Thoughts on the Divine Service
34. Candles - Part 1
Dear friends,
Once again, one long nerdy note, this time about … candles.
There are two things to discuss: the candles and their flames when lit.
Candles have been a feature of Christian worship since Exodus 25:31-40, when the Lord first gave instructions about furnishing the tabernacle. There, He commanded a sizeable lampstand with a total of seven lights—three branches on each side of the central stem. The cups of which held the oil were to be made like almond blossoms, with calyx and flower.
What with “stem,” “branch,” “almond blossoms,” “calyx” and “flower,” there’s a lot of “tree” language used to describe the lampstand. This wasn’t the only reference to flora in tabernacle: for instance, the high priest’s robe featured embroidered pomegranates along the hem (Ex. 28-23).
Practically, the lampstand was important because it served as the only source of light in the tabernacle, and it wouldn’t do for priests to bumble in the dark and knock over the altar of incense. Theologically, the lampstand was busy teaching: in effect, a “tree” stood in the midst of the tabernacle to light the Holy Place, and its six branches + stem might remind one of the week of creation, where God created all things in six days and rested on the seventh.
In other words, the lampstand was to remind worshipers of the Garden of Eden, where God was present with Adam and Eve in Paradise, and where the Tree of Life stood in the midst of the garden. This imagery was so fitting for the tabernacle, because God was now present with His people in that tent, though hidden behind a veil in the Most Holy Place because of their sin.
Of course, both the lampstand and the tabernacle pointed to Jesus: Jesus, the light of the world (John 1:1-13; 8:12); and Jesus the Word made flesh who dwelt—literally, tabernacled—among us (John1:14). In the flesh, He was God present with His people.
Throughout Scripture, fire indicates the presence of God. He leads His people out of Egypt in a pillar of fire to give them light (Exodus 14:21). Tongues of fire appear on the head of each believer when the Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost (Acts 2:3). In Revelation, as John writes to the seven churches of Asia Minor, each congregation has a lampstand because each congregation has Christ (Rev. 1:20).
You’re probably starting to get the idea of why we have candles in church. The Lord does not command candles for worship: if a wick fails, oil runs dry or if we simply remove them all (as we nearly do on Good Friday), the Word remains as true and effective as ever. Like everything else in worship, candles are placed to teach.
We have two seven-branched candle stands, one on each side of the altar. These announce the presence of the triune God in His means of grace for our good. Like the lampstand of the tabernacle, the seven candles remind us of creation and “God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.” They remind us of His only-begotten Son, standing amid the seven lampstands of the New Testament church in Revelation 1. They also remind us of the Holy Spirit, who calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies and keeps us in the Church: He is described with seven attributes in Isaiah 11:2 as He goes about His sanctifying work along with the Son. Except for Good Friday, these candles are always lit.
(Why do we have two lampstands for a total of 14 candles? This is a matter of symmetry, an aspect of beauty.)
Two candles stand on the altar. Originally, altar candles had the same practical purpose as the lampstand in the tabernacle—to allow the minister to see the altar book while speaking/chanting in a dim chapel. With the advent of electricity, they remain simply to teach: these are only lit during services that include Holy Communion as an announcement that Jesus is present with His body and blood in the Supper. Our altar features two candles for symmetry; but should you choose to let that remind you of His divine and human natures, that’s a salutary thing indeed!
One candle stands at the font, most appropriately called the “Paschal Candle.” The candle is lit for each worship service during the Easter season until Ascension Day, a reminder that the risen Jesus visited His people frequently during the forty days before He ascended into heaven. The Paschal Candle is also lit for baptisms, a reminder of God’s presence in that sacrament as one is baptized in His triune name and joined to Jesus’ death and resurrection (Rom. 6:4); and for funerals, once again because of the gifts given to the departed saint in Holy Baptism. Traditionally, this candle is made of wax and a new one is installed each year at the Easter Vigil. As the months go by and the candle shortens, it reminds worshipers of passages, baptisms and funerals, deaths and resurrections, and the risen Lord’s promise, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).
As we have candles to note Jesus’ presence in the sacraments, is it proper to have candles at the lectern to note His presence in the Word? Many churches do, though that hasn’t been part of our practice here.
Along with these standard candles in their brass fixtures, a few other candles adorn the sanctuary at times, or all the time. Those have enough of a story that it’s best to continue those in another email. For now, though, let the candles in the sanctuary always remind you of this: the Lord is present for you in His means of grace, so that He might deliver you to the Promised Land, the Paradise of heaven. What joy!