Day of Return

September 27, 2020

Erev Yom Kippur - Kol Nidre

Fr. Philip Eberhart 

The Day of Atonement & The People of God

This morning,  our time,  coincides with the sundown beginning of the holiest day in the entire Hebrew Calendar... Yom Kippur... The Day of Atonement. 

Once a year the High Priest would enter into the Most Holy Place with the blood of a spotless lamb to offer sacrifice for the sins of the nation and obtain another year of the Lord's favor for Israel. 

The portrayal on our wall over here is the presentation of Christ's own blood on the heavenly altar after his resurrection,  before the throne of God the Father,  to make atonement for the sins of all humanity and give us a way back to God.  [See attached file]

The Day of Atonement in Jerusalem was the holiest,  the highest point of the yearly feasts of the Lord,  the appointed times for God's people to come to meet with God, there receiving His forgiveness and favour for the year ahead. 

Yesterday was the holiest Sabbath of the year,  the Sabbath of Return,  Shabbat Tshuvah.  I hope that some caught parts of the live broadcast of The Return from Washington DC.  We were here, several of us from Rez and others from other congregations,  watching the whole 12 hour day!  I've included the link here for you to view it. 

https://youtu.be/Dw3QbqvXqVc

Let me just read a couple passages that are relevant here. 

Hosea 6

Prayer of Teshuvah

6 Come, let us return to Adonai.
For He has torn, but He will heal us.
He has smitten, but He will bind us up.
2 After two days He will revive us.
On the third day He will raise us up,
and we will live in His presence.[a]
3 So let us know, let us strive to know Adonai.
Like dawn His going forth is certain.
He will come to us like the rain,
    like the latter rain watering the earth.

Covenant Loyalty More Than Sacrifice

4 “O Ephraim, what shall I do for you?
O Judah, what will I do for you?
For your loyalty is like a morning cloud
    or like dew rising early, vanishing.

Joel

Call for Teshuvah

12 “Yet even now”
—it is a declaration of Adonai—
“turn to Me with all your heart,
with fasting, weeping and lamenting.”
13 Rend your heart, not your garments,
and turn to Adonai, your God.
For He is gracious and compassionate,
    slow to anger, abundant in mercy,
    and relenting about the calamity due.
14 Who knows? He may turn and relent,
and may leave a blessing behind Him
—so there may be a grain offering
and a drink offering for Adonai, your God.

Blow the Shofar

15 Blow the shofar in Zion!
Sanctify a fast;
proclaim an assembly.
16 Gather the people;
sanctify the congregation;
assemble the elders;
gather the children,
    even those nursing at breasts.
Let the bridegroom come out from his bedroom
and the bride from her chamber.
17 Between the porch and the altar
let the kohanim, ministers of Adonai,
    weep, and let them say:
    “Have pity, Adonai, on Your people.
    Don’t make Your heritage a scorn,
        a byword among the nations.
Why should the peoples say,
    ‘Where is their God?’”[g]

Today is the day of Return.   For the past 6 weeks our prayers have been from the litany of Ash Wednesday,  the Litany of Penitence!   Mother BARB will lead us again today in the litany one last time.  Our appointed scriptures this morning are equally important,  Ezekiel,  Psalm 25, Philippians 2 and Matthew,  asking the questions of obedience and humility of us.   Jesus gives us the ultimate example of both in his self-emptying before God His Father and his obedience to the death of The Cross on our behalf.   We're simply asked to "let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus! "

Can we do that?  Can we come to God empty of self,  empty of strife and ready to be filled?   Have you had enough of what you can do? 

Have you finally reached the end of your rope?  Of your ability to manipulate... to figure it out?  I heard someone say yesterday that God spoke loudly,  "Cease striving!"

Do we even know how to BE STILL AND KNOW THAT GOD IS GOD?  NOT US! 

God hasn't abdicated His Throne and left us in charge!   We need to shut up and kneel down.   Every knee will bow and every tongue confess!  Maybe we should be the first in that line!  Let's camp out there to get in line early! 

Let's let our knees bow and our tongues confess... today.   Shabbat Tshuvah,  the sabbath of return! 

Join us in earnest this morning as we stand to confess our faith and kneel to confess our sins before the Almighty God!  Listen to one last invitation before we pray...

Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
Adonai is the eternal God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not grow tired or weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives strength to the weary,
and to one without vigor He adds might.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall,
31 but they who wait for Adonai
    will renew their strength.
They will soar up with wings as eagles.
They will run, and not grow weary.
They will walk, and not be faint.

Let us bow before the Lord our Maker. 

Most Holy God...

We humble ourselves before your presence this morning.  We bow our knees,  we bow our hearts before You.  Our souls in silence wait.  We're still before You,  in order to know that You are God...

[Quiet time] 

Confession of Faith in the Nicene Creed

The Litany of penitence

Prayers for one another (break outs) 

Confession of Sin and Absolution

The Peace

Fr Phil - "Unless You Forgive..."

15th Sunday of Pentecost

Sept 13, 2020

Fr Phil Eberhart 

Unless You Forgive...

What was the most significant thing Jesus said?   Lots of choices, aren't there! 

Let me rephrase that.   What was the most significant thing that Jesus said... from the cross?   All the 7 have meaning to be sure,  but one thing Jesus said set the course for the river of blood that he shed for us that day. 

"Father,  forgive them for they know not what they do! "

All through our readings this morning we're given the keys to the Kingdom!   Nothing 'unlocks' and releases the presence and power of the Kingdom of God on this planet like the power of FORGIVENESS! 

Jesus himself warns us over and over again of the danger of unforgiveness!  Of holding onto a hurt or offense from another person;

Of even allowing another person to hold onto something against you! 

You must take the responsibility and the initiative to forgive or to seek forgiveness and reconciliation from another.   

There is little in life that affords the power of forgiving another or of being forgiven.  It is rooted in the "fear of the Lord " and it grants us that deep,  deep wisdom that comes from obedience to this single command. 

But forgiving is hard!   It's not part of our human nature!  Indeed! 

It comes from the equipment of the Holy Spirit,  His fruit-filled Presence empowers us to live in obedience to this command,  almost as a first-fruit and prelude to the rest of the life and love and power of the Spirit- filled life! 

We wonder at the difficulties that we often have in accessing the Grace of God in our life,  but when we look down at our hands we are bound by and holding on to the chains of unforgiveness as our very own right! 

That,  my friends,  is a RIGHT we must relinquish.  We must give it away to Jesus!   In order to access the flow of Christ's own forgiveness from the Cross,  we must choose the pathway of total forgiveness, and give our "rights" to Jesus! 

That was the mistake of the servant,  the 'unjust' servant,  in our parable from the Gospel this morning. Having been forgiven a debt of  "billions" he then turns on another servant who owes him a "hundred" and throws him in prison for non payment! 

Jesus ends the parable with yet another stern warning...

That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sistersfn from your heart.”

Jesus is not kidding... not beating around the bush here.   

Forgiveness is the key to the locks on our lives and the life of our churches and of The Church,  

Big "C".

The number one reason that people leave a church or leave The Church in our culture is offense.  Someone, usually,  said or did something to offend or hurt them and now they're unwilling to go back, unable to let go of hurts and trapped in a prison of their own making.   We play a "blame game" to shift the responsibility for our captivity,  but the truth is that God is serious about this stuff. 

Oh... and by the way... God gives us grace to forgive!   God's will for this is so strong that He gets directly involved,  and hands you the power to forgive at the very moment of the offense or injury!  And that Grace always remains, until you take hold of it and enact the forgiveness! 

But I warn you about trying to pick up another's offense!   Have you ever been offended FOR someone else?  It happens when something or someone offends someone we love! We "pick up" their offense.   You know the danger there?   NO GRACE!  God does not give His Grace for you to take up another's offense! 

That's part of the problem with all the crusading that's going on today in our culture.  Offense is rampant in every quarter,  but little of it is our offense.  We are offended for another or for a group or even a race.   There's no Grace available for this and so we go on, as Paul warns us,  "biting and devouring one another,  and thus destroying one another! "

The emphasis in the Word is on our personal response to offense and on the requirement of God, based on His forgiveness of us and His supply of Grace in the moment of offense,  for US to be forgiving towards others.  Immediately!  Instantly!  No holding onto offenses,  period!  Let them go... now.  As quickly as they come,  and come they will,  from every quarter,  if we're looking for them,  we must appropriate God's Amazing Grace to forgive.  We must enter the flow of the blood of Jesus from his hands, head and side on the cross as he said,  Father forgive them! 

Let's pray, if you'll bow with me...

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that every one might come within the reach of your saving embrace. Your blood flowed to effect our forgiveness and to enable our forgiveness of others.  So clothe us with your Spirit, that we may reach forth our hands of forgiveness to those who hurt us,  and thus be freed to love and serve them, bringing them to know and love You for the honor and glory of Your Name.  Amen.