Greetings to you in the beautiful, wonderful, and powerful name of Jesus Christ – THE Risen Savior! What a lovely early Autumn morning in the Kingdom! What a privilege to declare that “this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!” I trust that you had a good weekend and Monday with reason to say “thank You” to God for the blessings that came your way. Today I will be praying for you, asking Father to surround you with evidences of His: grace, mercy, hope, and peace…may He be your El Shaddai – the One who is more than enough…may you sense the touch of His presence.
This morning as I look at my wall calendar, I notice five simple words…”Yom Kippur Begins at Sundown”…and those words point to a powerful and transformative time of remembrance. Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, is one of most important days in the Jewish life of faith, taking place ten days after the Jewish New Year’s Day. Yom Kippur is the culmination of the Days of Awe, when God’s presence hovers closely to Jewish people as they spend time do some soul searching, reflecting on their faith journey, their relationships, their actions and reactions. During the twenty four hours of Yom Kippur they will take opportunity to repent, seek forgiveness, and surrender to God’s directions for the year ahead…and they will wait until next Yom Kippur to repeat this process.
This for me, as a follower of Jesus Christ, is a time to understand the depth of Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection – and to give thanks. I give thanks that God’s forgiveness is available as I need it, as I am aware of my sins, as I do my daily soul-searching. I give thanks that God’s directions are available and given on a moment to moment basis as I follow Him. I give thanks that I am not tied to performing in a way to meet the requirements of the past. Now don’t get me wrong, I appreciate and respect the traditions of Yom Kippur…and I see the power and value. May we all take the time today to seek God – to do some soul-searching, and to confess any sin to the One who is faithful and just to for give us and to cleanse us from anything that is not right. May we take time to listen for that still small voice that say this is the right way to go – walk in it with confidence.
Just a little something to ponder…blessings