Consuming Fire and Merciful Redeemer,
You set the pattern for the bronze altar
acacia wood overlaid with bronze,
square in shape,
horns on each corner,
a grate within,
and rings with poles to carry it.
Here the blood will be shed,
the offerings consumed,
and atonement made for the sins of the people.
This altar is the first thing one meets
upon entering the courtyard.
There is no bypassing sacrifice
to reach Your presence.
Every approach begins with the cost of sin
and the mercy You provide.
Around it, You design the courtyard
hangings of fine linen,
posts set in bronze sockets,
an entrance curtain on the east side
welcoming those who come to worship.
You command that a lamp be kept burning continually
in the tent of meeting,
tended by Aaron and his sons from evening to morning.
The light is never to go out,
for Your dwelling is never dark.
Lord, impress on me the order of approach
that forgiveness is the doorway to fellowship,
and sacrifice the path to joy.
Keep the light of Your presence burning in me,
not as a flicker that fades,
but as a flame continually fed by devotion.
Let the public square of my life
be as the courtyard of the tabernacle
a place where Your mercy is seen,
where Your light never dims,
and where the altar of Christ’s cross
is always the center.
In the name of Jesus,
the once for all sacrifice
and the Light that shines forever,
Amen.