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.
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
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