The Amidah, Version 2

THEAMIDAH (The Amidah is recited in silent devotion while standing, facing east.) Open up my lips O Lord that I may sing your praise. Blessed are we, and blessed is the chain of our generations, and blessed is the Compassion, the Justice and Power that we are. This is the Power that filled our parents, the Power that filled Abraham, the Power that filled Sarah, the Power that has filled all who have ever heard truth-profound, abundant, awesome, sublime, surrounding and filling all dimensions and worlds. Power of courage and strength and drive, Power of love and gentleness and joy, Power of discernment and guidance and faith, the Power that is all deeds of love, gradually involving the universal whole, inspiring us through kindness from kind teachers and friends, rousing us to awake the messiah within, to realize on earth the loving Presence of the One. May our lives be renewed as we touch the Source of all life. Blessed be the Compassion within us, the Power of holiness. And since this is so, let me, let each of us, let all creatures sense the awesome power of the divine at their core, whole heartedly surrendering to the unity of the Whole, joining into a single community to complete the Grand Design. We know, we have always known that God, the Eternal embraces all creation. Let us devote ourselves to the work; let us allow this unity to flow through all time and space. And since this is so, let Israel, our people, let all people, glory in God; let those who are filled with awe sing for joy! Let those who seek God find their hope, bringing joy to the earth, and gladness to all cities, giving birth to the Messiah, kindling the light of David soon in our days. And since this is so, the holy will see and be glad, the righteous will rejoice, the godly celebrate in song, when we sweep from the earth the dominion of arrogance, and all evil dissolves and vanishes like smoke. Blessed is the Compassion within us, giving courage to those who are open to the truth. We see the divine wherever we turn, sustaining the living with kindness, compassionately filling dead matter with life, stirring us to lift the fallen, heal the sick, free the bound, and teach faith and trust. Blessed be the Compassion within us, Then the One will reign alone, within, amongst, beneath, beyond all peoples and faiths. Every heart will be God's temple, every hill and valley will be Zion, every place where humans dwell will be Jerusalem, the holy city. As it teaches in the holy writ, "The Everpresent will hold sway everywhere, The Power of all your Powers, 0 Zion, God is holy, God's essence, holy; and all creatures filled with this holiness day after day proclaim the One. to know its creator, so everything that breathes will proclaim: Yod Hay Vav Hay, the energy of Israel, this is the center embracing the Whole. is from age to age, Halleluyah!" How holy--the One! How awesome-- the Name! No power is really separate! As it teaches, "the Source of this teeming universe becomes lifted through justice; our Holy Energy becomes more holy through our lovingkindness." Our power and power of our parents, let us make our lives holy through deeds of justice, love and joy. Let us find our own ways of Torah. Let us enjoy God's world & rejoice in freedom. The place of this new beginning is here in our souls. Can we bring this vision forth? Can we make it real in the world? Our pasts say no, but our hearts say yes. It is not impossible. It can be done! We have tasted the vision. We are one with the Power of goodness Let us work and struggle to give it birth. [On Sabbath: May we always taste the love of Shabbos, resting and revealing the holy Essence in our souls.] May we purify our heart to serve the One in awareness and truth, for God is Total Awareness, and God's word is eternal truth. Blessed be the Compassion within us making Israel & all peoples & faiths holy, and making holy [the Shabbos,] the day of re-minding, and all times. Our people has been chosen; all peoples have been chosen; you and I have been chosen. We have felt God's love in every spark of love. We have sensed God's holiness in our moments of joy, in our deeds of justice and love, (this Shabbos day,) this time for gathering in holiness to remember the going forth from Egypt. On this, our festive day of ( may the grace of God ascend within us, open our ears, open our hearts and minds, to the flame of our ancestors, to the flame of the Messiah, to our people Israel, to all humankind. We open to the cleansing energy within us, the Power of purification present in every age: Let it clear out the debris; let it wash away our mistakes and our suffering, so we may truly see, as it teaches, "I, only I, Self of your self, erase your lack of faith in your Self, and I do this to make known my reality through you. Your mistakes I will not recall. Indeed, I have swept away your mistakes like clouds blown away, like mist that vanishes. Turn to me-- I have already freed you!" For you have been promised: "On this day a-mending will be made for you, to cleanse you from all your mistakes. Before the Infinite you shall be clear." May the joy of this day thread its way into our day-to-day lives, and bring us and those we meet goodness and blessing, life and peace. Let this energy that is ours, the energy that has flowed through all our ancestors, and through all godly peoples and faiths; let this energy rise up within us. Let us flood the world with God's glory, that every creature comes Our Power and Power of our parents, Let us make our lives holy through deeds of justice, love and joy. Let us make our part in the Torah. Let us enjoy God's world and rejoice in freedom. [On Sabbath: May we always taste the love of Shabbos resting and revealing the holy Essence in our souls.) and find the help we need. We will continually offer praise for our lives which rest in God's embrace, for our souls which are in its keeping, for the surprises we meet every day, for the wonder and goodness of each moment, evening, morning, and afternoon. Let us purify our hearts to serve the One in awareness and truth, for God is the Source of all forgiveness and release. The good God is unending compassion. Let us be peacemakers, All life will bless the One, to bless Israel and all peoples as one will praise this glory in truth, with the light of the divine. the Power that gives us victory and help. and through this light may we spread the Torah of life. Blessed is the Compassion within us; the love of kindness and justice, Its name is goodness; of blessing and tenderness, It is fitting to offer praise. of life and peace. Blessed is the Compassion within us, and blessed are we, one with the Core of all being, releasing all suffering, forgiving all wrongdoing, removing our guilt, year in, year out, embracing the world in liberation, making Israel and all peoples holy, and making holy [the Shabbos and] the day of At-one-ment. Conclusion May our prayers, the prayers of Israel and all peoples, find their way to the holy of holies within our hearts, so the loving presence will return, through our love, to Zion and to the world. We offer our lives to the service of God. We open to peace, blessing, grace, love, tenderness, May we find peace, Shalom, peace. Blessed is the Compassion within us, because we have always been able to reach out Blessed be the Source within us, making peace. i"l':li"il':l:lOi1,,zi 'i1~i1 Oseh shalom bim'romav ,; ?111v'al kol Yisrael, v'imru, amen. May the One who creates harmony in the cosmos above also create peace within and amongst us, for all Israel and for all who dwell on the earth. And let us say, amen.