Our Sabbath Table: How It All Started (and How You Can Start Too)

About seven years ago, our family stumbled into something that would quietly but deeply reshape our lives: Friday night Sabbath dinner. It started with a simple script we found online, something ancient and sacred that somehow felt brand new. Over time, we made it our own. Some Fridays are elaborate: candlelit, home-cooked, full of laughter and prayer. Others are chaotic and rushed, with kids bouncing off the walls and leftovers on the table. We’ve even celebrated Sabbath in gas stations...once with a honey bun, two lighters, and a mini bottle of wine. And yet, every single week, no matter where we are or what we’re doing, we pause.

We pause to rest, to remember, and to invite God in.

We light two candles. We bless the bread and the cup. We speak words of peace over our children and over each other. Sometimes it’s messy, sometimes it’s holy. Most times, it’s both. But we’ve never looked back, and we don’t think we’ve missed a Sabbath since we began.

The biblical feasts came next. These were harder to figure out: foreign, misunderstood, and at times overwhelming. But we tried. We still try. And with every step of intentionality, we’ve found more peace, more meaning, and more joy in our walk with God.

So if you’ve ever felt the tug to slow down, to reconnect with something ancient and sacred: to invite rhythm back into your week and soul...this is your invitation.

Below, you’ll find the Sabbath script we use (loosely, with grace), along with an overview of the biblical feast days. Don’t worry about doing it perfectly. Just start. Light a candle. Say a prayer. Break some bread. Let the rest unfold in its time.

Sabbath & Biblical Feasts Guide

A Simple Way to Follow the Rhythms of Yeshua

Welcome

When all are seated and ready, say: "This meal marks the beginning of a time of rest as a family together. A time to stop, rest, and reconnect with God and each other. We pause from the busyness of life and set this time apart, just like God did after the work of creation.

We also celebrate freedom, the kind God gave the Israelites when He brought them out of slavery in Egypt, and the kind Jesus gives us today."

Light

Say aloud while lighting 2 candles: "I light these two Sabbath candles to remind us of the rest and freedom God gives us. As I light them, I welcome Shalom Bayit: peaceful harmony in our home. We bless you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has given us Jesus, the light of the world. Thank You that whoever follows You will never walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

(Waft the light toward yourself three times to welcome more of Jesus' light into your life. Then waft it outward three times, symbolizing spreading that light to everyone at the table and beyond.)

Say or sing this blessing together:

We bless you, Lord our God, King of the universe (x2),

Who has given us Jesus, light of the world.

We bless You, Lord our God, King of the universe. Hey!

Traditional Sabbath greeting:

Shabbat Shalom!

Water

Say aloud: "The Bible tells us that only those with clean hands and pure hearts can stand in God's holy place. We wash our hands with water and ask Jesus to make our hearts clean."

(Each person takes a turn washing their hands in a bowl or passing it on. We often use a few tiny condiment bowls.)

Say aloud together: "I wash my hands to the Messiah, the hope of glory, to serve Him only."

Bread

Say aloud: "These two loaves represent the double portion of manna the Israelites collected in the desert. It is a symbol of the work of the worker. As we break this bread, we remember Jesus and His body which was broken. We bless You, Lord our God, King of the universe who gives us bread from the earth."

(Break one loaf and pass pieces around for everyone to eat.)

Wine (or juice, or water, or milk, etc.)

Say aloud: "Wine and juice are symbols of joy and celebration. We drink this wine and juice to celebrate all the good things we have in life and to remember Jesus. We bless You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who gives us the fruit of the vine."

(We do a fun cheers, and all take sips of our drinks.)

Blessings

Read aloud this poem from Psalm 127:

If God doesn’t build the house, the builders only build shacks.

If God doesn’t guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap.

It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late,

and work your worried fingers to the bone.

Don’t you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?

Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift?

The fruit of the womb his generous legacy?

Like a warrior’s fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth.

Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children!

Your enemies don’t stand a chance against you;

you’ll sweep them right off your doorstep.

Final Blessing (our young children have memorized it and do this one).

Say or sing this blessing:

God bless you and keep you;

God smile on you and gift you,

God look you full in the face and make you prosper.

Thank You, God, for this food. We ask that Shalom, Your peace-filled completeness, will fill our hearts and our lives.

Final words (spoken with joy/everybody): "Shabbat Shalom!"

The Biblical Feasts

God’s appointed times: fulfilled in Jesus, still full of life today.

Passover (Pesach)

When: Spring

Meaning: Freedom from Egypt and from sin.

How to Celebrate: Share a Passover meal (Seder). Read Exodus. Remember Yeshua, our Passover Lamb.

Unleavened Bread

When: 7 days after Passover

Meaning: Walking in purity, leaving behind sin.

How to Celebrate: Remove leaven from your home. Eat unleavened bread (matzah). Reflect on living holy.

First Fruits

When: The first Sunday after Passover

Meaning: New life and Yeshua’s resurrection.

How to Celebrate: Give thanks for what’s first and best. Celebrate Jesus as the firstfruits of resurrection.

Shavuot (Pentecost)

When: 50 days after First Fruits

Meaning: Receiving the Torah and the Holy Spirit.

How to Celebrate: Read Exodus 20 and Acts 2. Celebrate truth and Spirit together.

Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah)

When: Fall (first day of the 7th month)

Meaning: A wake-up call. Time to reflect and return.

How to Celebrate: Blow the shofar. Pray. Examine your heart.

Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

When: 10 days after Trumpets

Meaning: A solemn day of prayer, repentance, and humility.

How to Celebrate: Fast. Pray. Confess. Be still before God.

Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)

When: 5 days after Atonement

Meaning: God’s provision and presence. Joy in the wilderness.

How to Celebrate: Build a sukkah (tent/booth). Eat outside. Rejoice and dwell in God’s nearness.

Hanukkah (Feast of Dedication)

When: Winter (around December)

Meaning: Light in darkness. Dedication and faithfulness.

How to Celebrate: Light candles for 8 nights. Tell the story. Celebrate God’s miracles and light.

Purim

When: Spring (based on Esther’s story)

Meaning: Victory over evil. God’s hidden protection.

How to Celebrate: Read Esther. Rejoice. Share food and gifts.

*Interested in how we practice out our faith? Click here.