Tabernacle
The tabernacle on the Holy Table holds reserved Holy Communion. It enables Communion to be brought to the sick and others unable to attend the Liturgy.
Key points
- The reserved Gifts witness to Christ's abiding presence and care for His people.
- Look for: A small shrine-like vessel on the Holy Table.
- Illustrated location: Sanctuary / altar area
- Manna remembered and Communion reserved (Christian typology): Exodus preserves manna as a witness to God’s provision, and Hebrews 9 associates a golden manna jar with the wilderness Ark. At Solomon’s Temple dedication, 1 Kings 8:9 describes only the covenant tablets inside the Ark. The church tabernacle reserves Communion, including for the sick; Orthodox interpretation relates it to Christ’s life-giving bread.
- The small church tabernacle is a Eucharistic receptacle, not the wilderness tent. Exodus speaks of keeping manna before the testimony; Hebrews gives the explicit association with the Ark.
Scripture
- Exodus 16:32–34 — Manna remembered and Communion reserved: Exodus preserves manna as a witness to God’s provision, and Hebrews 9 associates a golden manna jar with the wilderness Ark. At Solomon’s Temple dedication, 1 Kings 8:9 describes only the covenant tablets inside the Ark. The church tabernacle reserves Communion, including for the sick; Orthodox interpretation relates it to Christ’s life-giving bread.
- Hebrews 9:1–12, 24–28 — Manna remembered and Communion reserved: Exodus preserves manna as a witness to God’s provision, and Hebrews 9 associates a golden manna jar with the wilderness Ark. At Solomon’s Temple dedication, 1 Kings 8:9 describes only the covenant tablets inside the Ark. The church tabernacle reserves Communion, including for the sick; Orthodox interpretation relates it to Christ’s life-giving bread.
- 1 Kings 8:9, 27–30, 46–50 — Manna remembered and Communion reserved: Exodus preserves manna as a witness to God’s provision, and Hebrews 9 associates a golden manna jar with the wilderness Ark. At Solomon’s Temple dedication, 1 Kings 8:9 describes only the covenant tablets inside the Ark. The church tabernacle reserves Communion, including for the sick; Orthodox interpretation relates it to Christ’s life-giving bread.
- John 6:31–58 — Manna remembered and Communion reserved: Exodus preserves manna as a witness to God’s provision, and Hebrews 9 associates a golden manna jar with the wilderness Ark. At Solomon’s Temple dedication, 1 Kings 8:9 describes only the covenant tablets inside the Ark. The church tabernacle reserves Communion, including for the sick; Orthodox interpretation relates it to Christ’s life-giving bread.