Happy Sunday, friends! If you are not aware, the fall high holy days are now upon Israel and our Jewish friends. Rosh Hashanah (“head of the year”) kicked off the new civil year on the Hebrew calendar at sundown yesterday. Biblically, we know it as the Feast of Trumpets. Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) will commence in about a week, followed by the week-long Feast of Tabernacles in late-September. (Jewish feasts and holidays follow the lunar-based Hebrew calendar, so are not the exact same day every year on our Gregorian calendar.)

For observant Jews around the world, this week is one of soul-searching and preparation for repentance on the Day of Atonement. In Jewish tradition, that is the day in which sins are atoned. In ancient days when the Temple stood on Temple Mount, all Israel would journey up to Jerusalem every year to make an animal sacrifice, meant to cover their sins until time to do it again the following year. Fellow believers, Jesus Christ came as the perfect sacrifice to pay the debt for our sins once and for all! (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 7:27, Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 10:10)

Today as we worship the King of Kings, may it remind us to pray for Jews and Gentiles everywhere who don’t know Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. May there be a great harvest of new believers throughout the world this Jewish high holiday season.

Let’s worship the One who is that Savior and King, Jesus Christ!

BTW – we are studying the fall feasts through the eyes of the prophet, Zechariah. Yesterday’s introduction kicked off an intermittent study over the next few weeks as Israel celebrates her feasts. Keep an eye out right here for those studies a couple days a week!