Day of Atonement

Last night we started a 3 week preparation for the Day of Atonement which happens to fall on Oct 8-9 this year. As we all know Jesus is our atonement and we no longer have to wait each year to start over, we have direct access to God through the name and person of Jesus. However, there is something significant, something freeing when we designate some time to really wrestle with our past sins, lay them down as a sacrifice to God, and recognize that we are forgiven and clean. 

We started the night at the church and then took a very short drive over to a near by school. I parked the vehicles just before the school so we had some time to walk a little bit. On our journey up to the school I stopped at 2 separate houses and asked questions like, who do you think lives in that house? What if it was a single mom, or a homosexual couple, what do you think it would be like to live in that house? What kind of God do you think they are looking for or in need of?

We then found the darkest corner we possibly could find at the school and made our way to it. I have to admit it was a little relaxing and a little scary at the same time. There were some bushes that I am pretty sure something was living in because the bushes kept moving and making noise. 

Once we were settled in the corner I had everyone stop and just check in with themselves. What did they hear, what did they see, what did they notice, how were they feeling? We then talked about being "kicked out into outer darkness." I asked them what kind of people our society kicks out into darkness? I then asked them, what does that say about our society.?

I got responses such as, people who go against the grain and are individuals, people that don't conform to society get kicked out. People who aren't willing to be up to date with fashion, technology, and the fast pace of life get kicked out. They said our society is shallow, and into themselves.

Then I asked the same questions about the church. Not our church or any one church but the church in general. The responses I got were, people who didn't believe exactly what the church wanted them to, homosexuals, prostitutes, people who are different. They said church is intolerant, narrow, always having to be right, and draws lines. 

Then I asked them what kind of people they personally ignore or want to kick out of their life. Most of the responses I got were family, I think they were half joking, half serious. Then they said people who are different from them, people who are intolerant of different opinions. 

I then asked them to tell stories that they could remember in the bible of when Jesus spent time with the people who were kicked out and considered to be living in darkness. At first they said every story is like that. So I asked them to start recalling some specific ones. As they retold the stories of Jesus I asked them why those particular stories came to mind. I was looking for how those stories related to the person telling the story. 

Then we talked about how our story collides with God's story and how if we are going to be like Jesus we have to be willing to understand what its like to live in darkness, to be kicked out and rejected. We have to be willing to recognize and own our darkness as well. 

I then challenged the group to journal during this week of what went on during their day and look times that you felt disconnect, rejected, or separated and write down how that felt, what thoughts went through your mind and how you responded to it. 

I committed to journal through this as well, so I will be posting parts of my journals this week as well.