Sabbath Candles
Candles used for Sunday's Sabbath Day Service are sanctified and prayed over during the New Moon Service earlier in the month. They are then kept together with the seven-candle holder until they are used.
Worship
A place prepared for worship, reverence, and the presence of God.
The altar occupies the sacred focal point of the Celestial Sanctuary.
Throughout Scripture, altars mark places of worship, sacrifice, covenant, prayer, thanksgiving, and encounter with God. Noah built an altar after leaving the ark (Genesis 8:20). Abraham built altars as he journeyed in obedience to God (Genesis 12:7–8). At Moriah, Abraham prepared an altar in obedience to God's command (Genesis 22:9). Jacob marked the place of his encounter with God at Bethel (Genesis 28:10–22).
Within Celestial Church of Christ, the altar is likewise a consecrated place set apart for God and stands at the spiritual and visual center of the Sanctuary. Its arrangement follows established Celestial Church of Christ practice, with specific elements placed within the Sanctuary and around the altar. Understanding these elements can help visitors and Celestians alike appreciate the order and reverence associated with worship.
One helpful way Celestians describe the altar is: a place where heaven and earth meet.
This does not mean God is confined to a table or building. Rather, the altar marks a place intentionally consecrated for worship and encounter with Him.
Jacob awoke from his vision at Bethel and declared, “Surely the LORD is in this place” (Genesis 28:16). He then marked the place in remembrance of his encounter with God.
The physical altar similarly reminds the worshipper: we have entered a place set apart for the presence and worship of God.
Celestians do not worship an altar table.
When worshippers bow toward the altar, their worship and reverence are directed toward God. The physical altar identifies the consecrated focal point of the Sanctuary.
This distinction is important because outward acts of reverence can be misunderstood when their meaning is not taught.
The Sanctuary is a place of worship approached with reverence, prayer, and quiet attention before God. Where the building allows, the entrance faces East, with the altar at the back and the congregation facing toward it. Whatever the layout, worship is offered to God with the same reverence and devotion.
The altar occupies a central place within the Sanctuary. The Church establishes particular arrangements for the altar table, its coverings, and the items that are placed upon it — down to details like the altar table being set against the wall and covered in three layers of cloth, with a white layer underneath.
The altar also includes an “Inner Altar,” an area within the altar's established arrangement that carries its own order of service. Access to serve within the Inner Altar is reserved for those who hold recognized standing within the Church, and further care is taken over who approaches it directly. These are matters of internal worship order for members and those serving in worship, not expectations placed on visitors — visitors are always welcome to observe worship from the Sanctuary.
The area of the Sanctuary adjoining the Inner Altar serves the liturgical needs of services when the Inner Altar itself is not opened or used in the same manner. Celestial Church of Christ distinguishes between the Inner Altar and this adjoining altar area: the Inner Altar is especially associated with principal services and designated sacred occasions — Sunday principal worship, the New Moon Service, Crossover / New Year observances, Holy Thursday, Holy Mary–related observances, and other occasions established in the church calendar — while the outer altar arrangement serves other services according to the Church's liturgical order.
The arrangement of the altar is not treated casually; it is maintained according to the established order of the Church.
The formal CCC Constitution describes two designated chairs within the Inner Altar: the Pastor's chair, and the chair belonging to the next designated senior office according to the Church's constitutional arrangement.
Within the Inner Altar, the Pastor's seat is distinct from other seating and reflects the Pastor's office within the Church's leadership structure.
The twenty-four elders of Revelation may be used as heavenly symbolism when reflecting on the altar, but this is theological imagery — it is not a requirement for twenty-four physical chairs within the Inner Altar.
Altar access is governed by church order and sacred responsibility, and sacred altar items are restricted according to the Church's regulations.
The handbook confirms that an unanointed male is not permitted into the altar. Those entering the altar must be properly dressed according to Celestial order, including the required loin.
The Inner Altar includes the sacred box traditionally referred to as the Martha Box or Covenant Box, positioned within the principal altar arrangement.
It is used for keeping sacred items pertaining to the altar and worship according to the Church's order — among them, candles intended for worship, crosses, chalice and Communion-related sacred items, and other altar materials.
A large Cross is positioned behind the seven-candle holder, at the back of the altar. The established arrangement specifies a Cross without a crucifix, epitomizing the power of the Lord being worshipped and the redemptive instrument of Jesus Christ.
In keeping with this, no picture or image is placed on the wall of the Inner Altar.
The meaning of the altar is not found merely in sacred furniture, candles, cloth, flowers, or ceremonial order. All of these must ultimately direct worship toward God through Jesus Christ.
The golden seven-candle holder is one of the most distinctive elements of the Celestial Sanctuary. The seven burning candle lights represent the seven spirits of the living God, and the stars and glory of the seven foundational churches.
During Sunday worship, the congregation stands as the seven candles are lit and the Inner Altar is sanctified — one of the moments early in the service before everyone kneels together.
A lamp is kept burning continuously on the left side of the altar. The altar light is traditionally kept burning as part of the sacred life of the altar, recalling the biblical command that the lamp be kept burning before the Lord.
“Seven burning lamps” (Revelation 4:5) are also listed among the altar's elements alongside this continuously burning lamp.
Altar Water is kept on the right side of the altar, paired with holy oil of anointing on the left side — both maintained as part of the ordered arrangement of the Sanctuary.
The altar is covered according to the prescribed order of the Church.
The altar cloth may contain sacred inscriptions and symbols directing the worshipper toward Christ and the holiness of God. Among these, the repeated declaration “Holy, Holy, Holy” can be connected with the biblical worship of God found in Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8.
Changing the altar cloth does not require creating unnecessary secrecy around the altar. The cloth is changed, the altar is properly arranged, and the sacred space is sanctified according to the Church's order. Practices that create the impression that hidden objects must be concealed beneath the altar should not be confused with the original order of the Church.
Two flower vessels flank the seven-candle holder, one on the right and one on the left, representing “the two anointed.”
This imagery is traditionally connected with Zechariah's vision of two olive trees standing beside the lampstand, later described as “the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth” (Zechariah 4:11–14).
The flowers also introduce the imagery of life, beauty, growth, and the fleeting nature of human life — Psalm 103 compares human life to a flower of the field.
Beyond the altar's fixed elements, several materials are used in the Sanctuary: anointing oil and incense (Exodus 30:22–30; James 5:14), perfume (Exodus 30:34–38), incense (Revelation 8:3–5; Exodus 30), and holy water (Numbers 8:6–7; Ezekiel 36:24–25).
Candles used at the altar are white only — no image or colored candle is used in Celestial Church of Christ, with the candle symbolizing the divine light of God. A palm frond is also used as a symbol of victory (Revelation 7:9).
CCC's prescribed sanctuary arrangement includes an eastward orientation of the altar.
The East carries biblical imagery, including the Garden of Eden planted “eastward” (Genesis 2:8).
The Sanctuary also includes other designated furnishings maintained as part of its established arrangement.
Candles used for Sunday's Sabbath Day Service are sanctified and prayed over during the New Moon Service earlier in the month. They are then kept together with the seven-candle holder until they are used.
The Sanctuary includes additional prescribed items maintained according to the established arrangement of the Church.
The bell is a call to worship and reverence. At its sound, worshippers bow before God and proclaim, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of Hosts.”
The bow is directed to God — not to the bell and not to the altar furniture. Worshippers who hear the call even before physically entering the Sanctuary may respond reverently where they are, according to traditional CCC practice.
For a visitor, the important thing to know is simply that the bell is part of the worship environment and that the congregation responds together when it is sounded.
The altar's arrangement is prescribed, not improvised.
The handbook lists incense, anointing oil, perfume, and holy water among the spiritual materials used within the Church. Additional sacred items required for worship are also maintained according to the established order of the Church.
No such objects form part of the prescribed altar arrangement of Celestial Church of Christ. The altar is arranged according to the Church's established order for Christian worship. Stories about secret animals or charms beneath the altar are not part of the teaching or prescribed worship of CCC.
The Sanctuary is approached with reverence, and members and those serving in worship are guided by standards that help preserve the order and peace of worship.
This includes maintaining appropriate attire before entering the Sanctuary; keeping cell phones switched off and silent throughout the service; avoiding unnecessary movement in and out, especially during prayer and Scripture reading; refraining from side conversations once worship is underway; and giving visitors a welcoming, respectful reception. These expectations exist to help preserve the order and reverence of worship, more than to police any individual worshipper.
The altar area itself is a place of holiness and should be treated accordingly. Access follows the established order of the Church, and those permitted to enter should do so properly dressed and with the required sacred attire. Eating, casual social activity, disorder, or misuse of the altar area is inconsistent with the purpose of a place consecrated to God.
These are guidelines for members and those serving in worship rather than a checklist visitors are expected to know in advance. If you're visiting for the first time, simply follow the congregation's lead — you'll be warmly received either way.
Preparation for worship includes approaching the Sanctuary with appropriate reverence and observing the established order of the Church. Honor and majesty belong before the Lord, and strength and beauty are in His Sanctuary — worship is offered in the beauty of holiness, with reverence before Him.
The altar is not sacred because of expensive furniture.
It is sacred because it has been set apart for God.
It calls the worshipper to reverence, prayer, holiness, and attention to Christ. It stands at the center of the Sanctuary as a visible reminder:
WE HAVE COME BEFORE GOD.
For someone encountering Celestial worship for the first time, the Sanctuary may contain elements that are unfamiliar. Learning what these elements are and how they are arranged provides a clearer understanding of the worship environment.