Hello friends,

We had a dear Haverim reach out regarding James’ meditations last year on the days of Awe. Since we are right in the middle of this season, I decided to collect them, update the calendar, and make a post you can refer to in the days to come. When the sound of the shofar is mentioned daily, you can listen to the video clip at the bottom of the post.

James continues to fight the good fight. His capacity remains limited and devoted to his top priorities of family, ministry, and the fullness of health. You can read his latest update here.

Blessings to you in this annual fall rhythm of remembrance, repentance, and celebration ❤

~ Rosalind, on behalf of James and The Center

Day 1 –

September 12, 2026

I’m so excited for this time of year in the divinely designed biblical calendar. Today is the Feast of Trumpets, or more literally, The Day of Blowing/Sounding (Yom Teruah). Starting today, I’ll make a brief post each day for ten days to keep us on track to the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).

Here’s the text: And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation” (Leviticus 23:23-24).

For we who are in Jesus, what do we do with this? Let’s keep it as simple as the directions the Father gave His people. Let’s listen to the sound of the shofar. (Below is an audio file with my buddy Jack blowing the ram’s horn). And as we do, ask the Spirit to instruct us in God’s ways: Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long (Psalm 24-5).

Today, I encourage you to find a simple way to visually count down the next ten days. It doesn’t matter how you do it. The simpler the better. Our family will light a tea candle and pray together from Psalm 25. How about you?

Day 2 –

September 13, 2026

Welcome to our holy convocation online! We are counting down ten days between the biblical Feast of Trumpets* and the Day of Atonement.

YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the LORD.” (Leviticus 23:23-25).

The starkness of the verses is striking. The text literally says teruah, which means blowing or blasts. The action implies a noun; that which is to be blown. Traditionally, it is understood to be a ram’s horn, the shofar. The picture below is a graphic I designed to give a big-picture view of the Fall Festival rhythm. Click on it to hear my buddy Jack sound the shofar. And when you do, close your eyes and hear God. He is calling us, collectively, to turn to Him for such a time as this—with intentionality.

There are many lessons to learn during these ten Days of Awe. We’ll get there, one step at a time. But understand it begins here. When He has our attention, He has us. That is the point.

*Perhaps you’ve heard it called Rosh Hashana, which is Hebrew for the head of the year. That is another name for the first day of the seventh month in Jewish tradition. It refers to the fact that the Feast of Trumpets operates as the beginning of a spiritual new year. More on that later.

Day 3 –

September 14, 2026

Seven, to the biblical mind, speaks of fullness, wholeness, and purpose. On the seventh day of creation, our Creator rested. The completion highlighted the mission. He would continue to create—along with us, His co-creators—within the world He had made.

Israel’s sages discerned the same pattern relating to the start of the Fall Feast cycle: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month (Lev 23:23). Nisan 1, the month of Passover, marked the start of their calendar year. In like manner, the Feast of Trumpets on Tishri 1 would serve as a spiritual New Year’s Day.

There is a powerful lesson here for disciples. The ancient path back to first love for our God and Savior is to recall the New Exodus in the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. We repent by returning to the foundation of the Good News. We begin again, again.

Listen to the call of the shofar.

Day 4 –

September 15, 2026

As you listen to the shofar’s sound today, know that it is a call to gather together. We are God’s people or, more specifically, the sanctuary of His presence on earth. We are His witnessing body.

We are connected with those who have gone before us and now await us on the other side of life. We are people with a glorious past and a hope-filled future. And today, right this moment, we are a faith family spread all over the earth, walking in the footsteps of our King. All hail Immanuel!

Keep in mind the picture of newly liberated Israel at the Red Sea. As the breath of God separated and piled the waters high, they passed through as one people, each individual exercising their faith—one step at a time.

Day 5 –

September 16, 2026

We are halfway to the Day of Atonement, and I’m reflecting on how God freely gives wisdom to those who ask. Imagine the worldwide witness if all of Jesus’ people were on the same page at the same time. If not for the theological mischaracterization of the God of the Old Testament, that is precisely what would happen with the sounding of the shofar on the Feast of Trumpets. Sigh… if only.

The secret to wisdom is this: it comes from God, and we grow wise as we apply what we know in ministry to others, as worship to the Lord. The Fall Feast season is not an end in itself. The All-wise God knows we need structured opportunities to turn and return.

As you hear the sound today, recall these words of Elihu in Job 32:6-9:

“I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you.”

I said, “Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom. But it is the Spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.”

“It is not the old who are wise, nor the aged who understand what is right.”

Day 6 –

September 17, 2026

This God with whom we have to do, cares enough to tell us the truth. Relentlessly. In Jesus. By His Spirit. It can take the form of correction, instruction, reproof, and training. But it is always the truth. And it is always for the best. Ours and others.

We need to let that sink in so deeply that what we think, speak, and do is characterized by the same. The advancement of the Kingdom in our lives depends on it. And the Day of Atonement is coming. Hear the call of the shofar.

From Numbers 6, in Jesus: The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. So shall they put my name upon the people My people, and I will bless them.

Day 7 –

September 18, 2026

The Judgement Day looms on the not-so-distant horizon. It occurs on day ten of our counting. It is so frightfully holy it came to Israel with a simple, stark reminder: For whoever is not afflicted on that very day shall be cut off from his people (Lev 23:29). As the writer of Hebrews reminds us new covenanters: It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb 10:31).

That is precisely what Heaven ordains for the Day of Atonements (plural in the Hebrew of Lev 23:28: Yom Kippurim). Like everything else God does, this next movement in His Fall Feast cycle is meant for our good; to keep us in the place of worship and mission. It is something each of us desperately needs, though we might not even know it.

As you hear the plaintive wail of the shofar today, ponder these questions. Do you want to wait and be judged when your life is over and you come face-to-face with the Holy One? Or would you rather be judged now, in real time?

Join us in setting apart this the Day of Atonement—to honor the Father, Son, and Spirit. It all starts by being intentional, putting it into your calendar today. How will we honor Yom Kippur? In non-legalistic ways that respond to Jesus’ exhortation to ask, seek, and knock.

Day 8 –

September 19, 2026

Hebrews is what the Day of Atonement looks like in the New Covenant inaugurated by Jesus. There is a heavenly tabernacle that the earthly one represented before it was destroyed. The Son is a High Priest in our Father’s Temple, as there was one in Jerusalem the day Jesus died. And the blood of the Lamb of God is more effective than that of an animal.

Here is something that does not change. The people of His Presence on earth fail. We do not live up to the ideals—individually or collectively. To have a judgment day in time is an unspeakable kindness, another gift from a God who cares.

For us, as haverim (friends of Jesus who appreciate the Jewish roots of the Christian faith), this holy season is an opportunity rather than an obligation. As you hear the shofar today, give thanks to God for another chance to draw near, with confidence, to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Day 9 –

September 20, 2026

Today is the last before Judgement Day, Yom Kippur. How can we profit from our efforts to pay attention to these things without becoming legalistic about observance?

1) Good news. You’ve already done so by counting ten days in order to know our Creator a bit better. That is a work of the Spirit. Well done!

2) Recognize that the Day of Atonement is a gift from a Father who in justice remembers mercy.

3) Do not lose sight of the fact that all this culminates in the joyous Feast of Tabernacles.

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the LORD” (Lev 23:26-27).

The Hebrew word for “afflict”, used three times to introduce Yom Kippur, was very familiar to our Lord Jesus. Anah is a root word, a verb used in the sense of afflicting, chastening, or humbling. Fasting as a form of self-abasement is the traditional way the Jewish community has interpreted and practiced this somber day. Both sides of the repentance coin are here in the text.

“Afflict” serves as the turn from.

“Present” serves as the turn to.

Ultimately, the divine intent is to set us free and keep us free. In His Presence.

From the Hebrew root anah comes ani. That is the word Jesus uses in his memorable line: Blessed are the poor [ani] in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. How can I be sure ani is the Hebrew behind the Greek? Because Jesus knew his Bible!

Today, as the shofar sounds, let us hear—as the Son of God did—the voice of the prophet Isaiah: All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble [ani] and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word (66:2).

Tomorrow, when you rise with the sun, set aside a space to read and meditate on Jesus’ beatitudes in Matthew 5:2-12. Acknowledge the gift of the Day of Atonement. Confess your need for ongoing forgiveness and cleansing. Thank Jesus for the cross. Receive, again, the gift of His Spirit. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, ask if there is a specific work of ministry to someone that He’d like you to attend to.

Regarding fasting. If you can sacrifice a meal, fine. If not, fine. What He wants is you.

I will not be posting a reflection on the Day of Atonement.

Day 10 – The Day of Atonement

September 21, 2026

*SELAH*