Once again – I normally do not post sermons because I do not think they are much worth posting. But this sermon received strong positive feedback yesterday. -RMW
“Priest-hood of the Believer(s)”
Hebrews 5
Richard M. Wright
Church of the Nations (and University Baptist Church)
20th Sunday Pentecost (B)
October 18, 2009
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“People kept driving by. No one stopped to help me”.
Monday evening in this room getting ready for a meeting. Raining raining raining outside. Knock knock knock. A man at the door from the courtyard – never seen him before. We let him in. He begins to explain his situation. Working in the neighborhood. Has a flat tire and needs to get all the way back to his home about thirty minutes away. And expresses some real frustration that he was on the side of Highland Road and people kept driving by and no one stopped to help him.
What did they see?
A stranger? A man with dark skin? Maybe does not take good care of his car? What is he doing in this neighborhood? What is he doing at this church on a dark and rainy evening when many women gather for Bible study? What does he need? What does he want? Is he telling the truth?
What did we see? How did we speak to him? What did we do for him?
Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray since he himself is subject to weakness. That is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as for the sins of the people.
Our Bible reading for this morning from the book of Hebrews chapter five describes beautifully what a priest is and what a priest does. We talked about this last week. A priest represents the people before God and also represents God before the people. Remember that. Bring people into the presence of God and bring the presence of God to people.
And how does a priest represent God? How does a priest deal with people on behalf of God?
He is able to deal gently – because he himself is subject to weakness. He has to offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as for the sins of the people.
The person who represents God does not deal harshly with those who do not know God or with those who lead a life that is away from God or even against God. The person who represents God recognizes that he or she is also a sinner. Also is broken. Also struggles. Also hurts. Also questions. It does not – does not! – mean we hate ourselves. We recognize our own weakness and brokenness. But we also recognize that God is good and loves humankind and shows mercy to us.
Stephen Freeman is a pastor in the Orthodox Christian tradition who serves in East Tennessee. Several months ago on his website he describes the order of worship on a particular Christian holiday. He says the part of the worship that moves him the most is when the priest – the spiritual leader of the church family – when the priest stands before the people and says “Forgive me brothers and sisters because I have sinned”.
I also have sinned. Deal gently because I also am subject to weakness.
In the Baptist Christian tradition – and Church of the Nations is part of the Baptist movement of the Christian faith – we speak sometimes of the “priesthood of the believer”. It is one of the most important distinctive teachings of the Baptist Christian tradition. That every believer – every Christian every person who believes in Jesus Christ the Son of God – every believer is a priest. That is we are responsible for our relationship with God. We do not need anyone else such as a human priest to go between us and God.
I do not disagree with this teaching. But what troubles me about it is so often people use it to emphasize the responsibility and authority of the individual believer. We do not need priests. Okay. But surely the priesthood of the believer means that we are priests. How often do we Baptist Christians talk about that? What does it mean if we are priests? If each of us represents God to the people we meet each day. And even that we help bring people into the presence of God. We have responsibility toward and authority with each other.
Not only are we priests but we are priests to each other and to all humankind.
We deal gently with each other. We deal gently with those who are ignorant or going astray because we ourselves are subject to weakness. Forgive me brothers and sisters because I have sinned.
Meletios Webber is a pastor and psychologist. In his book Bread and Water he describes how the mind (which is damaged by sin) is judgmental. Sit in an airport or a bus station and notice people without giving them any labels (22). Like “too small too fat beautiful ugly rich poor black white different strange bad driver”. He writes:
The purpose is to reach a point where we notice a person without giving him or her a label. We begin to experience true compassion – to see that person as God sees him or her. The less there is a label (which defines people and sets them apart) the more intense is the love – a love that goes in both directions at once. This is a very powerful experience. (22)
What do we see?
{For the last few years I have been haunted by this part of our Bible reading:
During the days of Jesus’ life on earth he offered up prayers and requests with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son he learned obedience from what he suffered and – once made perfect (or complete) – he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
He learned obedience from what he suffered and was made complete.
I wanted to focus on this part. But it overwhelms me and I do not fully understand it even though I am convinced this may be one of the most powerful statements in the book of Hebrews. So let me finish with this.} [my wife suggested I remove the section above not because it is bad but because it did not fit and disrupted the flow and focus of the sermon - RMW]
Jesus is the great high priest – there is no one like him now or ever. But we also are priests to for with each other. We represent God to others and we bring others into the presence of God. We deal gently with each other and new persons that we meet because we also are broken and weak. We begin to see people without labeling them as persons created in and who bear the image of God. We help people learn about God who loves them. We help encourage children and help them learn to read. We worship with people who have no home and share with them clothes and water and food. We travel four hours to help clean a high school and give away thirteen hundred backpacks filled with school supplies. We welcome and shelter women who are escaping abuse. We help those struggling with sin.
And one other thing priests do – we pray. Sometimes for ourselves but more often for each other and for the world. Like Jesus – in the garden when he was facing death and on the cross – we offer up prayers with cries and tears. That God will save when we cannot. That God will heal when we cannot heal our friend. That God will comfort those around us when we cannot. That God will provide for needs when we cannot. That God will do what we cannot. And that God will show us when we can do something what to say what to do how to help how to care how to serve how to be with those who are suffering – in ways that are beyond our understanding and beyond our own strength.
