From Pastor's Desk
This Month I am continuing to teach a Bible class where we go over the main Festivals or Holidays in the Old Testament. Today, I want to talk about Yom Kippur . This, in English, means the Day of Atonement . The holiday is celebrated every year and usually falls in September or October. It is described in detail in Leviticus 16. It’s called the day of Atonement because the word “atone” appears 16 times in this chapter. Atone has the idea of “to ransom” or “to purge away”. The purpose of the day was to perform an act of atonement for people’s sins. The day of Atonement involved the High Priest entering the holy of holies to make atonement for sins. What he would do is put blood on the Mercy Seat. The mercy seat is more famously known as the Ark of the Covenant. It is here where God was present with his people. The High Priest was signifying to God that an animal had been killed for the sins of the people. The High Priest would then place his hands on another goat or lamb. He would confess the sins of the people of Israel on this animal. Then this animal would be taken out into the wilderness. This animal was the “Scapegoat”. The Beauty of Holy Days and Holidays of the Old Testament is that they point us to Jesus. Perhaps no Holy Day points us more to Christ and his salvific work for us than this one. As the High Priest he has entered into the Holy of Holies on our behalf. Just like the blood of the goat covered the Holy of Holies, Jesus as the sacrifice, sprinkled his blood on us to cover us with his Holiness. Just as the goat was led out into the wilderness, Jesus went into the wilderness to face Satan on our behalf. The Day of Atonement and its sacrifices were designed to last for a whole year. Jesus as our High Priest, has paid for our sins once and it has eternal ruminations! (Some of this newsletter used: Kleinig, John W. Leviticus . Concordia Commentary. Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Pub. House, 2003. Especially 345)
Congratulations to our Graduating Seniors!
This year’s High School Class of 2023 includes the following: MaKenna Helmke, Tinora High School, and Zander Watson, Napoleon High School. We wish each of you, along with all of our college graduates the very best in your future plans and God’s blessings for each of you.
424 Garage Sale
424 Garage Sale and Orphan Grain Train Friends of Orphan Grain Train will be hosting a Bake Sale, Food Stand, Thrift and Plant sale at the Florida Ohio, Fire Station on June 8 and 9 during the Historic Route 424 Yard Sales. Stop in to enjoy great food from the lunch stand or baked items and help support this worthy cause!
A Peek from Preschool
We sure did have a busy last month of Preschool and look forward to what the future holds for our 9 students who graduated on May 23, 2023. Our classes enjoyed their last visit to the Florida library for the school year, their last Chapel message with Pastor Stuenkel, a Field Trip to the Florida-Flatrock Volunteer Fire Department, and finished off the year with Field Trips to Meyer Family Farm and the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. We look forward to what the summer has to hold including playdates, the Carnival on July 12 from 5-7 pm and VBS coming at the end of July! Thank you to our church members who have supported our Preschool over the past few years. We can't wait to see what the next school year brings! If you are interested in helping with Preschool Carnival on July 12 from 5-7 pm, please let a Committee member or Emilie Parsons know. We need lots of help to make these events successful and appreciate your support! Mrs. Arce
