Warning: If you’re watching with little kids, we will be talking about animal sacrifices. The sections with these discussions will be marked so you can pause/fast forward if you need to.

1. INTRODUCTION

First virtual hangout (POSTPONED): New date: October 13, 2022 @ 8 PM EST

Make sure to engage in the private FB Group: Click Here to access.

Fall Festivals:

September 25-27: Festival of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah

October 4-5: Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement

October 9-16: Sukkot/ Festival of Tabernacles

Why Should We Care? 

A very gross story about why atonement is important.

2. SH’MA

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hebrew: Sh’ma yis’rael adonai eloheinu adonai echad. Baruch shem k’vod malchuto, l’olam va’ed. V’ahavta et adonai elohecha, b’chol l’vavcha, u’vchol nephshecha, u’vchol ma’odecha.

English: Hear Israel, The LORD* (YHWH) our God the LORD (YHWH) is one. Blessed be the name of His glorious Kingdom forever and ever. And love the LORD (YHWH) your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your strength.

*When LORD is spelled with all caps it means that in Hebrew it is referencing the name of God which is YHWH. We believe from sufficient scholarly research the best way to pronounce the name is Yahweh. Many Jews and some Christians have refrained from using the name at all so as to not misuse the name (Exodus 20:7). If you don’t feel comfortable pronouncing the name YHWH, we say Adonai (Lord) to replace it in Hebrew. Many also call YHWH “HaShem” which means “The Name.” 

3. Ritual Washing

Leviticus 16:3-4: “This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on.”

About Ritual Bathing & Baptism

Here’s an article and video I produced that goes deeper into Baptism and the Mikveh.

“A Kingdom of Priests”

Exodus 19:6; Isaiah 61:6; 1 Peter 2:5

2 Corinthians 5:17-20: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

4. CLotHes of HumiLity

Leviticus 16:3-4: “This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on.”

Matthew 20:28: “The son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many!”

Colossians 3:12-17: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

5. The High Priest’s Offering

Leviticus 16:6: “Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household.

Matthew 7:3-5: “Before you can take out the speck of dust from someone else’s life, you must first remove the plank from your own eye.

1 Samuel 15:22-23: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

Psalm 51: 16-17: “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”

1 John 1:8-10: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Song: Psalm 51

VERSE 1
Compassion uncompromising
Favor freely given
What kindness can forgive
The darkness of my sin?

VERSE 2
Your Love like many waters
Wipe my record clean
You’re infinite in goodness
Renew the good in me

CHORUS
Every time I fall
I fall into Your grace
I can see Your strength
Clearer now than ever
You pick me up with love
And rid me of my sin

VERSE 3
Shatter my pride
Break through these walls
Repair my broken life
Restore my weary soul

BRIDGE 1
There’s no limit to your love
You make me new

BRIDGE 2
Restore my soul and lead me home
Fix my eyes on you alone

“Psalm 51”
Breaking The Silence
LC Worship courtesy of Life.Church

Here is the link to the song.

6. The Incense

Leviticus 16:12-13: He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain. He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the tablets of the covenant law, so that he will not die.

Hebrews 10:19-22: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the veil, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings…”

Verses about the veil being torn: Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45; Hebrews 10:19-22

Candle Blessing – ALL: “Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the Universe, who sanctified us in his commandments, and commanded us to be a light to the nations, and who gave to us Jesus our Messiah, Light of the World.”

Let’s pray together: LORD we pray that the lights we now kindle will inspire us to use our lives to heal, and not to harm. To help, and not to hinder. To bless, and not to curse. We ask that You would free us from the selfishness and bitterness that keep us from loving you with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Release us from the pride that keeps us from loving our neighbors as ourselves. As we walk into this world as the light of the world, we ask that you would guide our footsteps, protect us from the enemy, and that we would use your light to share your lovingkindness, with the world! Amen.

WARNING: The next section talks about killing goats for a sacrifice.

7. The Two Goats

Leviticus 16:5; 7-10: “And he shall take the two goats, and set them before YHWH at the door of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for YHWH, and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat upon which the lot fell for YHWH, and offer him for a sin-offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be set alive before YHWH, to make atonement for him, to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness.”

About Yom Kippur

Here’s a great article and podcast from The Bible Project on the Day of Atonement.

What Does The Number 7 Represent?

The number 7 in the Bible often symbolizes completion or perfection. For Yom Kippur, sprinkling the blood 7 times signified that the area and people were completely cleansed and purified. It could also be used to describe exoneration and healing.

Take this time to dip your finger into the communion cup and sprinkle on the little plate 7 times. As you do this, say out loud or in your mind either the sins or just your every day struggles and give them to Jesus. We’ll be back shortly to participate in communion together.

8. COMMUNION 

You will need the elements at this point if you’re wanting to participate. Please know you do not have to participate if you would rather not. Click here to learn more about communion.

Why do we take communion every week? Because it’s a reminder of what Jesus accomplished for us both on the Cross and in the Resurrection: Forgiveness of sins, reconciliation to our Creator, and new life in the resurrection.

Click here to view the different views on communion.

9. THE SCAPEGOAT

Leviticus 16:5; 7-10: “And he shall take the two goats, and set them before YHWH at the door of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for YHWH, and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat upon which the lot fell for YHWH, and offer him for a sin-offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be set alive before YHWH, to make atonement for him, to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness.”

“This was a goatish demon or deity associated with the remote wilderness. The name appears to reflect ‘ez, goat.” -Robert Altar, Commentary on the Hebrew Bible

“The Hebrew Bible does recognize that there are cosmic forces hostile to Yahweh. And we need to remember that this scapegoat was not a sacrifice for the very reason that it had sin attached to it.” -John Hartley, Commentary on Leviticus

“The goat doesn’t die––it’s sent away, carrying Israel’s “garbage,” as the sins of the nation are placed upon it. And it’s sent to a spiritual being only referred to as azazel, not to appease this being, but rather as an insult to it. Israel’s spiritual refuse shows up on azazel’s doorstep.” -The Bible Project, What Is The Day Of Atonement?

Verses On Restoring Eden

Isaiah 51:3, 58:11; Jeremiah 31:12; Ezekiel 36:35; Revelation 22:1-5

“For believers in Yeshua (Jesus), the scapegoat is a picture of the Messiah, who was sent “as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). Like the scapegoat, Yeshua receives our iniquities and transgressions and takes them from us; unlike the scapegoat, his sacrifice is good for all time, rather than needing to be repeated from year to year.” -JewsForJesus, Yom Kippur

10. Jesus As High Priest

Hebrews 4:12-14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are —yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. 

11. What Was The Average Israelite Doing?

• Fasting
• Praying Prayers of Repentance
• Resting

Tzom Kal – “Easy Fast.” The traditional greeting on Yom Kippur.

12. BLESSING

Blessing (Numbers 6:22-27 + Justin’s Addition):

“May the LORD bless you and keep you. May the LORD turn His face toward you and shine upon you and give you grace and peace as you go throughout your week. And may you always remember, no matter how dark it gets, Jesus will always be there when you need him. No matter what. Jesus will always be there by your side.”

Want To Get Involved?

Thank you so much for being a part this week! If you’d like to help us out, here’s what was need: 

1. We’re in need of people who love worshipping and can record worship music. Or have their own music already recorded that they would be willing to let us use in these sessions.

2. We’d love for you to lead some of the sections (For example, you would film yourself using your phone blessing and lighting the candle, or saying the Lord’s prayer. And we’re open to other spiritual practices that help you grow with Jesus).

3. If you know how to edit videos, use WordPress sites, and/or love social media and would like to help out, please reach out!

You can email us at [email protected] or use the form on the website here.

Would you be willing to share your feedback? It’s completely anonymous and will help us make these sessions better in the future. It should only take a minute or two and you can fill it out here.