Monday, August 8, 2011
IT'S MORE THAN JUST EYE CANDY
When a person enters a church there are many furnishings and decorations that attract the eye. These things however, while very nice to look at, are not there for the sake of decoration alone. They are there to enhance our worship of the Lord. The altar calls to mind the sacrifice Christ made on our behalf. The baptismal font remains visible even on days when there is no baptism, for it puts each of us in mind of the day God put His name on us through that special sacrament. Stained glass windows might tell of important events in the life of Jesus. And the paraments, those cloths that decorate the altar, lectern, and pulpit, they are not colored to match the shade of the carpet or the paint on the walls, but each color is specific to a season of the church year and recalls certain Bible truths.
The next time you enter your church building prior to worship, why not spend a few moments meditating on the things you see around you that have been placed there to enhance your understanding and appreciation of your Savior. (It would be time better spent than chatting across the pews about the price of eggs, wouldn't it?) Let your morning prayers wander about the church as your gaze wanders. What wondrous things our God has done for us!
Here stands the font before our eyes
Telling how God did receive us;
The altar recalls Christ's sacrifice
And what His table doth give us;
Here sounds the Word that doth proclaim
Christ yesterday, today, the same,
Yea, and for aye our Redeemer.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 467:6)
