The Encounter Worship Series is a mid-week service of  “prayer and presence” taking place in conjunction with West End’s Wednesday evening dinner and programming.  Rev. Carol Cavin-Dillon, Senior Pastor, leads the service this evening, and Kyle and Rebecca Collier lead the music.  Tonight our scripture is Leviticus 16.29-34, the law for the Day of Atonement, a day when all of Israel atones for their sins together.  Judaism carries on that day in our time with Yom Kippur.  Carol asks us to imagine that we are gathered together in the presence of God, as described in Leviticus, with the sacrifice of two goats.  She asks us to imagine what of our sins we would offer up for atonement, something that we need to confess.  Then we are to imagine, in the context of ancient Israel, that the priest would lay that burden on the goat.  As New Testament people, we understand it is Jesus who can bear the burden of the things we offer for atonement, and we are asked to imagine our own process of atonement.  (NOTE: Below is a pdf of this evening’s program for viewing and/or downloading.)