destroyed your people in the
name of Jesus and His Church we acknowledge these as sin.
Leader As for the Office of the Inquisition.
Congregation We acknowledge the persecution of Jews and
conversos as sin and renounce the practices of this office and its inheritance
in Jesus' Name.
Leader As for the antisemitism of the Reformation.
Congregation We renounce and repudiate the antisemitism
of the Reformation and its ongoing effects.
Leader As for the failure of the Church to respond to
National Socialism and its international surrogates and for its collaboration
in some areas.
Congregation We renounce cowardice and failure to
respond to such challenges in Jesus' Name.
Leader As for replacement theology.
Congregation We renounce and repudiate replacement
theology as contrary teaching to your word and your purposes. We confess that
the Jewish people are not redundant, cast aside, forgotten, or without hope or
purpose. We believe that they have a hope and a future.
Leader We recall the words that remembrance leads to
deliverance whilst forgetfulness leads to destruction.
Congregation We proclaim before heaven that is your
throne and earth that is your footstool that as much as it depends upon us we
will combat antisemitism in all its forms. We will remember those who have died
because of hatred without cause. We pray that, by our endeavours, their flame
may not be extinguished, their names that were consigned to ashes and dust will
be remembered and be a blessing for the future and their deaths might not be
meaningless.
Leader As we have approached your throne of grace and
mercy we boldly request, O Lord our Father, that you will use us to correct the
antisemitic ills of the past and use us as instruments of your grace and mercy
from this time forth.
Worship - A song of strengthening
Conclusion
Leader We have gathered together today in the presence
of Almighty God to state our purpose and intent to depart from the antisemitic
inheritance of the Church. It is an awesome thing to be in the presence of the
living God. We will now light a candle of Hope from the candle of Remembrance
and ask that the symbol of the two candles will remind us of the transaction
that has taken place here today.
Aaronic
Blessing
(May be antiphonal, Hebrew read
by Leader and English by Congregation)
Y'varekh'kha Adonai v'yishmerekha
[May the Lord
bless you and keep you]
Ya'er
Adonai panav aleikha vichunekka
[The Lord make His face shine upon
you and show you His favour]
Yissa
Adonai panav eleikha v'yasem l'kha shalom
[May the Lord lift up His
face toward you and give you peace]
The Lord's shalom be upon you,
your house, those you love and upon the House of Israel. Amen.
