Roadmap of Redemption 

Days of Awe prayer guide published for British Christians

British Christians are being encouraged to pray for the Jewish people over their coming ‘Ten Days of Awe’ through a special prayer guide.
 
Published by the Church’s Ministry among Jewish people (CMJ), Transformed Through Repentance is seen as an opportunity to intercede for Jewish people over these hallowed autumn days, especially in view of their current trauma.
 
The beautifully illustrated booklet starts with Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) on September 22 and ends with Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) on October 2.
 
As CMJ UK General Director Rev Aaron Eime explains, these are times of repentance and restitution when Jews seek to be ‘inscribed in the book of life’ for the following year: “It is a season of transformation as Jewish communities search their souls and cry out for divine intervention.”
 
At the start of his public ministry, Jesus declared: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” The Greek for repent means ‘change your thinking’ and is written in the continuous tense, suggesting that repentance should become a lifestyle.
 
A selection of scholars from around the world offer insightful thoughts on each day focusing on a mix of Bible characters from Joseph to the Apostle Paul, giving prayer pointers on how we can intercede for Jewish people today.
 
On the first day’s theme of Adam and Eve, Rev Eime notes: “The book of Genesis is recalled in synagogues across the world during Rosh Hashanah. As the Jewish people begin to contemplate their spiritual position before the Lord, let us pray that God will reveal his Messiah. May the sound of the shofar arouse deep repentance.”
 
Edith Sher from Cape Town writes of Rahab, the Gentile prostitute, who somehow knew, even then, that God had given Israel the land they were entering, adding that the scarlet thread used to identify her house prefigures Yeshua’s atoning sacrifice. She not only became part of the covenant people, but an ancestor of the Messiah himself.

Gerry Cohen prays that Israel, like the woman who wept at Yeshua’s feet, would go from trauma to transformation as they experience the change of heart Ezekiel prophesied.

Edith prays that, as Rahab went against the flow, the Church would likewise swim against the tide of antisemitism and media disinformation to show the true face of Jesus to the Jewish people.
 
Gerry Cohen prays that Israel, like the woman who wept at Yeshua’s feet, would go from trauma to transformation as they experience the change of heart Ezekiel prophesied.
 
Dr Therea Newell, from the USA, outlines how “Peter the Rock defaulted to Simon the Sand” but came out on top when fully repentant.
 
Dr Richard Harvey, with Jonah in mind, urges us to step out of our comfort zone, adding: “May this time of repentance bring many to understand Yeshua’s atoning sacrifice.”
 
And Rev Eime concludes: “All the holy days and feasts of the Lord, given by God and written by Moses in Scripture, are prophetic in nature and, over the course of the year, provide a roadmap of redemption.”
 
Copies are available here.