The altar is treated with deep reverence because it belongs to the sacramental worship of the Church. It is the place where the Lamb and wine are offered, where the Eucharistic prayers are served, and from which the faithful receive Christ.
Altar in Scripture and Eucharist
The Old Testament altar is the main type. Israel offered sacrifices on the altar, and the tabernacle and temple taught that approach to God requires holiness, priestly service, and sacrifice.
The Coptic altar is not a return to animal sacrifice. It receives the Old Testament type through Christ, who fulfills sacrifice and gives the Church the Eucharistic mystery.
We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.
Christ is the true sacrifice, the true priest, and the one who offers and is offered. The Christian altar has meaning because of Him.
In the Divine Liturgy, the Church enters the one saving sacrifice of Christ sacramentally, with thanksgiving, prayer, and Communion. The altar is therefore holy because God appoints and sanctifies the Church’s worship there.
How the altar shapes worship
In a Coptic church, the altar is inside the sanctuary and is handled with reverence. The holy vessels are placed there. The priest prays there. The Lamb and wine are offered there. The whole church faces this place because worship is directed to God.
When you enter a Coptic church, notice how the architecture leads your attention to the altar. The Church is teaching before a word is spoken: the Eucharist is central.
For the faithful, reverence for the altar should become reverence in life. The one who approaches Holy Communion should also seek repentance, reconciliation, and love. The sanctuary order protects reverence around the mystery so the whole Church may receive Christ faithfully.