At one point in his debate with Job, Eliphaz says that “the heavens are not pure in God’s sight.” That may have been true when he spoke it. Blood from bulls, goats, and sheep never cleansed the heavens. But it’s not true anymore. Jesus purified heaven with better blood, His own.

And heaven stays pure, even when you enter, which you are going to do this morning. In a few moments, I will tell you to “lift up your hearts.” I’m not merely exhorting you to be joyful. “Lift your hearts” is a call to ascend, by faith, to the heavens that Jesus has purified with that same blood.

This is one of the main differences between Trinity’s liturgy and most of the historic liturgies of the church.

In the medieval Mass, in Calvin’s liturgy, in the Book of Common Prayer, the congregation ascends at the time of the Eucharist. We mark the moment of ascent much earlier in our worship.

We made this change because we are trying to imitate the worship and covenant-making of Israel . At Sinai, the Hebrews purified themselves, and then drew near as Moses ascended the mountain to receive Yahweh’s words. At the temple, a worshiper killed the animal and displayed blood, and then turned the animal to smoke to ascend to the Lord. In Israel ’s liturgy, the ascension offering immediately followed the purification offering.

We continue the temple worship in a New Covenant form. First we are cleansed by confession and then we ascend by the Spirit to heaven, enveloped in a cloud of song. From that point on, our worship takes place in heaven. God speaks to us from His throne above the cherubim, and we eat and drink in His presence and He does not stretch out His hand against us.

Eliphaz, as always, is an accuser. If heaven isn’t pure before God, he reasons, how can Job be? How can you be? But heaven is pure, and so are you, and the High Priest who purified both is waiting to welcome you this morning. Therefore, Lift up your hearts.