Once for All

Things weren't always this way.  There was a time when today would be marked with solemnity, not unbridled joy.  Fasting, not feasting. Blood, not remembrance. Symbolism, not reality.

Three thousand years ago, on this day, the High Priest entered into the Most Holy Place, the Holy of Holies, the Kadosh haKadoshim. He entered in, dressed in the clothes his ancestor Aaron wore, and he sacrificed in order to atone for the sins of his people. Surely he was not astute enough to realize that this didn't actually atone for anything.  How could the blood of bulls and goats and lambs cover for transgression against the infinitely righteous God? It could not.  But it could function as a symbol to point them towards a better sacrifice.

As he entered the Temple, thousands stood attentive, their hope resting on his ability to sacrifice. Hopefully he would not have a thought so sinful that God would smite him on the spot for his irreverence, as He had done earlier with Uzziah.  They sacrificed animals daily.  But today was different.  It was not just any day.  Today is Yom Kippur.  Today is the Day of Atonement. He walks out of the Temple, not to return to that room for another year. There is a collective sigh of relief, knowing that they are still God's Covenant people.

Almost two thousand years ago now, the High Priest of High Priests entered the Temple.  Within days He was beaten. He was spit on.  He walked to a hill, and there was put on a cross.  On that cross, all the sins of the elect, whether they be those watching the events unfold in front of Him, or those who waited outside the Temple year after year as the High Priest gave his symbolic sacrifice, or those today who trust in His work, we're finally and completely atoned for.  

Many today did not sleep last night. They were up all night studying the Torah.  They didn't brush their teeth.  They haven't eaten in well over half a day.  They stand in hope that their sins will be atoned for.  Today is Yom Kippur. Today is the Day of Atonement.

I woke up this morning, and ate breakfast.  I will not fast, but will feast.  I will feast because my sins past, present, and future have already been atoned for.  I rejoice because in the sacrifice of the Son of God I have rest, because son has been paid for once for all. Today is Yom Kippur.  Today is the Day of Atonement.

Changes and Announcements

I've wanted to write a blog for quite some time. During Purim this year, I took some time out of the day to write about it, and announced my intention to eventually write about two series, one on video games, and another on homeschooling and public schooling. I have now completed both of these, and I have a number of other topics I'd like to explore, such as Family Worship and the Sabbath.  

     Unfortunately, those will have to wait.  I am continuing my education this year, and these blog posts have taken all summer. Now I am back in school, and something like this simply isn't feasible to continue.  Moreover, if my plans succeed (and they will succeed or fail according to God's good providence), I will be in school the vast majority of the next two years, until I graduate with my Masters of Theological Studies, and so blog posting will be extremely scarce during this time.  So while I may post here and there, and maybe even a small series during my free time, the weekly pace I have established is over for the foreseeable future.

That said, I do have one more blog-related project in store.  While I appreciate the blog as a medium to explore my thoughts, and to make entire series' of posts, for some topics it is not ideal.  I believe my most recent series is one of those.  Therefore I have decided to collect all the posts in my series, "7 Reasons Not to Let the Government Educate your Child", and combine them into a booklet, renamed "Defying Caesar: Why the Government Shouldn't Teach your Kids".  I've edited the chapters to reflect the style of a booklet, and I've added an Epilogue dealing with homeschooling when both parents work.  It will be available both on Apple iBooks and Amazon Kindle for 99 cents.  I’d put it up for free, but Amazon requires at least that much, so I figure I’ll only charge a dollar.  I figure most who buy it will be buying it more to help me than to actually get their hands on the booklet, most of which is already available at this website for free.  I intended to release it next Friday, in keeping with my typical pattern, but in honor of September 11th falling on that day, I will delay its release to Saturday, September 12th.   I also intend on releasing it in print, but that will take longer.  The print edition will cost $5.99.

The link to the iBooks edition is currently inactive, but will activate automatically come September 12:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/defying-caesar/id1037082714?ls=1&mt=11

The Amazon page, by contrast, is already up here with the ability to pre-order the book.

While I know that this blog has extremely small readership, I truly do thank everyone who has taken time out of their week to read my thoughts, and I hope to continue this blog at some point in the future.