Today's Devotion
Monday After Easter, April 6, 2026 - Heb 9:1-28
In the name of + Jesus. Amen.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The author of Hebrews explains the “regulations for worship” in the “first covenant.” He makes reference to the tabernacle that God commanded the Israelites to build (Ex 26-31). It was a place of beauty, with the Most Holy Place being where the Presence of God dwelt. It was a place unlike anything else on earth: precious metals, beautiful fabric, the “bread of the Presence,” vested priests, and incense.
Many Christians consider this worship (and its “regulations”) a thing of the past, something we have outgrown. Our worship is now free to be anything, even a stage with performers imitating the best entertainment that the world has to offer. Many consider the idea of a Most Holy Place where God’s Presence dwells, a place of beauty and reverence, to be a thing of the past. But Scripture teaches us otherwise. For these details of the tabernacle were “copies of the heavenly things,” that is, “copies of the true things, but into heaven itself,” in which “Christ has entered.” For this true sanctuary where Christ entered was not “made with hands,” but was built by God Himself.
What has changed between the covenants is that Jesus is our High Priest and our Victim. He completed the token sacrifices that used to be offered “repeatedly,” that is, the earthly preview of “the blood of goats and calves.” He has offered “His own blood” as the fulfillment. And as the High Priest, He entered “once for all into the holy places,” entering on our behalf, “securing an eternal redemption” for us.
So our sanctuaries ought to continue to copy the “heavenly things,” which is to say, our worship should remind everyone of the sanctuary of the tabernacle and temple. The “earthly place of holiness” should still be beautiful, otherworldly, and reverent, pointing us to what the eternal worship in heaven looks like. For worship is not about our entertainment, but rather our confession of Christ our High Priest and Lamb, our “once for all” sacrifice offered for “the purification of the flesh,” the “sacrifice of Himself.” The “bread of the Presence” has been fulfilled by the body of Christ. The blood of beasts has been fulfilled by the “cup” which is “the new covenant in [Christ’s] blood” (1 Cor 11:25). The sacrifice is not repeated, but the “sacrament” – that is, the “mystery” – is distributed, eaten, and drunk by Christians “in remembrance of” our Great High Priest, “as often” (1 Cor 11:25) as we “do this” (1 Cor 11:24-25).
Christian worship of the New Covenant fulfills the Israelite worship of the Old Covenant. For our worship is not limited to temples in Jerusalem or on Mount Gerizim, but rather we worship “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:21-24) all over the world in copies of the heavenly temple, places where the Good News is proclaimed, where the true Bread of the Presence is distributed, and where the true blood of the Lamb is shared from the cup.
Our worship in earthly copies will continue until our Lord returns. For “Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.” And this mystery of faith, this heavenly worship that we are privileged to join in earthly copies, this Presence of our High Priest and Lamb, this cry of “Worthy!” that we offer to the only one who can break the seals (Rev 5:1-14) is far greater than any emotionally-manipulative performance or stage show made by hands.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thank you