Many modern churches are circular with the sanctuary in the middle of the congregation and the choir off to one side. However, regardless of the pattern of the building—cruciform, rectangular, or round—every church has an entrance way, a nave, and a sanctuary, and each section has its own appropriate furnishings.
In many churches the baptismal font is the first thing one sees upon entering the west door. This is a reminder that everyone enters the fellowship of believers through the sacrament of Holy Baptism. That is when “God adopts us as his children and makes us members of Christ's Body, the Church, and inheritors of the kingdom of God” (BCP*, pg. 858). Sometimes, the font is in the front part of the nave. This is partly for practical reasons—so members of the congregation can see and hear better what takes place when one is baptized, and partly for symbolic reasons—font and altar are both placed prominently because they remind us of the two sacraments instituted by our Lord as necessary to salvation.
In many churches there is a Litany desk at the head of the center aisle. At this prayer desk the Litany is said. Its position reminds us that the Litany (BCP, pg. 148) was originally said or sung while walking in procession with the officiating minister in front. Singing the Litany in procession is still the regular practice at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and a number of other churches, as well. The Litany desk is often removed when not in use.
There are two prominent pieces of furniture at the front, in or near the chancel. One is the lectern—the reading stand on which rests the Holy Bible (the name “lectern” comes from the Latin word for reading). The lectern is sometimes in the form of an eagle, a symbol of inspiration and representing the flight of the Gospel throughout the world. The other is the pulpit, a raised platform from which the minister preaches the Word of God and applies its meaning to the lives of hearers. In the Holy Eucharist, the sermon follows the reading of the Gospel and is intended to be an explanation of its meaning. From this ancient practice comes the expression “preaching the Gospel.”
The choir stalls or seats as well as those of the participating clergy are in the front of the chancel.
The most prominent object in a church is the altar upon which the Holy Communion part of the Holy Eucharist is celebrated. The altar is also called the Lord's Table, the Holy Table, or simply the Table (BCP, pgs. 341, 361, 573, 574). In some churches, the altar is made of marble. In others, it is made of wood and may really be a table. Several steps lead up to it from the nave and it is guarded by a railing called variously the chancel rail, altar rail, or communion rail.
Back of the altar there is a shelf upon which the altar cross and other ornaments stand. This is the retable or gradin. The little box-like compartment which is built into the retable of many altars is the tabernacle in which the sacrament is kept for the purpose of administering to the sick.
The carved screen of wood or stone which rises behind and above the altar is the reredos. Reredos means back. A curtain or dossal, or sometimes a painting, replaces it in many churches.
The altar has not always stood against the east wall of the church. At one time it sat permanently in the middle of the nave. Later, because the Holy Table was not being treated with proper respect, it was placed against the east wall and a rail was added to protect it from desecration. Before the American Revolution, lectern and pulpit were often in another part of the building, usually along the north wall, and only the Holy Table and chairs for the clergy were enclosed within the altar rail. After the Revolution, more and more churches had altar, lectern, and pulpit grouped together at the east end of the building. In the middle 1800's, the chancel arrangement of many present-day churches came into vogue. The revived liturgical interest of recent decades has had as one of its results the moving of the altar to a freestanding position in the chancel so that the priest can celebrate the Eucharist facing the people.
The cross that stands on the retable reminds us of our Lord's death and resurrection—his sacrifice for us and for the sin of the whole world, and his rising again whereby we have victory over sin and death. It is this “blessed passion and precious death,” this “mighty resurrection and glorious ascension” that we commemorate and celebrate at every Eucharist. In many churches, candles are placed on either side of the cross in order to beautify the sanctuary. In earlier times, the primary reason for a candle or candles on the altar was in order that the celebrant could see. Gaslight and electricity came much later. There continue to be candles on the altar today, because what started out as an aid to physical seeing has now become an aid to the eyes of our minds, helping us to see more in the service. The lighted candles remind us that Jesus Christ is the “Light of the world” (John 8:12). He is “the true light that enlightens everyone” who “believes in him” (John 1:4-12). The lighted candles signify also the joy and splendor that are ours because of the light of the Gospel of Christ. The number of candles varies in different churches and in accordance with the importance of the occasion. A sanctuary lamp burning before the altar indicates that the Blessed Sacrament is reserved.
Flowers also beautify the sanctuary. We take for granted this use of living beauty from God's world of nature as a most natural way to enhance the beauty of our celebration, but this practice has not always been acceptable. At one time, it was considered a sacrilege to place anything around the altar which was not associated with the celebration of the Eucharist. Fortunately, that prohibition has passed. Now there is hardly a church large or small that does not add to the grandeur of the celebration of the Lord's Supper with the beauty of flowers, lovingly-arranged.
It is customary also to adorn the altar with beautiful hangings of silk and other rich material. These hangings have varied considerably through the centuries. In colonial times in this country, for example, the Holy Table was covered with a red or green “carpet” of silk or some other expensive material (although in some churches the material was felt) which extended down to the floor on all sides. During the penitential seasons of Advent and Lent, however, the Table in some churches was completely bare. When there was a celebration of the Holy Communion a white linen tablecloth, reaching almost to the floor, was put over the usual covering. In the latter part of the 1800's the “new” custom of using seasonal colors began, first in a few, then in most, and by 1920 in almost all American churches. These hangings are of colors that convey something of the mood of the various seasons of the Church Year and are embroidered with a variety of Christian emblems. The large hanging which covers the front of the altar is the frontal, and the shorter one which hangs over it is the frontlet or super-frontal.
*Here, and in the remainder of this book, BCP refers to The Book of Common Prayer, 1979.
Chapter 4
Symbolism
The Church has a language of symbols or signs. We experience the language of symbols every day. For example, when we see a yellow road sign with a large plus mark on it we know we are approaching an intersection. Christian symbols remind us of great Christian truths. They are used to decorate and beautify the House of God. The following are a few examples of symbols:
Cross—The most important of all Christian symbols is the cross that reminds us of our Lord's death on Calvary. It was traced on our foreheads in baptism in token that we were “sealed by the Holy Spirit…and marked as Christ's own forever.” To sign one's self with the sign of the cross is both an act of devotion and a profession of faith. This symbol has many forms. Here are a few of them.
Latin cross: This is the cross of western Christendom.
Greek cross: The four equal arms of this cross suggest the Church's mission to the four corners of the world to every race, nation, and class of people.
LATIN