Jesus the Head of the Church
Jesus is the head of the world-wide church and we are all members of Christ’s body. Worship comes from the heart of a Christian and we are called to worship in Spirit and truth believing that Jesus is God made visible in the flesh and that he is Lord.
The churches diversity in worship is expressed in a variety of ways that enriches our fellowship with the Lord and with other Christians.
The Anglican church Building
Most Anglican Churches have been designed with the sanctuary at the east end of the building. Our worship faces towards Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, the church watches for Jesus’ return.
“And on that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives which lies before Jerusalem.” Zechariah 14: 4.
1. Communion table.
2. Sanctuary and communion rail, with provision for kneeling.
3. Pulpit, used by clergy for gospel readings and sermons.
4. Lectern with Bible, used by lay readers for scripture readings.
5. Boundary between nave and chancel; usually the floor of the chancel is three steps higher than the floor of the nave.
6. Congregation.
7. The chancel.
8. The nave, where the congregation sits
The church building floor plan designed with spiritual application.
The Lord’s table representing the New Covenant is the central focus in the sanctuary.
The word sanctuary meaning a sacred place.
The sanctuary represents the most sacred place in the temple at Jerusalem called The Holy of Holies, it was established under the Laws of Moses. The meeting place between God and the high priest found in the Old Covenant which has been superseded by the New Covenant which represents the meeting place between Christ and his body of believers.
C. W Slemming in his book ‘Made According to the Pattern’ writes, “The Old and the New Testament agree, the Old foretelling the New, and the New fulfilling the Old. The same applies to the “written” and the “living” Word. God’s Word is in harmony with Christ’s life, and Christ came not to destroy the law but to fulfil it. Whilst the cherubim face each other they are not looking at each other – that is, they were looking towards the blood. The Old Testament in type and shadow, in doctrine and example, looks forward to Calvary and the shedding of blood while the New Testament looks back to Calvary and tells us that we are redeemed by the blood of Christ.”
The Old Testament in type and shadow.
St. John writing at the end of the first century wrote: “Then the disciples went back to their homes. But Mary (Magdalene) stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been laid, one at the head and one at the feet.” John 20; 10-12.
Mary saw the angels as she stooped and looked into the tomb, the two angels sitting on the rock one where Jesus feet had been and the other where his head had been laid. This scene resembled the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant.
On the Day of Atonement God met with the high priest in the Holy of Holies in the temple at Jerusalem. The high priest carried the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkled the blood between the two cherubim that faced each other on the lid of the Ark called the ‘Mercy Seat,’ the blood made atonement for sin. Leviticus 16: 14, 15.
Matthew Henry’s Commentary page 424 confirms this view with the two angels reminding us of the two cherubim on the mercy seat.
2000 years ago when John wrote this it would have been unthinkable for a woman to glimpse behind the veil of the Holy of Holies.
The Holy of Holies was the prototype, in the tomb it actually took place.
C.M. Slemming states that the Old Testament is in type and shadow, so was the tomb the real Holy of Holies? The angels they were real, the sacrifice was real. Jesus the perfect sacrifice was carried into the tomb by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. Jesus the high priest offered his own life’s blood as the final sacrifice for sin, having been slain at Calvary outside the city walls.
Jesus came not to destroy the law but to fulfil it.
In the Old Testament under law the red heifer was the offering made for sin and death and was slain outside the city walls. Alfred Edersheim’s book ‘The Temple’ page 347-353
The Messiah’s Secret - page 154
The risen body of Jesus was the fulfilment of the entire temple rituals and sacrifices. Jesus, the perpetual light, is a continual light that burns in the world through the truth of the Gospel. He is the eternal high priest offering his own life’s blood as a sacrifice for sin. The altar of incense, Jesus the intercessor between God and humankind, “And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him.”1 John 5: 14, 15. The laver, cleansed by his word, the living water of the Word. John 15: 3. The vine, the living witness, the church, the life of Jesus in the world. Entrance into God’s seventh day of rest through the complete work of Jesus in his death, resurrection and ascension.”
God met with the high priest and spoke with him in the Holy of Holies
God communicated with his people in the Holy of Holies. “”There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat from between the two cherubim that are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you of all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.” Exodus 25: 22
Jesus spoke with Mary
Mary established that it was Jesus who she was speaking to and not the gardener.
God had raised Jesus from the dead, he was the first fruit of the resurrection. Some time before Jesus had told Martha at her house, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.” John 11: 25, 26.
Jesus said to Mary Magdalene, “ Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.”
Here Jesus is referring to his ascension in connection with the offering of himself to God as the atoning sacrifice, his sacrifice had to be excepted by God and it was.
The writer of Hebrews 9:14 "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God."
Jesus did a complete work in his death and resurrection, "Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these." Hebrews 9:24.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary at some point later in the morning after telling the disciples they met Jesus, they recognised him and touched his feet.
"And behold Jesus met them,"Hail!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me." Matthew 28: 9, 10.
On the evening of the Day of the Resurrection Jesus appeared in the room where the disciples where gathered. They were now able to touch him and he ate some food. Luke 24: 39,42
The Psalmist foretold of the Messiah’s return to heaven.
How the angels must have rejoiced at the sight of him coming towards them,” Lift up ye heads , O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. Who is the King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! “ Psalm 24: 7-10
Jesus gave commandment to Mary “But go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God.”
Just as the high priest had received instructions from God to give to the people of Israel. Mary was instructed by Jesus to deliver his message to the brethren. In giving Mary this message Jesus gave her his authority to minister his word to the brethren.
The Glory of God
“There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory.” Exodus 29: 43
C. W Slemming in his book ‘Made According to the Pattern’
“Between these cherubim and above the mercy seat was the Shekinah glory. The word shekinah does not occur in our Bible at all, it is an Hebrew word. But here, in the Glory cloud, did the Lord dwell, and here it is that God met with Israel. It is still the place where God meets man, for that place is between the pages of his Word and on the ground of shed blood.”
The presence of the glory cloud of the Trinity can be seen in our churches stained glass windows. A circle of light painted around the heads of people. Twenty eight years ago I saw the glory of God (shekinah glory) around the head of Rev Ronald Freeman. It was at an evening event in the Parish Hall Ron was at least five metres away from me and people were chatting and walking about the well lit room, as I turned and looked across I had a side view of him talking to a lady. I saw the golden light arched around his head and in the light the word in brilliant white, ‘love.’
On three other occasions I’ve seen the shekinah glory of the Lord in the faces of Christians.
A young man who had learning difficulties shared the gospel with my sister and myself and his face shone.
A lady who was giving her testimony at a church mission and another lady who was a customer at my market stall when she began to talk me about Jesus her face lit up. It was as they spoke about Jesus their faces shone, it was as if a light had been switched on within them.
It may be that when you are speaking to someone about Jesus that your face is shining with the shekinah glory of the Lord.
Communion with the sanctified Christ“They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.” John 17: 16-19.
God’s Spirit calls Christians to gather in worship to give Jesus the highest honour and praise. The celebration of the New Covenant, the Communion between Jesus and his body of believers, challenges us to live the sanctified life.
When we become a Christian a process of change takes place within us as the living word begins the work of shaping our lives to become more like the consecrated Jesus, his life was separated by his words and deeds to do the work of God his Father. He was in the world but not part of it.
The Lord calls us to consecrate our lives to show Christ’s love to our neighbour. Putting into practice Jesus’ teaching that often means denying self (me) its dominance. Often I fail to live up to the word of love, but by acknowledging my failings and sometimes my lack of faith, the Lord in his love and forgiveness draws me closer to himself and blesses me, his cup of grace running over in my life.
Communion Table
In union with our heavenly Father, and our Saviour Jesus Christ and our brothers and sisters in Christ,in partaking of the bread and wine which are the tokens of the new covenant, we take up our cross daily of self denial, and offer to the Lord our lives as a sacrifice of praise with thanksgiving,
