Yom Teruah | Yom Kippur | Sukkot | Shemini Atzeret

Like the Spring Festivals, the Fall Festivals present holy days that find their heights and splendor in Yeshua Ha Mashiach’s (Jesus the Christ) person and work. They open with Yom Teruah – the day of trumpets – reminding us that our King is coming to rule and reign over us. Yom Kippur marks the initial fulfillment of God’s promise to atone for our sins and remove them as far as the East is from the West. Sukkot/Tabernacles – the dwelling presence of God - reaches a new level of fullfillment in the incarnation of Yeshua. Yeshua is Immanuel – God with us – and pitches a tabernacle of human flesh and blood so that He can dwell closer with us, as one of us. It is during this Holy week that we celebrate His birth and entrance into our world as Immanuel. And last but not least, is Shemini Atzeret – The Eighth Day. This is the bookend of the annual festivals marking not only the completion of the redemptive calendar but also the beginning of the new creation in the age to come. This is the goal of redemption itself. A redemption that is accomplished through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Yeshua Ha Mashiach. All of these annual holy days point to and celebrate Him as Lord and Savior of all of creation. In keeping them, we are kept in Him!

The Fall Festivals at a Glance

Here is a brief calendar layout of the Fall Festivals in 2024. You can find more information about each holiday and their associated services down below!

Yom Teruah

What is it?

Yom Teruah (also known as Rosh Hashanah and/or The Feast of Trumpets) is a prophetic celebration marking the day we blow shofars/trumpets to announce the coming of our King and His Kingdom. We believe that God’s rule and reign came to us in Yeshua the Messiah nearly two thousand years ago.  Since that time His kingdom has been growing like a mustard seed and is filling the whole earth.  Yom Teruah celebrates Jesus as King and His kingdom as a present reality. Click here to read more about Yom Teruah.

Thinking about special meals for the celebration of Yom Teruah? Check out this resource!

Yom Teruah Service

Come celebrate Yom Teruah with us on Thursday, October 3rd at Clear Creek Valley Park (3700 W 58th Pl, Arvada, CO 80002) from 10:30am to 2:30pm! We will have a service with dancing, shofar blowing, Taslich, and a short message. Please bring a picnic lunch for you and your family as lunch will not be provided as well as park chairs or blankets, canopies, sunscreen, and other park day items as we will be located in the grass. Grills will not be available. Honey and apples will be provided as a reminder of the sweetness of the hope and glory we have through Yeshua in this new year. Don’t forget to bring your Shofar!  We hope to see you there!

Directions: We will be located at the amphitheater at the center of the park. There are two parking lots connected to the park, one on the east side and one on the west side.

Yom Teruah For The Whole Family

Watch these awesome videos with your kids leading up to Yom Teruah!

Yom Kippur

What is it?

Also, known as the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur is considered the most solemn day of the year. It is found primarily in Leviticus 16. For Israel, this day meant a complete cleansing from their sins as they waited for the high priest to take the blood of the sacrifice into the Holy of Holies to make atonement for their sins personally and corporately. Israel was called to humble themselves on this day in preparation for this necessary and costly atonement. Today the physical temple no longer exists but the temple of God, the dwelling presence, is now found in the person of Yeshua the Messiah. He is Immanuel - God with us! His death was the ultimate and final sacrifice for the sin of the world. He is the fullness of God’s atonement on our behalf. The Day of Atonement for us as believers is not as solemn as it is for those who have not received the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, but it is still important for us to search our hearts and humbly beseech God’s throne for forgiveness and mercy as we remember that price Jesus paid for our atonement. On this day, we honor our Savior by coming together before Him with repentance and thankfulness for all He has done! We invite you to join us as we reflect, pray, and worship together in observance of Yom Kippur. Click here to read more about Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur Prayer Vigil and Service

We will have a Yom Kippur prayer vigil on Friday, October 11th, at the Harvest from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. We will have a Yom Kippur service on Saturday, October 12th, at The Harvest from 10:30am to 12:30pm. On Yom Kippur it is not required, but traditional to wear white. If you are able, it is also a day of fasting*. This would be for healthy adults, not recommended for children, pregnant or nursing mothers, or individuals who need to take medication daily with a meal. Please contact us if you have questions.

*Disclaimer: The Harvest recommends consulting your physician before participating in the fast.

Sukkot

What is it?

Sukkot, the feast of booths, commemorates the wandering of the children of Israel in the desert when God commanded them to live in booths and it celebrates His presence that dwelt among them in the tabernacle during those forty years. Fast forward to Jesus's birth as the inaugural fulfillment of this feast! Yeshua (Immanuel) took on human flesh in order to“dwell” with us (John 1:14). This is the very essence of Sukkot; God becoming a man (Yeshua) and dwelling among us. During this feast we celebrate the incarnation of God in the birth of Jesus as the initial fulfillment of the meaning and promise of Sukkot! "You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It is a statute FOREVER throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month" (Leviticus 23:41).

Sukkot Day 1 Service

Shemini Atzeret

What is it?

This is the last annual holy day of the year. It marks and highlights the completion of the redemptive calendar. There is very little information given concerning this final holy day (see Lev 23:36). However, its name, “The Eighth Day” is significant and revealing. Why? Eight is the number of new beginnings in biblical numerology. Here are a few reasons why. We see new beginnings conceptualized in the flood account in which 8 people were chosen to be saved and re-start a new world. In addition, circumcision (a type and shadow of being born again) was to be performed on the 8th day. And, when we view time through the cosmic week of creation, we note that we are still in the 7th day (the Sabbath). When Yeshua comes again, we will move into the 8th day (the eternal age) and into a new heavens and earth forever – a perfected immortalized world without end! These are a few examples of the meaning of “8” in the Bible. So, even though there is little info about this concluding annual holy day, named Shemini Atzeret, “The Eighth Day”, there is enough revelation to understand that it points us to the culmination of redemption as seen in the final two chapters of the book of Revelation. In Messiah, we all shall rise out of our graves when He returns and receive new, immortalized, glorified bodies in the new heavens and new earth in the eternal age to come. This is the meaning of Shemini Atzeret – the eighth and final holy day on God’s redemptive calendar.

The Eighth Day Service

Join us Thursday, October 24th at Highland Heritage Regional Park (9651 S Quebec St, Highlands Ranch, CO 80130) for our Shemini Atzeret Celebration from 10:30am to 2:30pm! There will be dancing, a short teaching, and games for the whole family. Lunch will be provided while supplies last. See you there!

Directions: On google maps, you will find us south of the Highland Heritage Park in Shelters A, B, & C by the playground and sand volleyball courts. In addition, there is a small parking lot right next to the playground and more parking by the west fields. Here are the direct coordinates: 39.54124930913517, -104.91968642926408