Altar Extension

Today prior to worship, Jack was sharing the pastoral concerns with the congregation. This is the time when he tells of us deaths, illnesses - those items which need our prayer and concern. An older member of our congregation died late last week. A tradition of our congregation is that a white carnation is placed on the altar in memory of someone who has died.

This Sunday, the altar was covered in flowers and a very large nativity scene that we use each year. If he had placed the bud vase with the flower on the altar, no one would have seen it. Instead, he had placed it on the altar rail. As he announced the member's death, and pointed out the white carnation, he said, "I hope you will excuse me for extending the altar out to this point since the flower would have been hidden if we had placed it in its usual location."

That phrase caught my mind. Extended the altar. Merriam Webster defines altar as a place where sacrifices are made to the Lord -- the center of worship.

Perhaps our altar needs to be extended on a regular basis. Perhaps we need to realize that we are called at all times to give ourselves to God and to worship him.

Our faith is one of extended altars.