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We Are a Priestly People Reverend Dawn M. Haeger, Hoffman Estates, IL, October 28, 2007 Today is Reformation Sunday; it is the day we remember and appreciate not only our history as a Protestant Church but also how we are being called to live into our identity in this present age. Celebrating Reformation Sunday is more that recalling how Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the cathedral doors in Wittenberg, beginning a revolution in church history. It is more than recalling how John Calvin, a French clergyman, was forced to leave his homeland, settling in Geneva, Switzerland, and birthing the Reformed Church that we are a part of today. It is also more than remembering John Knox, the Scottish believer who, under Calvin’s tutelage, brought the Reformed Church to Scotland and began the Presbyterian Church that we are a part of this day. As a the church reformed and ever reforming according to the word of God and the call of the Spirit, Reformation Sunday invites us to honestly examine ourselves and ascertain whether we are living into the principles that formed the basis for this important movement. Books have been written regarding the complex history of the Protestant Reformation and I have no intention of recapping them today. Let’s just say that the 16th century church had become a corrupt institution and badly in need of repair. That repair or reform was the goal of Luther and Calvin; unfortunately, they were excommunicated for their efforts. Just as an aside, it is very important to note that the church of the 16th century is not the same Roman Catholic Church we have today. At the Council of Trent, the church instituted many of the reforms called for by early Protestants. Unfortunately, schism had already occurred. What I would like us to focus on today is one of the important principles that is foundational to the Protestant Reformation, the idea of the priesthood of all believers. Simply put, in Luther and Calvin’s day, Christian believers had a very passive role in living out their faith; they relied upon professional clergy to act as mediators of God’s grace and had separated their everyday existences from their lives on Sundays. The only people expected to communicate with God and share the good news of the gospel were the priests and other professional religious folk, while everyday men, women and children could not even have access to that gospel in their native languages. When the Reformers began studying the Scriptures, they found a very different model for how God wanted to live in relationship with God’s people. We heard in our Exodus text this morning, God speaking with Moses as he and the Israelite people are in the desert on their way to the Promised Land. God says, in chapter 19, “Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.” (v. 5b-6). Clearly, it is God’s desire that all of Israel be a priestly people, not just a select few. Ultimately, the people in this Exodus text reject their call to be a nation of priests. Just what does it mean to be priestly? Jack Haberer, a Presbyterian minister, writes, “…the priestly function is one of bridge-building, mediating, [and] connecting people with God” (Presbyterians Today: “The Priesthood of Believers,” March 2004.). A priest is someone who talks to God both for him or herself and on behalf of others. Simply put, each and every time you or I raise our voices in song or prayer to God, we are behaving as priests. Not only do priests speak to God, they are often called on to speak for God. “This priestly function,” declares Haberer, is evident whenever Christians show and tell the power of the gospel. By both word and deed, believers are called to convey God’s love to everyone.” So, it is not the act of standing in a pulpit that makes one a priest; it is sacrament of baptism, that which creates a Christian community, that empowers each and every one of us to be priests of the gospel. Some of us are more effective with our words in conveying God’s love, while others are very articulate in their actions. What kind of priest are you? Do you share God’s love with your voices or with your hands? Recognizing, accepting and sharing God’s love, that’s really what all of Scripture is about. The Bible has lots of stories and many words, but all of them are trying to communicate the depth of God’s amazing love for us and how far God will go to be in relationship with us. Our Jeremiah text explores how intimate God wants to be with humanity. God describes the character of the relationship with Israel as that of spouse, one who knows and is known thoroughly by the other. The relationship God has with the people will be so close that God’s law will be written upon their hearts and no longer will the community have to be taught about God. Knowledge and love of God will be integral to their very being. I would like you to contemplate your most intimate relationship. For some of you that will be your spouse, a child, a parent or a close confidant. You think of them and a warm joyous feeling springs to life within you. These are people you share your very essence with; there is no need for artifice with them. They love, accept and celebrate who you are. This is the kind of intimacy God is calling for in Jeremiah. God doesn’t want to be a far-away deity who lives in the heavens and once-in-awhile hits the smite button when we get out of line. God wants to know and be known by us. Yet we, and believers before us, keep pushing God away. We don’t really want to be that close. We are well aware the our God is an awesome God and we, like the Israelites before us, would rather have people, whose job it is, climb that mountain, communicate with the Holy One, come down and share God’s thoughts with us. Finally, God chooses another way to be in relationship with humanity, that of incarnation. In the person of Jesus Christ, God demonstrates the depth of his desire to be connected with us. Becoming fully human, Jesus shares our existence, our anxieties and our joys, our sufferings and our celebrations. In Jesus, we come to know God’s love for us in a way never experienced before. This experience calls us to respond. In Peter’s letter, our response is to be that of “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet 2:9). These past few weeks, Richard has been sharing his thoughts on stewardship with us. We’ve talked about the fact that all of us are stewards, whether we like it or not, and the idea that there are times when we are better stewards than at others. We also discussed the fact that we’d rather be owners than stewards and consequently, we tend to think in terms of mine versus yours and try to fence off that which we wish to claim. God declares, in our first reading, “Indeed, the whole earth is mine;” there is no doubt as to its ownership, “but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). The New Testament text concurs; we are a royal priesthood, sent to proclaim the mighty acts of the one who saved us. Belonging to God, our reason for existence is to be a priestly people. That which we say and do is done to maintain our relationship with God or to introduce others to God in Jesus Christ. The way that we live into this identity is also an act of stewardship.Most of us tend to think about stewardship in terms of our financial resources, but how we share our gifts and talents within the faith community is also an aspect of stewardship. Being committed to the faithful exercise of our priestly gifts is just as important as the dedicated use of our finances. It is so important, our Book of Order declares, “Giving has always been a mark of Christian commitment and discipleship. The ways in which a believer uses God's gifts of material goods, personal abilities, and time should reflect a faithful response to God's self-giving in Jesus Christ and Christ's call to minister to and share with others in the world” (W-5.5004).As we reflect upon our fidelity to one of the foundational principles of the Reformation this day, let us not forget that the use or non-use of our gifts declares, just as clearly as our financial commitment, our desire to be a good steward of God’s creation.To God alone be all glory and honor, this day and in all the days to come. Amen. | |||||
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