Here's my
I can easily imagine one 1C Old Covenant devotee, saying to his New Covenant friend (prior to AD70), "Look, just come with me to the Temple, on one of our biggest feast days. See the glorious display, smell the incense, hear the priestly intonation, while you admire his
God-ordained finery! Then, if you don't appreciate it, you never have to come back. It's not like I'm twisting your arm or anything. I just want you to know what you're missing."
Rome has the very same sales pitch. Look, if its pomp and ceremony you want, Rome is the way to go. EO has a slightly different aesthetic, but it still makes the "experience" the thing. "Immersed" in the liturgy. So, some/all of it is in another language? That's become part of the experience--an otherworldly, sensory-laden heaven-brought-down (as opposed to a strictly spiritual translation to the heavenly courts)--where even another language is spoken.
Rome has self-consciously tried to recreate the Tabernacle/Temple experience for a New Covenant age. The proper, biblical response is the same that Hebrews gives: "Why would you go back to the shadows from the reality? Why retreat from Jesus?" Rome isn't offering a clearer representation of Jesus (even if they think their crucifixes etc. are doing that). All they are doing is the reverse of the New Covenant movement. Paul, in 2Cor.3&4, explains how the OC glories, although appointed by God, dazzled more than they revealed. The eyes of faith see better and clearer without the distraction. Does he look forward to the days when the persecutions and trials of NC ministry are behind, and the NC ministry will be draped in the OC priestly finery? Not at all.
If you attend this thing, I hope you understand that what they have isn't even authorized, the way the original OC service was. Rome has nothing to offer but fools gold.
