How the Tabernacle of Moses informs our gatherings
Every week, we gather as a church family to sing, pray, share in the Lord’s Table, open God’s Word, and respond to Him. These are familiar rhythms, but have you ever considered how all these moments work together?
One of the things that shapes how we plan our gatherings is the idea that every gathering is a journey. Not a journey to earn our way into God’s presence, but one that reminds us of who God is, what He has done through Jesus, and how we are invited to respond.
A biblical picture that has shaped this approach, for me, is the Tabernacle of Moses, which we read about in Exodus. Every part of the Tabernacle communicated something about who God is and how His people could approach Him. And ultimately, every part points us to Jesus.
Now, there’s a lot we could unpack here, and I’m about to cover several chapters of Exodus in roughly 500 words. So, to every Bible scholar reading this, forgive me. To everyone else, hang with me. I promise this connects to what we do on Sundays.
The Gate: Thanksgiving and Praise
The journey began at the gate, the only entrance into the Tabernacle courtyard. To enter, you would pass through a large beautiful curtain, a physical reminder that you were moving toward the presence of a holy God. There was only one way in. This might remind you of something Jesus said in John 14:6.
When we begin our gatherings we do our best to echo Psalm 100:4,
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!
We turn our attention toward God, remembering His goodness, celebrating His faithfulness, and declaring who He is together. It’s an invitation to leave behind the distractions we carried into the room and fix our eyes on Jesus.
The Altar: Sacrifice
Next was the bronze altar, where sacrifices were offered for sin. This points directly to the finished work of Jesus on the cross. He is the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb of God who gave Himself for us once and for all.
Whether through songs that remind us of the gospel or sharing in the Lord’s Table, we regularly make space to remember what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf.
As Mark reminds us almost every week, “We must always remind ourselves of the gospel.” Not just what we’ve been saved to, but what we’ve been saved from. We remember the weight of our sin, the greatness of His sacrifice, and the grace we’ve received through Jesus.
The Laver: Cleansing
Before entering the Holy Place, the priests washed at the bronze basin. This gives us a picture of confession and cleansing. As we encounter God’s holiness, we become more aware of the areas of our lives that don’t reflect Him. But because of Christ’s redemptive work, we don’t approach these moments with fear or shame, but with confidence.
There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1
We make room for confession and repentance, allowing the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and lead us back to Jesus. Sometimes this is through a moment of prayer or a corporate reading of confession, but it is most often found in our invitation after the sermon to reflect, reorient, or to speak with someone at the response tables.
The Holy Place: Fellowship and Prayer
Inside the Holy Place were three things: the table of bread, the lampstand, and the altar of incense.
Each gives us another picture of our relationship with God.
- The bread points to Jesus as the bread of life, who sustains us.
- The lampstand reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world, who leads us in truth.
- The incense represents the prayers of God’s people rising before Him.
This part of the journey reminds us that we don’t gather just to learn more information about God. We gather to know Him.
Through prayer, Scripture, and the teaching of God’s Word, we’re reminded of our need for His wisdom, direction, provision, and presence. Our prayers move beyond asking God for what we need and instead, asking for more of Him. He is the prize, the treasure, and the goal.
The Holy of Holies: God’s Presence
At the center of the Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies, where God’s presence was uniquely revealed. Under the old covenant, only the high priest could enter, and only once a year.
But when Jesus died, the veil was torn from top to bottom. Through Him, we now have access to the Father. Everything points us toward being with God. Not because we’ve sung enough songs or prayed the right prayers, but because Jesus has made the way.
Sometimes we respond through singing, prayer, or simply sitting quietly before Him. We don’t want to manufacture a moment, but we do want to make space to respond to the God who has drawn near through Jesus.
It All Points to Jesus
Jesus fulfills what every part of the Tabernacle pointed toward. He is the way in, our sacrifice, our cleansing, our provision, and our great High Priest. I don’t try to recreate the Tabernacle every Sunday, and our gatherings don’t always follow this exact order. But this picture has helped shape how I think about the moments we share together.
The songs, prayers, Scripture, Lord’s Table, and teaching aren’t just individual pieces of a service. They’re opportunities to help us see and respond to the gospel. And while the structure may change from week to week, our desire remains the same: that we would see Jesus more clearly, remember what He has done, and respond to Him more fully.
Love y’all. See ya Sunday.
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