The Weekly Perspective
by TJ Draper, Deacon
How many Christians today can delineate the ways in
which New Covenant worship differs from the old,
and why? Of course, most would say that we no
longer offer bloody sacrifices, and quite right it is to
say so. But there’s much here to uncover. We’ve
learned this summer from Pastor Thacker’s Sunday
School class the patterns of worship in the scripture,
and particularly in Leviticus that inform all of
worship. And now in chapter 2 of The Theopolitan
Vision in Pastor Shade’s class, we’re spending some
time on Biblical Worship. New Covenant worship is
(or should be), patterned on the worship of scripture,
but there are distinct differences. There is no longer a
veil to separate us from the Lord. As we’ve heard over
and over again, we are saints, and this means we have
sanctuary access. The sanctuary is where we find the
source of life in Christ.
You may note that in the Old Covenant, there were priests to mediate the relationship between God and the people, who had no sanctuary access. The priests represented the people before God. But in the New Covenant, our Lord Jesus has become the great high priest, and we have direct access. That’s one reason why we tend to use the nomenclature of minister or pastor. That role is related to that of priest, but not the same. These ministers of word and sacrament no longer go between us and God, but they instead minister in the name of God, leading us in the liturgy as we are lifted up into heaven itself to receive life through the means of grace. We then are equipped to bring this source of life to the world. That then, is our calling and mission: to heavenize the earth! Go therefore, all the more boldly, and give God thanks!