I appreciated the feedback on “Words to Enter Church By” (the additional idea of Ephesians 4:32 being another good one to consider). On any Sunday, after the church entry, most people make their way to the sanctuary, where there are again opportunities for impressions and messages that are sent by virtue of what is done with and in that space. As we have been in the process of designing some “chancel furniture,” one of the questions that people often ask is, “what about the altar?”

Anita and I generally and consistently refer to this piece of furniture as “the table.” Our language choice has been motivated by the notion that the ancient purpose of an “altar” was for “sacrifice.” Jesus was pretty clear in his teachings: “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’” With the completion of his ministry, any need for atoning sacrifice was taken care of, and the cross is the symbol of that reality. Thus, I prefer “table” as the label for that piece of furniture, remembering the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper and our gathering around it as a community for that ritual, as being more in keeping with what Jesus had in mind for our worship.

But this language shift on this piece of furniture seems slow in coming. Am I too narrow in my understanding of what an altar symbolizes? Is the language too deeply entrenched to change? Are we unrealistic to be lone voices trying to shift this paradigm of 2,000 years of church practice?