Well, friends, Ramadan has come to an end, and as we continue to lift up the Muslim world, let us now turn our immediate attention to the large Jewish community that is here in Louisville. Last week, several students at Louisville Collegiate School were allowed an excused absence from school to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. This Wednesday, Jewish students will also be excused from classes, and teachers are not allowed to assign homework, as the Jewish community celebrates Yom Kippur, or the “Day of Atonement.”

Yom Kippur is comparable on some levels to the Christian celebration of Christmas. It is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holy days. Most secular Jews, who may not strictly observe other Jewish holy days, will fast and attend synagogue on Yom Kippur, where the number of worshippers attending is typically double or triple the normal attendance.

The biblical rites for the Day of Atonement are given in Leviticus 16. The themes of substitutionary atonement and repentance are among the central themes in the text.

So, Wellum’s Couples, as many of our neighbors gather this week to observe this holy day, may we – partakers of the blood of the new covenant – remember those whose eyes have not yet been opened to the One who has atoned for all sin and called every man to repentance.

~The Graigs for the Missions Team