As reported by WROC, faithful people across the country came together in spirit yesterday for the National Day of Prayer.

In Rochester, hundreds of people gathered on the steps of City Hall to commemorate the day, including pastors and representatives from local churches and groups like His Branches, City and County government, the Fire and Police Departments, and The Finney School. Many more filled churches in the surrounding area.

For many, it was a day to pray for the future of their city and country. Bishop David Singleton told us Rochester’s event attracts more than just locals.

“In fact, we have some folk from Texas, from Florida, from New York City and Niagara Falls,” he said. “They’ve come from different places to join in this time of prayer because they recognize the value of prayer that much, and they want to be a part of it here in Rochester.”

Several other local pastors spoke with grace and conviction at the gathering as well as Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo, Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, and others in leadership.

Prayer was initiated by the sounding of a chorus of shofars. After a time of guided group prayer (click here for a copy of the prayer sheet that was provided) the entire group entered into free form prayer for our community and nation.

The event was closed with the sounding of the shofar again, followed by a time of gospel music in front of City Hall. The National Day of Prayer was originally set aside by President Harry Truman in 1952 during the Korean War.

In the days of Moses

And God spoke all these words, saying,

1. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before1 me.
2. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
3. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
4. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
5. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
6. “You shall not murder.
7. “You shall not commit adultery.
8. “You shall not steal.
9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
    Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were 1afraid and trembled, and they stood far off…

Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”?

And then Jesus rose from the dead

As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have…”

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you…

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.

He is Risen!

or Pesach, will begin this Friday, April 19, as Jewish communities worldwide commemorate the liberation of the Israelites from slavery, in one of the important festivities in the Jewish calendar.

According to the Book of Exodus in the Torah, Moses called for the Pharaoh to free the Israelites, warning that if he failed to do so, Egypt would be struck by terrible plagues – the last one of which would be the death of every Egyptian first-born male.

The Pharaoh refused to do so, despite the onslaught of plagues of frogs, flies, the death of livestock and total darkness. To avoid the killing of all Egyptian first-born males, Moses urged Jews to mark their doors with lamb’s blood to spare the men – after which the Pharaoh relented, allowing the Israelites to flee Egypt. The word “pesach” comes from the Hebrew root Pei-Samekh-Cheit, meaning to pass over or to spare.

When is Passover Celebrated?

Passover begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which typically falls in March or April of the Gregorian calendar. This year, Passover will start at the sunset of Friday April 22 and end on the evening of Saturday April 30.

What is the Seder?

It is traditional for Jewish families to gather on the first night of Passover – the first two nights in communities outside of Israel – for a dinner called a seder, derived from the word for “order” in Hebrew.

During the meal, the story of the exodus from Egypt is retold using a special text called the Haggadah and four cups of wine are drunk at various stages during the narrative. An extra cup is left for the prophet Elijah, who is believed to reappear and announce the coming of the Messiah.

On the table, there are three unleavened breads on top of each other. At the start of the Seder, the middle matzah is broken and the largest piece is hidden for the children to find – whoever finds it receives a small prize.

Did Jesus Celebrate the Seder?

As an observant Hebrew man raised in the full teaching and traditions of his faith, it is recorded that Jesus celebrated all of the Biblical feasts with his family of origin and disciples and lived according to the Word of God as delivered through Moses and the Prophets.

Reading the New Testament scriptures carefully with this in mind it becomes clear that what is referred to now as The Last Supper was, in actuality, a full observance of the traditional Passover Seder, complete with cups of wine, matzah, hand washings, shared meal, etc. In it, Jesus took one of the cups and the middle matzah and put these forward as representations of his body and blood.

Jesus was arrested later that evening, crucified the next day, and placed quickly in a tomb before sunset heralded the start of the Sabbath. That Sabbath was not the usual Friday dusk to Saturday dusk weekly Sabbath, however, but “a special Sabbath” (the first day of Passover). Was Jesus’ celebration coincidental or divinely timed? Click here to go deeper into the mystery.

for music lovers of all ages followed by refreshments and a chance to meet the musicians. This fun program features popular music on the theme of “Rochester Weather” by the Women of Note.

These are some of the best singers in our region and they will be at our very own Arnett Library! We hope to see you and your families there!

Click here or on the image above to download a printable PDF flyer.

will begin this Wednesday, March 20, as Jewish communities worldwide commemorate the historic rescue of the Hebrew people in Persia from destruction during the time of Esther. Although it is not a major holiday, it is one of the most entertaining festivities in the Jewish calendar.

According to the Old Testament account written in the book carrying her name, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia named Esther was taken to the harem of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, where she became his queen. While there she discovered a plot being developed by the king’s chief advisor, Haman, to destroy the entire Hebrew population in Persia. Through a series of providential events Esther was able to expose the plot to the king, which resulted in Haman’s execution and the rescue of the Jews.

These historical events are recalled every year by reading the Book of Esther and celebrating with feasting and drinking, charitable gift-giving, games, costume parties, and eating special triagular fruit-filled cookies called hamentaschen (lit. Haman’s pockets) that are supposed to represent Haman’s three-cornered hat. Click here to read more about this enlightening Biblical holiday.

for music lovers of all ages followed by refreshments and a chance to meet the musicians. This concert features the RPO Salaff String Quartet accompanied by the Eastman Performers.

These are some of the best musicians in the area and they will be at our very own Arnett Library! We hope to see you and your families there!

Click here or on the image above to download a printable PDF flyer.

for music lovers of all ages followed by refreshments and a chance to meet the musicians. This concert features one of the Eastman School of Music’s Community Youth Ensembles.

These are some of the best up-and-coming musicians in the area and they will be at our very own Arnett Library! We hope to see you and your families there!

Click here or on the image above to download a printable PDF flyer.

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day — a day adopted in 2005 by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 60/7. Among other things, it established January 27th as a day for nations to:

Reaffirm that the Holocaust, which resulted in the murder of one third of the Jewish people, along with countless members of other minorities, will forever be a warning to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism, and prejudice.

We pause today to remember and vow to continue working vigilantly on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people worldwide.

The first event will be on January 19, 2017 from 12-1 pm at Arnett Library, kicking off with a tribute to King with guest speaker Monroe County Legislator LaShay Harris, the 19th Ward Youth Choir, poetry by Eric Hines, and spoken word drama by the MIBG group coordinated by Robert Ricks. The program promises to be an inspiring event!

U of R Medical Center

On Monday, January 21 at 11:30am to 12:30pm the 38th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration in Poetry, Dance, and Song will be held at the U of R School of Medicine and Dentistry, Whipple Auditorium (2-6424), 415 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, NY 14642. The event is sponsored by 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and Medical Center administration.Jonathan Jamel Reynolds, pastor of Aenon Baptist Church, will present the keynote address.

19th Ward Community Association

For many years the 19th Ward has celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday in a public, community-building manner and will be doing so again this year. The 14th Annual Luminary Evening begins at 6:00 pm on Monday, January 21 when residents of the 19th Ward will begin setting out luminaries on the sidewalks in front of their homes to celebrate community, friendship and the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream.

The luminaries themselves are small paper bags weighted down with sand or kitty litter and containing a votive candle. Neighbors make a number of luminaries and set them at the sidewalk edge of their tree lawn from sunset until 9 pm, making a beautiful sight. We will have a limited supply of Luminary kits available for pick up January 19 at the MLK celebration at Arnett Library and from the 19th Ward Association office 216 Thurston 1-3 pm the prior week. Click here to see how to make your own Luminaries in a YouTube video by a 19th Ward resident, Moiet.

Some people host warming fires and a hot chocolate stands, called Hot Spots. Open your door in 2019 sign up as a Hot Spot; this is a social gathering serving a hot beverage and maybe cookies to your neighbors and sharing your thoughts on legacy of King. We are looking for more homes willing to be Hot Spots. This simply means that you provide hot chocolate and/or hot cider and/or a bonfire, anything warm, and of course a friendly smile on a cold winter night. Send questions or a commitment to info@luminaryevening.com.

Contact or info@luminaryevening.com. or MLK Committee Chair Zola Brown at 585-210-9370 if you have any questions,  Celebrating MLK Day serves as an opportunity to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s commitment to social activism and the legacy that has inspired us to continue his movement.

for music lovers of all ages followed by refreshments and a chance to meet the musicians. This concert features an Eastman Pathways Concert by the Rochester School Performers.

These are some of the best up-and-coming musicians in the area and they will be at our very own Arnett Library! We hope to see you and your families there!

Click here or on the image above to download a printable PDF flyer.