Today’s Word from Pastor Katrina…
Exodus 27:1-2 “You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square, and it shall be three cubits high. You shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze.”
During the forum last Sunday, Pastor Jim was the speaker and gave a great talk about Trinity. At one point he had me join him, and the floor was opened for Q & A– “all biblical questions will be answered by Pastor Katrina” he said jokingly. A kind woman asked “what are the horns of the altar? And why is Jesus called the horn of the altar?” My mind raced and my palms sweat a little. I had been on a Bible quizzing team in high school, but that was 30 years ago, and we only focused on one book at a time, and it was never Exodus. We definitely didn’t explore this topic in seminary, and the image in my mind was getting confused with instructions for the Ark of the Covenant– but weren’t those angels? I don’t remember horns… I responded that I’d look into it and provide her with an answer. Church Council member Andy Hough responded that the horns were part of the altar of sacrifice in the Temple. Pastor Jim has since emailed her lots of information, but her question piqued my interest enough to explore it further with all of you here (though I’m finding myself with more questions than answers!).
There’s the structure itself– materials & specifications. A cubit was the distance from your elbow to your fingertips, typically around 18 inches. Acacia wood was light, drought and rot resistant, and had thorns. I wondered if the horns were a mechanism for joining the ends of the wood together. Or was the whole altar one big piece of wood that the horns were carved out of – “its horns shall be of one piece with it”? Overlaying intricate details with metal would take such skill! And why horns? When I think of horns, flashes of different images pop into my mind: the brass section in band… … the part of the bull the matador avoids in the bullring… the curly bit of the ram’s head that got caught in a thicket, providing Abraham with an alternate sacrifice…
Which brings us to the purpose of the structure. Again, I think it was Andy who shared that the purpose of the horns might have been to help anchor the burnt offering. But the altar of incense (no animal involved) has horns too, and later in Leviticus, the priests are instructed to put some of the blood on the horns of both altars as a sign of atonement. We also read in 1 Kings that some clung to the horns of the altar for refuge, seeking mercy. Jesus became known as the “horn of salvation” because he was the ultimate sacrifice to atone for all people, and he is seen as a powerful protector and place of safety and refuge.
This leads us to wrestle with aspects of the altar, and our faith, that might be a little more difficult to understand. A simplified definition of atonement might be the act of repairing a damaged relationship or making amends for wrongdoing, through sacrifice or reparations, to restore harmony. For Jewish people today, atonement might include rituals of repentance, prayer, and service. For many Christians, atonement happened through Jesus’s death on the cross, so atonement might include faith in Christ, baptism, repentance and confession, the latter of which is often an intentional part of Sunday worship.
When I was going through the process of becoming an ordained minister, I was asked about my theology of baptism during an important interview. I tried to share that I understood the practice of our faith to be a living daily practice. Baptism wasn’t something that was “one and done” but rather something I thought of every time I interacted with water– in the rain, washing my hands, or being at the beach for example. Some days I feel tossed around by the waters of baptism, swimming through rough patches. Some days it feels like a gentle mist on my face.
We no longer use the horns of the altar, but I’m grateful for the ways in which we come together to wrestle with what it means to provide safe places of refuge and mercy, and what it means to repair broken relationships with each other and with God. I’m grateful for our Lutheran heritage which specifically centers on faith and grace, believing in hearts and lives that are changed by that grace and God’s ever flowing love.
Thank you for exploring all of this with me! I’d love to hear your thoughts too!
Pastor Katrina
pastorkat@trinityfreeland.org
