Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:
The way one worships, determines their belief. The Church has always had practices that are not expressly commanded or forbidden by God’s Word.
Adiaphora describes these practices. Adiaphora means “things morally indifferent” or “nonessentials in faith or conduct.” Adiaphora are matters left to Christian judgment and are done in Christian freedom.
There is another phrase that we should be familiar with: “Lex orandi, lex credendi,” which means, “the rule of worship, determines the rule of belief.”
So, the things morally indifferent, those nonessentials in faith or conduct, do actually matter. There is no law that says Christian churches must worship at a particular time of day, but each congregation must pick a time to worship.
Tonight, we will begin a Lenten study on what adiaphora teaches, since those things that we may think do not particularly matter, do actually matter. Each week, we will focus on sights and sounds at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. Tonight, we will focus on the places of grace.
Church furnishings confess what we are doing in the worship space. When you enter any church, you can immediately see what that church identifies as important.
For churches that emphasize the Word over the Sacraments, often the altar disappears and all you have is a pulpit. For churches that emphasize the Sacrament of the Altar, over and against the proclamation of the Word, you may see a very large altar and not a place to preach from. And there are churches that don’t emphasize either Word or Sacrament. In those churches, such as the Quakers, the parishioners gather in a circle and there is no altar and no pulpit.
Church furnishings are a confession. Here at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, you can see what is important to us and why we gather here.
First, let’s look at the altar. What’s the point of the altar? Well, the altar is much like the cross or crucifix, as it is the place of life.
Jesus said to Nicodemus, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, what whoever believes in Him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life”(John 3:14-16). The altar is this sign of life. This is why we have an altar cross. That altar cross is there to proclaim that from this altar, we receive life.
In the Old Testament times, altars were the place of death and sacrifice. Today, because of Christ the crucified who died for our sins, we receive forgiveness and life through His broken body and shed blood given and shed for us! From that altar, the very Lamb of God is here to forgive your sins and strengthen your faith to life everlasting! Today, that altar is not just the symbol of death, but it is also the symbol of Christ’s resurrection and our resurrection!
That altar is central to our faith. That is why our altar is in the center of the chancel and not off to the left or to the right or hidden from our view. Everything in this space is arranged around the altar. And when I speak toward the altar, I speak on behalf of myself. And when I speak away from the altar, I speak on behalf of God as His called servant of the Word.
From that altar, we receive the risen and ascended Christ’s body and blood under bread and wine for the forgiveness of our sins. That altar is the place of eternal life! From there, we eat in fellowship with God and with one another, along with the angels, the archangels, and the whole company of heaven. That altar is the very meeting place of heaven and earth!
To each side of the altar, we have the lectern and pulpit. This shows that God’s Word is held sacred among us. Now, what’s the point of the pulpit? Is it to have a grand place for the pastor to preach? Is it to elevate the pastor? Well, in typical Lutheran fashion, it’s a yes and no answer.
You see, the original intention for the pulpit was so the pastor could be heard. Before we had microphones, the pulpit would help amplify the pastor’s voice so that all could hear the proclamation of God’s Word.
Today, we have microphones and state of the art sound systems. So, what’s the point of the pulpit today? Well, during the Reformation, pulpits took on a special prominence as the main symbol of the centrality and authority of Scripture in the church. So, even with microphones and sound systems, the pulpit furniture is teaching that from that place, the pulpit, the authoritative Word of God norms the congregation’s confession, teaching and life together. This pulpit also serves as a reminder that the pulpit isn’t about the preacher, but about the proclamation, as this furniture removes the focus from the pastor and puts the focus on the Word of God.
Lastly, tonight, I’d like to focus on another piece of church furniture that isn’t in the chancel, but it is a prominent fixture. As we enter Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, we pass by the font. That baptismal font is the first place we receive Christ’s benefits through the water and the Word in Holy Baptism. That font is a continuous reminder that Baptism is a continuous gift of God and not just for one moment of time. So, every time you walk by that font, you can remember how you became a child of God through Holy Baptism.
That font confesses your new birth. Your rebirth through water and the Word through the Holy Spirit.
From that font, the Triune God first called you, He first gathered you, and He first enlightened you to faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior so that you would hear His Word preached and partake of the forgiveness of sins and receive strength for your faith from His altar.
So, what do these furnishings confess?
Here stands the font before our eyes,
Telling how God has received us.
The altar recalls Christ’s sacrifice
And what His Supper here gives us.
Here sound the Scriptures that proclaim
Christ yesterday, today, the same,
And evermore, our Redeemer. (Built on the Rock, LSB 645, stanza 4).
Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +
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