St. Matthews Anglican Church - Newsletter
St Matthews Newsletter - March 2004
"And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to One of the greatest mysteries of the universe is that the Creator of the universe actually became incarnate and allowed Himself to become physically a part of it. He allowed Himself to be born and experienced life as we do in the world He created. What is really hard to understand is why He did it even though the Holy Scriptures are clear as to the purpose of His visit. Our Lord's purpose for coming to this world in a physical form was incredibly a rescue mission. He came personally to redeem and set right His creation that had been marred and polluted by sin. He also came to confirm and re-affirm God's commitment to His created beings whom He loves with a sacrificial love. The veil in the temple referred to in the scripture passage above was put in place to cover the door to the holy of holies so that no one could view the interior of it. It was also meant to be a barrier to separate and prevent those unworthy from entering and from being punished by God for doing so. The holy of holies was a room in the temple of Jerusalem where God was present in a cloud to accept the sacrificial offerings of the high priest on the Day of Atonement. The holy of holies was also the place where the Ark of the Covenant resided which contained the two stone tablets on which were written the Ten Commandments, the rod of Aaron that budded, and some of the manna the children of Israel ate in the wilderness on their way from Egypt to the promise land. The ark of the covenant was a box made of acacia wood covered with pure gold about two and a half feet tall, two and a half feet wide and three and a half feet long. The mercy seat, which was the lid of the ark, was decorated with gold and with two cherubim kneeling and facing each other with out-stretched wings. It was considered the throne of God and the ark itself was His foot stool. It was also upon the lid of the Ark of the Covenant that the results of the sacrifices of the Day of Atonement were sprinkled and offered to God for the sins of the people of Israel. Although the Ark of the Covenant disappeared with the destruction of the first temple and thus was not in the second temple, the holy of holies was still considered the place where heaven touched earth and God met with His chosen people. The only one who was allowed to go into the holy of holies was the high priest who only entered in on the Day of Atonement to offer God the sacrifice required to reconcile the people to Him for the sins they had committed during the previous year. When our Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross, His death
was received as the once and for all atonement for the sins of all
mankind, and in this manner He reconciled man to God. Now unlimited
access and forgiveness of sin was granted to those who approach God
with a truly humble and repentant heart. A veil, whether visible or
invisible, no longer separated one from the presence of God, and access
to Him is granted to all who truly seek Him. Thus "the veil of the
temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom" because it was
no longer needed. "Praise be to Thee, O Christ". In Christ's Service, Father Bill |
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