The Collect for Wednesday before Easter
ASSIST us mercifully with thy help, O Lord God of our salvation; that we may enter with joy upon the meditation of those mighty acts, whereby thou hast given unto us life and immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle
Hebrews ix. 16.
It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us …
Holy Week … when the faithful observe the most important events in the history of the world, when churches should be sounding the praises of God in Jesus Christ. What a sad and somber shock then that so many churches will be empty, silent. We may share in some of the confusion of those multitudes who welcomed the Son of David to Jerusalem, wondering what this all means. What makes Holy Week holy? Will the churches be silent this week? So great a salvation “whereby thou hast given us life and immortality” cannot and will not go lacking praise, adoration, glory and honor. For “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” (St. Luke 19:40)
Hebrews 9 places before us the great High Priestly work of Jesus Christ, for us and for our salvation. Jesus Christ entered into heaven itself, flesh and blood now entering the Holy of Holies, inheriting the kingdom of God, appearing in the presence of God … for us. How, then, can we neglect so great a salvation? Hebrews contrasts the greater person and work of Jesus Christ with the OT types and shadows:
Jesus is a greater revealer of God than the angels (Heb 1, 2)
Jesus is a greater mediator than Moses (Heb 3)
Jesus is a greater rest-provider than Joshua (Heb 4)
Jesus is a greater high priest than Aaron (Heb 5-10)
For our sakes Jesus our High Priest entered into heaven itself, the true tent, the tabernacle made without hands. The OT tabernacle and worship was “a copy and shadow of the heavenly things,” of heavenly realities. Note the contrasts between the OT copy and shadow and the heavenly reality in Hebrews:
The Mosaic tabernacle
on earth (8:4ff)
an earthly sanctuary (9:1)
set up by man
made with hands
of this creation (9:11)
a copy and a shadow (8:5)
a copy (9:24)
The Heavenly reality
in heaven (8:1)
set up by the Lord (8:2)
not made with hands
not of this creation (9:11)
the true tent (8:2)
the true sanctuary (9:24)
the greater and more perfect tent (9:11)
heaven itself (9:24)
The early Church was consciously aware, in its architecture and worship, of the heavenly reality Jesus had opened unto us. Heaven is restored … Jesus Christ being the earnest and pledge of our redemption. For we, too, have entered the heavenly realties in Jesus Christ. St Paul presents this joyful reality in Colossians:
2:9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
3:1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Our faith is the substance of things hoped for, the reality of things not seen. And this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us … Christ in us the hope of glory (Col 1:27)! The Church summons us to enter with joy upon the meditation of the mighty acts of Holy Week. We cannot remain silent! We shall praise God joyfully with a loud voice:
“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord;
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
JSH+