Thursday morning and I’m feeling a bit strung out and maybe a bit hung-over? No, I didn’t go out and tie one on last night, but evening service was really good – Again. (seems they always are) I was blessed to see more and more people going to the altar at the beginning of service and even before services. This is so terribly missing in most churches today. We come in and gab about this and that and what is going on in our life (and setting up where we will eat afterward), but we forget WHY we are there. The services are programed and choreographed to the exact minute. But where is God in all this? I love that I can come in and the cross is on the high-place and I can kneel on the steps to worship with others.
By worship, I don’t mean what the modern church calls worship. I mean old-fashioned, Old Testament Worship. Face down before my Lord. Exalting Him above me and honoring Him. It is in those times that there is no music, no grand speeches, no singing; it is just me, bowing before the Creator of all things. So many have forgotten (or perhaps never knew) how to truly worship.
Too many churches have the choir and the pulpit on the “high-place” and the altar is down below, at ground level. To me, that says something, but that something is not good at all. It is likely inadvertent or perhaps a bit ignorant that we switched the altar to the low-place and the pulpit to the high-place. I would hate to think it was deliberate (that would change things from simply ignorance to stupidity), but the statement is there, regardless of the reason. Men and choirs have been physically placed above the altar, so is the symbolism in that gesture.
Although I disagree with some of the teachings of the Catholic Church, I can agree with one thing for certain – The location of the main altar. This is the most-high-place in the sanctuary. The symbolic reverence is there. The “Holy of Holies” is above all else and is revered as sacred. God is seen as above all. The pulpit and the choir are lower and away from the most holy place. This says something about who God is.
Certainly, the Holy Spirit dwells in us and with us, but we have become rather flippant in our adoration to the One who can hold the universe in His hands. We give more honor and respect to police and mayors and other officials, than we give the One God who has the power to set them in place or remove them from those positions.
Jesus died a horrific death, just so we could be saved and have eternal life. Jesus took OUR punishment. This was not a minor thing. I have received visions of what took place and they horrified me. The movie, “The Passion of the Christ”, did not do justice to the brutal murder of Jesus. Jesus should have died when he was scourged. Any normal man would have, but He had not suffered enough for sins we have done, and continue to do. But Jesus, God made man, took our penalties WILLINGLY. He did not have to do this but He did it out of Love for us. When was the last time someone was willing to be beaten and whipped and nailed to a post to bleed to death for you…So you could live? When was the last time you got on the floor and honored God, and thanked Him for what he has done – Willingly?
Let’s put the pulpit and the music leaders and so on, back on the main floor – With all the rest of the people. Then, let’s put the altar back on the High-Place, where it belongs. Once that is done, I think you can figure out the rest.
We can all climb Sinai now. But the High-Place still belongs to God, not us.
1st Journey 