The 3 Rs:
Refreshment, Rejoicing, Remembering
The Day of
Atonement
If you have previously read the
general introductory comments in the box below
in another of the articles in this The 3Rs series, use
this link to
jump directly to the beginning of this
Day of Atonement article.
Many people
who accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, whether they refer
to themselves as "Christian" or "Messianic," observe the
biblical Feasts and Holy Days, including the Day of Atonement
[Hebrew: Yom Kippur], as times of worship, fellowship, and celebration. They believe
that these Feasts and Holy Days are shadows pointing to the
reality of Jesus. And they believe that there are valuable
spiritual lessons to be learned week by week and year by year through actually
physically setting aside these times as "appointments with God."
See
The 3 Rs
introductory article for an
overview of the three biblical principles of Refreshment,
Rejoicing, and Remembering as they apply to the observance of
the biblical Feasts and Holy Days.
The
rest of the articles in this series on The 3 Rs
provide specific, practical suggestions for
building those 3 Rs into these observances.
For
a general introduction to the biblical Feasts and Holy Days, see the article
Theme Times. This material on
The 3 Rs builds on concepts
explained in that article. If you are not familiar with the
cycle of these Feasts and Holy Days, you may wish to read
that article first.
See the
article Together Again
for an overview of the biblical foundation of
the observance of the weekly Sabbath, and its
significance for Christians. The material below
assumes a familiarity by the reader with the
information in that article.
Refreshment
The Refreshment section
of each article in this series emphasizes the individual, the
family, and the home. Tips are offered on how to structure the
environment of time and space leading up to and during these
celebrations for maximum contrast to the stressful--but often
humdrum--world of daily life. Special foods and decorations,
developing family customs and traditions, special activities
including guests, and special family-centered fellowship
projects that focus on comforting, encouraging, and edifying one
another may be part of the suggestions.
Preparations
The Day of Atonement is
the only annual Holy Day that is not a "feasting"
day--it is a "fasting" day. So one of the physical
preparations that needs to be considered before the day
arrives is just how you and your family are going to
approach the notion of fasting--going without food and
perhaps even beverages. For details on the concept of
Christians fasting in connection with this day
see the comments below on fasting.
That material discusses the question of whether
children should be required to--or even allowed to--fast
if their parents do so.
For those who are going
to be fasting on this day, which lasts for the twenty
four hours from one sunset to the next, it is important
to understand some of the physiology of fasting before
attempting such an extended fast the first time, and
make proper preparations. Heavy coffee drinkers need to
know that going "cold turkey" off coffee for twenty four
hours can lead to bad headaches. The solution is to cut
back gradually over a period of days leading up to the
Day of Atonement. Most who do this carefully find
that they avoid the headaches.
Another key to avoiding
headaches and other unpleasant symptoms is to drink a
lot of water shortly before the beginning of the fast to
avoid serious dehydration ... and avoid drinking alcohol
and eating salty foods the day before, which can
compound dehydration problems. And try not to overeat,
nor eat lots of spicy foods for your last meal before
the fast. It's one thing to "afflict your soul" through
regular thirst and hunger, but if you get sick you won't
be able to focus on the spiritual emphasis of the day! You'll be
too busy fighting nausea or pain.
At the end of the day,
when you are going back to eating, be sure to thank God
for the blessing of being able to savor good food. But
be sure to not gorge yourself then either. Eating too
much on an empty stomach can also lead to intestinal
distress.
And then there are the
spiritual preparations that should be made for this day.
Many find that the Jewish custom of viewing the ten days
between Trumpets and Atonement--which they refer to as
the Days of Awe--as a special time of introspection is
very helpful. Here is how one Jewish website puts it:
http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday3.htm
One of the ongoing themes of the Days of Awe is the
concept that
G-d has
"books" that he writes our names in, writing down who
will live and who will die, who will have a good life
and who will have a bad life, for the next year. These
books are written in on Rosh Hashanah, but our actions
during the Days of Awe can alter G-d's decree. The
actions that change the decree are "teshuvah, tefilah
and
tzedakah," repentance, prayer, good deeds (usually,
charity). These "books" are sealed on Yom Kippur. This
concept of writing in books is the source of the common
greeting during this time is "May you be inscribed and
sealed for a good year."
Among the customs of this time, it is common to seek
reconciliation with people you may have wronged during
the course of the year. The Talmud maintains that Yom
Kippur atones only for sins between man and G-d. To
atone for sins against another person, you must first
seek reconciliation with that person, righting the
wrongs you committed against them if possible.
Whether one accepts the
validity of the analogy of the "opening of the books"
during this time, the notion of examining one's heart
and actions, repenting before God, and seeking
reconciliation for estranged relationships are all very
biblical principles.
Environment
Many families find that
changing their home environment on the Feasts and Holy
Days adds to the feeling of celebration and refreshment.
For the Day of Atonement this can
include:
- Special lighting
such as candles or a fireplace.
- Special background
mood music that is themed to the observance.
- Special decorations
around one or more rooms.
See some of the
suggestions below for decorations and music for the Day
of Atonement for group settings, and adapt them to home
use. It is particularly important to involve the
children in planning and creating these elements, as
that gives them an "investment" of their own in the
celebration
Family Activities
Groups that keep the
annual Holy Days may have classes for children in which
some of the background of the days is covered. But it is
particularly important for children to have the
one-on-one attention of their parents in discussing the
Day of Atonement. On the physical side of the topic,
families need to discuss how they plan to handle the
issue of fasting as a family. And on the spiritual side,
parents can do the most effective job of explaining the
nature of the topic of "atonement" in terms suited to
the developmental ages of their own children.
In addition to explaining
the "theology" of why we need an atonement, it is
important to discuss the daily living implications of
the human tendency to sin and God's provision for
forgiveness. It might be useful to adapt the approach of
the Jews to the time period leading up to Atonement, one
of introspection regarding one's choices since the Day
of Atonement the previous year, and how one might "do
better" in the coming year.
There needs to be an
emphasis on God's forgiveness as the real source of
reconciliation with Him--not our own attempts at
righteousness. But it is still important to clarify that
the fruit of our love for Him, and of our
gratitude for His mercy and for the salvation made
available through the blood of Jesus, will be the
response of wanting to please Him and follow His ways
more fully.
Devotionals
A ten-day Devotional
themed to the period of the time between the Day of
Trumpets and the Day of Atonement is currently being produced for this Times
of Refreshing website. When completed, you will be
able to download an appropriate devotional worksheet for
each day of the period, to aid and
inspire you in your own family and individual Bible
study and worship time.
If you would like to be notified
by email when this feature is added to the site, write
to the email address at the bottom of this webpage and
ask to be added to the email mailing list.
Rejoicing
The
Rejoicing section of each article in this series
emphasizes the importance of including larger group
worship and fellowship experiences whenever possible in
your observances. It is important for individuals and
families to spend part of their celebration times with
others—as many others as possible—to maximize the impact
of feeling part of something greater than yourself. This
may mean one or two other families, a small
congregation, or a big crowd.
Among
those Christians or Messianics who observe the Day of
Atonement, there
are several distinct styles of observance. Below are
three typical ways that Christian or Messianic
congregations choose to celebrate. See the
Introductory article to this 3 Rs
series for an overview of each of these three types.
Varieties of Contemporary Observances
See the
Introductory article to this 3 Rs
series for an overview of each of the three types of
celebration styles below.
Traditional Jewish Celebrations
Some
groups, particularly among those which label themselves as
Messianic or Hebrew Roots congregations, model their
Day of Atonement (Hebrew: Yom Kippur) observances closely
on the traditional modern Orthodox or Conservative
Jewish customs for this Holy Day. They will, however, often
interpret these customs in ways that emphasize Jesus
(whom they may refer to by a Hebrew version of His name
such as Yashua or Y'shua) and the Gospel
of salvation. It is common for Messianic and Hebrew
Roots groups to adhere to the following patterns of
observance closely:
With no
Temple and no priesthood since the first century,
the Jewish people cannot have the sort of elaborate ceremonies
that were the focal point of the observance of Atonement
in biblical times. Other than extra prayers and extended
liturgy during the main synagogue services of the day, the primary
unique emphasis connected with the Day of Atonement in modern times
is the observance of the "Days of Awe." These
are the ten days from the
Feast of Trumpets to the Day of Atonement. The focus
during this time is on self-examination leading to confession of sin, and
the culmination of this process on the actual Day of
Atonement.
(For a
description and details about the Days of Awe and related Jewish customs,
see Jewish Feast and Holy Day Customs:
Yom Kippur.)
It is
believed that Atonement, or reconciliation, between God
and each believer is only one-half of the equation that
plays out in the Day of Atonement. So during this
ten-day period, an attempt is made to "make amends" for
anything that has caused an estrangement with other
people, and to make reparations to anyone against whom
you may have harmed in some way.
The
biblical command from God regarding the Day of Atonement
in the Torah was that the Israelites needed to "afflict
their souls" on the Day Atonement. Historically this has
been interpreted by both Jewish and Christian
commentators as being a poetic way of expressing "don't
eat or drink anything." However, there are also many
additional prohibitions that have been added throughout
history in Jewish tradition. These include forbidding:
the wearing of leather shoes, bathing, "anointing"
yourself (as part of grooming), and sexual relations.
In modern
synagogues, the Book of Jonah is read on Atonement afternoon, a
story of repentance and forgiveness. Note that before his death,
Jesus said that the story of Jonah's release from the fish
pointed to the only sign that would be given the unbelieving of
the role of Jesus as the Savior -- the one who makes Atonement
with the Father possible.
Several times during the
liturgy of worship on the Day of Atonement at the
synagogue, the Al Chet
"prayer for sin" is recited by all. The
following English translation of this prayer is provided
on a Messianic Jewish website:
http://www.kehilatariel.org/al_chet.html
Some
traditional Jewish communities confess the
following sins out of the prayer book,
1) committing
sin under duress or unwillingly; 2) committing
sin by hard heartedness; 3) committing sin
inadvertently; 4) saying something with an
utterance of the lips; 5) committing sin
immorally; 6) committing sin openly or secretly;
7) committing sin with knowledge and deceit;
8) committing sin through speech; 9) committing
sin by deceiving a fellow man; 10) committing
sin with improper thoughts; 11) committing
sin with gathering of lewdness; 12) making a
verbal insincere confession; 13) being
disrespectful to parents and teachers; 14)
committing sin intentionally or unintentionally;
15) committing sin by using coercion; 16)
committing sin by desecrating the Divine Name;
17) committing sin with impurity of speech; 18)
committing sin with foolish talk; 19) committing
sin with the evil inclination; 20) committing
sin knowingly and unknowingly
"For all of
these, God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us,
atone for us"
1) committing
sin with false denial and lying; 2) committing
sin with bribe-taking or a bribe-giving hand; 3)
committing sin by scoffing; 4) committing sin
with evil talk [about another]; 5) committing
sin with business dealings; 6) committing sin by
eating and drinking; 7) committing sin by taking
and giving interest; 8) committing sin with a
haughty demeanor; 9) committing sin by the
prattle of our lips; 10) committing sin by a
glance of the eye; 11) committing sin with proud
looks; 12) committing sin with impudence
"For all
these God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us,
atone for us"
1) committing
sin by casting off the yoke of heaven; 2)
committing sin by passing judgment; 3)
committing sin by scheming against a fellowman;
4) committing sin by a begrudging eye; 5)
committing sin by frivolity; 6) committing sin
with obduracy; 7) committing sin by running to
do evil; 8) committing sin by tale bearing; 9)
committing sin with causeless hatred; 10)
committing sin by embezzlement; 11) committing
sin with a confused heart
Non-Jewish Celebrations
Some
Christian groups which observe the Day of
Atonement pay little
attention to Jewish customs and instead create their own
style of observance for this day.
Since
the command to "afflict your souls" comes directly from
the scripture, and is believed by most Jewish and
Christian commentators to refer to fasting, most
non-Jewish observances of the Day of Atonement still
include some form of fasting. For many this does include
no food or drink of any kind, including water. The
prohibition against leather shoes and such is strictly
Jewish tradition, and therefore is ignored. Some groups
expect or encourage all adult, baptized members of their
fellowship to fast, with children and teens "allowed to"
if they choose to do so of their own free will, but not
required to.Most groups consider the practice of fasting
on the Day of Atonement to be a matter of individual
conscience, and make no attempt to "enforce" it on
anyone.
Even
fairly conservative groups that make it a matter of
"church policy," and use peer pressure or threat of
church sanctions to persuade all to follow the custom,
allow special dispensation for people with serious
health problems such as diabetes, and for women who are
pregnant or nursing. Unfortunately, a limited number of
ultra-conservative groups go far beyond Jewish custom
(which counsels common sense and mercy in regard to the
Day of Atonement) and insist that there is no excuse for
not fasting, and would insist all but the tiniest
children should be admonished to participate in the
fast. But such a rigid approach is viewed as spiritually
unhealthy by most groups who observe the day.
The
sermon on this day would most often be on an atonement
related theme, and a piece of special music might be
chosen for a choir that had that theme. Other than this,
and the fact that most people in the congregation would
be fasting on this day, so there would be no food or
drink served after a church gathering, there is
little else to distinguish the activities on this day in
most non-Jewish groups compared to their weekly Sabbath
gatherings.
Hybrid Celebrations
Some
groups, while borrowing some of the customs, rituals,
and symbolism of Judaism, are more experimental in their
inclusion of these. Rather than try to imitate the whole
package of the standard Jewish Day of Atonement
observance, they will pick and choose those aspects
which appeal to them, perhaps sometimes for spiritual
reasons because they seem to be deeply meaningful, and
at other times just because they are aesthetically
attractive.
A
hybrid service on the Day of Atonement might include a
sermon and special music on the atonement theme, similar
to the non-Jewish service. But it might also feature a
group recitation of a prayer adapted from the Al Chet
prayer mentioned above, and perhaps a reading of ... or
a play performed by the children about ... the Book of
Jonah.
Toward
a New Celebration Paradigm
One of the goals of
this Times of Refreshing website is to
encourage individuals and groups to fashion a
celebration style that is uniquely their own.
The Bible truly gives us no "worship formula"
for the weekly Sabbath and annual Feasts and
Holy Days, beyond a very few basic guidelines.
Thus God has granted us the freedom to adapt
these few guidelines to the age and culture in
which we live, and to the 'group personality" of
those with whom we meet. Some will feel most
comfortable and joyful with a certain amount of
formality, old-fashioned majestic music, and
orderly activities. Others can best rejoice with
considerable informality, contemporary lively
music, and boisterously extemporaneous
activities. And quite a few may feel most
refreshed by a combination of elements of all of
the above. The following ideas and tips are not
offered as a blue-print that must be slavishly
followed. They are instead a potpourri of
possibilities to pick and choose from to use as
parts for you, and those with whom you worship,
to craft your own very special Times of
Refreshing.
"Setting
the Stage" for Celebration
The following
general comments about creating a celebration
environment are equally applicable to the weekly
Sabbath and any of the annual Holy Days and Feasts.
They are therefore repeated in each installment of the
3Rs section of the Times of Refreshing website. If
you have already read this material in another
installment, use this link to
jump directly to specific
suggestions for the Day of Atonement.
A
Sabbath, Feast, or Holy Day church service that resembles a college
class--with a few perfunctory songs thrown in--hardly
qualifies as a time of celebration and rejoicing! Many
groups have found that it is possible to maintain a
format for their gatherings that has sound teaching, but
add elements that make the gathering more than a passive
audience listening to a lecture.
One of
the most important elements in this transformation is
music. If the same group has been singing the same fifty
or so songs for the past two decades, and most still
find it necessary to bury their heads in the hymnbook
while singing, something is wrong. If most of these same
people sing along enthusiastically to their car radio
playing contemporary secular music, it is obvious that
the problem isn't that they can't immerse themselves in
music. It is more likely that they have separated
"religious music" into a class all by itself, as
something that is sung out of duty, rather than from the
heart. And the words have long since stopped
communicating thoughts and have become merely syllables
to be mouthed.
For
some people, the reason for this is that traditional
church hymns--most written a century or two or more
ago--seem like they are almost in a foreign
language. The historic culture that they came from can
seem unconnected to the thoughts, feelings, and emotions
of modern Christians. There are many ways that this
situation can be remedied. And in most cases the best
answer is to find creative ways to incorporate many
aspects of possible solutions.
One
thing that can help is for song leaders and/or other
speakers to actually spend some time talking about the
content of the hymns once in a while. There are books
and websites that provide a fascinating glimpse of the
history of many hymns, describing the authors, the
situations that prompted them to write a certain set of
lyrics, and some background of the cultural context in
which they were written. This can make the words come
alive in a way that they haven't before. Two samples:
Website
with hymn stories
Two Hundred Amazing Hymn Stories
Link to
Amazon.com info on two books of hymn stories
Osbeck's 101 Hymn Stories, volumes one and two
A
congregation that is made up of people of all age groups
will also find that it is usually beneficial to consider
incorporating newer hymns and other religious music in
some way into your group gatherings, so that everyone
can express themselves musically in ways that are most
meaningful to them. This can mean varying the music for
the usual worship service every week with a variety of
styles, featuring the newer music on certain weeks
during the month, or perhaps establishing a regular or
occasional alternative worship service, perhaps in the
evening, featuring newer music. This issue of
introducing variety into music has been a source of
conflict in many churches in recent decades, but with a
calm approach of creatively searching for satisfactory
compromises between people who hate change and people
who crave change, conflict can be minimized and all
needs met.
See the
section below on Meaningful Music
for more suggestions on music for congregational
worship.
Other
"celebratory" aspects to the activities for the the Holy
Days can include feasting together--in the case of the
Day of Atonement, AFTER the day is over--(see
Festive Food below), and
special presentations by children and youth, including
choirs, plays, pageantry, artwork displays, and even
parades on appropriate occasions (See
Children's Activities below).
The
most important consideration when "setting the stage"
for celebration on the Holy Days is to involve everyone,
of every age, in contributing to the planning and actual
celebration time together. In other words ... the stage
that is set isn't one that most people sit in the
audience and passively "view" ... it's a stage where
everyone joins the "performance"!
Meaningful Music
General Information
Hymns and group songs
Some hymns and other
types of religious songs may have a line or two
with which some people will take exception as not
reflecting totally sound biblical doctrine. Inclusion of
links to hymns or collections of hymns here is not an endorsement of every minor point
within the hymns at that link. If there is something that bothers
you in any given piece of music, you can either not use
it, or make a minor
adjustment to the wording to reflect your own doctrinal
perspective.
If your fellowship
group does not have music to sing from, local
and online Christian bookstores stock a wide
collection of basic hymnals in hardbound and
paperback formats, with everything from
classical church music of the 1700s and earlier
to the latest Praise and Worship choruses.
There are many
online sources of public domain congregational
music. Some may include sound files of
accompaniment music, lyrics, sheet music, and
perhaps even chord sheets for piano and/or
guitar. If you are looking for a specific hymn
or song, just type the name or a line of the
lyrics into a Google search box. Below are links
to some broad collections from which to choose.
http://www.cyberhymnal.org
Over 6,100
Christian hymns and Gospel songs. Includes
lyrics, scores, MIDI files, pictures,
history, choices to match specific
scriptural references, and more.
It is increasingly
popular in many religious settings to use lyrics
projected on a screen for congregational
singing, with still photos or video clips of
inspirational scenes of nature and so on in the
background. There are commercial packages of
such set-ups, sometimes including even audio
files of the music for those groups that don't
have musicians to provide accompaniment. Below
are links to just a sample of such products.
PLEASE NOTE: If
you are considering going this route, be sure to
check into the issues of copyright, by looking
over the material on the CCLI (Christian
Copyright Licensing International) website.
CCLI information
And while you're
there, be sure to look into the issue of a
copyright license to use commercial video clips
in sermons and studies, and even for playing
whole movies for your congregation, through the
related CLVI (Christian Video Licensing
International.)
CVLI information
The annual fees for
both of these services are very reasonable.
Special Music
There are many
inspirational video collections that don't have
the lyrics on the screen, but rather provide
choral and/or instrumental performances of
standard hymns and other music backed by
beautiful photography. These would be suitable
for "special music" presentations for worship
services and other gatherings. Below are links
to a sample of such products.
33 "Best loved hymns" with
backgrounds of Thomas Kinkaide paintings
"The Joslin
Grove Choral Society presents musical
accompaniment to one hundred beautiful
images of Thomas Kinkade. Among the 70
minutes of hymns sung are: Amazing Grace,
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God and
The Old Rugged Cross. "
Hymns across the Holy Land
"... featuring the
sites of the Holy Land set to hymns performed by
David and the High Spirit. Songs include Amazing
Grace, Love Lifted Me, Just As I Am,
and more."
Music specifically for the Day
of Atonement:
Special Music
Particularly appropriate would be congregational solo, group, and
choral music emphasizing
repentance, atonement through the blood of Jesus, and
reconciliation between man and God and man and man.
Suggestions for appropriate hymns, group songs, and
special music for the Sabbath, as well as the annual
Biblical feasts and Holy Days, are gratefully
accepted for inclusion in this and related Times
of Refreshing web pages! Send your
recommendations to the email address at the end of
this page.
Decorations
The following
general comments about using decorations to enhance
your celebration environment are equally applicable to the weekly
Sabbath and any of the annual Holy Days and Feasts.
They are therefore repeated in each installment of the
3Rs section of the Times of Refreshing website. If
you have already read this material in another
installment, use this link to
jump directly to specific
suggestions for the Day of Atonement.
Many
modern Christians reject the idea of some of the
traditional worship environments of the past ... cold
formal buildings with pews and stained glass, hushed
rooms with people talking to one another in hoarse
whispers if at all. A backlash against this type of
setting has sometimes led on the other extreme to drab
rooms full of metal chairs, bare walls, and constant
chaos. Or, on the other hand, some mega-churches have
huge meeting halls and stages more resembling a Las
Vegas show club than a place for families to meet
together and rejoice--as a spiritual family.
Most
people would not want to live in a house in which every
room looks like little more than a drab motel conference
room. We intuitively realize that "decor" can help us
enjoy our environment and our experiences in it, whether
it is wanting a peaceful "study," a lively "family
room," or a refreshing screened in porch with plants
that gets us more in touch with nature. We want our
homes to reflect our personalities and our interests.
The
same principle applies to church fellowship groups. It
would be good for all involved to sit down and discuss
just what it is in an environment that would enhance
what they expect to experience in that environment, and
what elements hinder it or distract from it. Most groups
seem to intuitively know that adding flowers at the
front of the meeting room improves the "feel" of a drab
room. But many seldom go beyond that.
So why
not discuss what could make the room--or whole
building--a home? And think about what would make it
particularly "spruced up" for the weekly Sabbath and
annual Holy Days.
The
basics to discuss can include choice of wall, floor, and
window treatment colors; decorative items on the walls;
furniture that is both functional and attractive; plants
and maybe even an aquarium or terrarium to bring some of
God's creation indoors; fountains or small waterfalls to
add to that effect; table settings and centerpieces for
festive occasions; attractive themed bulletin boards,
where youth projects can be displayed for special
occasions; perhaps even inspirational seasonal "banners"
to hang from the ceilings or as wall hangings.
Options may be limited if a group must rent a meeting
room, but even then there are "movable" items that can
be temporarily added to make the environment "homier."
Most buildings renting regularly to a group will provide
at least a small amount of storage space for their
regular equipment and supplies. A bulletin board on a
tripod can be used for those youth projects. Plant pots
with attractive artificial plants on coasters can be
rolled out to place around the room. Try brainstorming
and seeing what other options you can think of.
When
considering themed additions to your worship
environment, why not also brainstorm on what symbols
and scenes might be useful for banners, posters, centerpieces
and so on for the weekly Sabbath and each of the
annual feasts and Holy Days.
Some
suggestion-starters for the Day of Atonement:
Shofars
goats
The Jerusalem Temple
Special Group Activities, with a focus on youth
If activities for
children are included at all in some group
worship settings, including for both the weekly
Sabbath and for annual Feasts and Holy Days, it
is to send them off to another room separate
from the adults for their own classes and social
gatherings. While this can be a valuable part of
their socialization and education, it is also
important to have times in which they are
involved with the adults in mutually-enjoyable
activities and learning. Below are suggestions
for such cross-generational activities for the
Day of Atonement.
The following
general material is equally applicable to the weekly
Sabbath and any of the annual Holy Days and Feasts.
It is therefore repeated in each installment of the
3Rs section of the Times of Refreshing website. If
you have already read this material in another
installment, use this link to
jump directly to specific
suggestions for the Day of Atonement.
Messages and
presentations to
edify all ages
Message
delivery, including sermons, is a very personal matter
to most speakers. It is indeed important for the speaker
to pray for guidance on what to speak about, and how to
present the material so that it is most effective. But
God often answers such prayers through input by others.
Perhaps the following ideas, tips, and suggestions may
include some answers for you.
If you
are responsible for presenting sermons or other kinds of
messages for church gatherings, you likely have a track
record of such presentations that you can examine. If
you have found your audiences continually and uniformly
very inspired, edified, encouraged, and motivated
through the delivery style you have been using, then you
may need no delivery tips. But if the audience rapport
and reaction is less than what you have hoped for,
perhaps incorporating some of the following ideas might
produce more effective results.
Multimedia
As the
old saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words."
If you are a master story teller, and can quickly weave
with just words the illustrations included in your
messages, then you may not need anything else. But for
the rest of the world ... including visuals can really
enhance delivery. It helps the audience focus and
remember points, it saves you time in
descriptive portions that can then be better put to use
drawing the points you want to make, and it can bring
to life what might otherwise seem dry and boring to
a generation weaned on the visual world of movies, TV,
glossy illustrated magazines, and the Internet.
The
most popular and easy-to-use way to incorporate such
visuals these days is to use a computer connected to a
video projector, running the Power Point program.
Power Point is much like a word processing
program, in that it allows you to easily lay words and
pictures out on a page for display. But it goes beyond
that to allow you to include music and video clips where
appropriate.
Educational research shows that the more "senses" you
use to take in a given fact or group of facts, the
better you remember them. For instance, if you hear
someone speak a point, and then or shortly after see it
in written form, your chances of remembering it are
greater. In fact, if you can see, hear, and have music
connected to that point, you may even better remember
it. Remember memorizing the ABCs by singing them to the
tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"? There is a
reason for such ditties ... they really work. And there
are very good reasons that almost all movies and TV
shows these days have a musical sound track. It also
"works" to enhance the emotional impact of the visuals.
This
doesn't mean, of course, that you need to have music
going the whole time you are talking. Or that every
single point you make needs to be in words on the
screen. But if you carefully select points of the
greatest emphasis, and add multi-media supplements to
them, you may find that the effectiveness of your
messages increases.
You can
project the scriptures that you are including in your
message on the screen so that the audience can follow
along, without having to rummage through their
Bibles--and bury their heads in them--to keep up. You
can also project any "bullet points" that you want the
audience to remember so that there are both an aural and
a visual emphasis to them--and they are easy for people
to copy down to accurately include in their own
note-taking.
You can
select representative photographs and artwork to aid in
story telling, or in explaining technical details, such
as what a certain object from Bible times looks like.
Actually seeing a model of the Tabernacle is more
effective than trying to describe it.
Of
course you need not include such audio-visual components
to every message you present. Many topics lend
themselves to just straight dissertation. You will find
that it is most useful to adapt the presentation style
to your topics as needed.
Don't
discount the value of the earlier method of including
multi-media either--using actual 3D objects to emphasize
points. A message focusing on Jesus' comment that "my
yoke is easy and my burden is light," or on Paul's
admonition not to be "unequally yoked with unbelievers,"
can become much more memorable if you can actually
borrow a real single ... or better yet, double ... yoke
from a farm to illustrate the point.
These
presentation suggestions can be useful for messages at
any time, including in secular environments. But it is
the specific aim of this website to offer suggestions on
how to enliven all of the content and environment of
special times of worship, including the weekly Sabbath
and annual Feasts and Holy Days.
Message ideas
With
all of the above in mind, here are a few suggestions for
thematic topics specifically related to the Day of
Atonement.
Topic: Fasting
Many
Christians, even those who choose to celebrate the
annual biblical Holy Days, question why Christians ought
to fast on the annual Day of Atonement--since our
atonement has already been provided once and for all by
Jesus. Here is how one Messianic Jew puts it, in an article
about why he observes the day of Atonement, and continues
special prayers and fasting on that day. This perspective could
make the core of a useful message on the topic. [See the
Times of Refreshing article on
Jewish Feast and Holy Day Customs: Yom Kippur for a
description and explanation of elements of the
traditional Jewish observance of the Day of Atonement,
such as the Kol Nidre prayer he mentions here.]
http://www.netivyah.org.il/English%20Web/MidrashaArticles/kippur_kugler.html
... Secondly,
as a Messianic Jew, I have been atoned for by the gracious
atoning work of the Messiah. That in itself is sufficient
reason to observe the Day of Atonement. But more than that.
As a believer in Yeshua, the fact is that I continue to sin
- in spite of the fact that I have been atoned for my sins
and that at a terrible cost of personal suffering and agony
by the Messiah on a Roman Cross. This sad and miserable fact
is sufficient reason for me to humble myself and afflict my
soul in fasting and mourning at least one day of the year
and that at the appointed time given to our people by God.
God in His grace surrounds us with things and events to
induce us to repentance and holiness, and one of these is
the Day of Atonement. If I pay attention to the confessional
that is recited at Kol Nidre, I have to confess that many of
the sins listed are ones of which I have been guilty,
especially sins involving the tongue and the lips. I feel
that it is a gracious opportunity to confess and apologize
before the Lord my failure, determine in my heart to do all
that i can to avoid repeating these mistakes again and pray
the Lord’s help by His spirit to enable me to overcome.
Thirdly, I am
surrounded by people of my own nation who do not have the
atonement provided by God in the Messiah because of their
unbelief. I feel that on the day of Atonement of all days of
the year, it is the opportunity to fast and pray before the
Lord on behalf of those who are lost and perishing all about
me. Of course i can and do pray that way many times. But on
Yom Kippur i am impressed with the fact that Jewish people
all about me are fasting and praying in a hopeless effort to
tip the balance of judgment in their favor by amassing good
works and prayers. This fact is heart rending and for me a
clear reason to humble myself before the Lord in prayer and
fasting. There is no better day of the year given to our
people by God for fasting and praying for the atonement of
our people and individual Jewish people than the Day of
Atonement.
Topic: Repentance
The following Orthodox
Jewish site has a number of excellent essays from an
Orthodox perspective on the topic of repentance during
the Days of Awe and on the Day of Atonement. With an
added emphasis on the role of Jesus in the forgiveness
of the sins for which we are repentant, this material
could provide useful insight for messages for this day.
http://www.aish.com/hhYomK/hhYomKDefault/
Remembering
The
Remembering section of each article in this
series focuses on being sure to include an emphasis on
understanding and remembering the history, meaning, significance, and symbolism of the Sabbath
and annual observances throughout your times of
celebration. This emphasis doesn't need to be be just
"tacked on" to the celebration through some dry,
lifeless, boring lecture before or during the
celebration. It can be built into the very environment
and the activities you engage in. It can be part of the
songs, the prayers, the praise, the formal messages of
vibrant inspiration and exhortation, and even
discussions in informal fellowship around the banquet
table.
Topics and Ideas for Bible Studies and Discussion
Sessions
Adults
What
does the term "atonement" mean?
What
separates us from God?
What
separates us from other people?
Why was
the death of Jesus necessary in the scheme of things?
Teens
Does
God sometimes seem very far away to you? Why do you
think you feel that way?
When
you feel guilty about doing something you knew was wrong
at the time, do you ever try to "get right with God" by
doing "good things" ... without ever really facing up to
and confessing to Him about the thing that made you feel
guilty in the first place? How well do you think this
method works?
Discuss
the parable of the Prodigal Son. How might this relate
to the themes of the Day of Atonement?
How
would you go about explaining the significance to
Christians of the Day of Atonement to a friend who'd
never heard of it?
Children
Have
you ever had a disagreement with a friend that made you
so mad that you decided to quit being friends? How did
you feel the next day? What did you do about it? What do
you think Jesus would advise you to do about the
situation?
What
does the word "repent" mean? (discussion of the
difference between real repentance and just feeling
"sorry you got caught")
What
does the word "redeem" mean? (discussion of someone
paying a debt you owe, so that you don't have to suffer
the consequences)
Children's Group
Activities
