The Priesthood of All Believers
Galatians 3:27-29; 1 Peter 2:4-10; 1 Corinthians 12:4-27
Last in a 5 week series on “Why Are We Lutheran?” Treasure as part of body of Christ, so see how this Lutheran identity shapes our understanding of the way we see the crucified and risen Christ.
The Lutheran Handbook, P.126
Theology of the Cross: God meets us not in our righteousness, but in our sin, our failure, our brokenness, our shame.
Baptism, God’s ordination into God’s mission of reconciliation.
Holy Communion, Jesus giving himself for our forgiveness
Last week, Dave Larson: Bible, God’s living address to us.
Today, Priesthood of all Believers. Realization that we are a community created by God in order to join God in the mission of redemption in the world.
More than a collection of individuals who happen to have volunteered to be part of the same congregation. This is a community called together by God, some members and some not, who are commissioned with a purpose. We are gathered by the Holy Spirit and equipped with a whole variety of gifts and abilities in order to follow Jesus into the world and take part in what he is doing there.
1 Peter 2:5, Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood.
History lesson -- Earliest Christian church modeled after Jewish synagogue. This pattern of praise, the Word of God, and prayer (with addition of the communion meal) was followed among Gentile congregations that formed. Anyone in attendance at one of those assemblies was a potential presenter.
In the Constantinean Revolution of the fourth century, this changed. The worship and life of the Christian church moved away from the synagogue model to parallel the Temple precedent of priest, sacrifice, and observers. The Lord’s Supper as a meal of communion and thanksgiving became a (re-) sacrificing of the body of Christ; the table became an altar. Because there was a sacrifice, there must be priests. Anyone can give thanks at a meal or join in communion, but not “just anyone” can lay a sacrifice on a holy altar! So the next several centuries saw functions become offices, saw a distinct hierarchy emerge in the church. “Clergy” officiated at communion and baptism; “laity” observed in silence – except to respond as told to do so. What evolved in worship was reflected in all other aspects of the church’s life.
People were granted or denied access to the sacraments through the mediation of a human priesthood. Power of that sort led to abuses of the worst sort. The church became the dispenser of salvation. It was like that for over a thousand years.
In the Reformation Movement one of the emphatic doctrines that emerged was the priesthood of all believers.
The first Christians were Spirit-filled amateurs at their God-given tasks. But led by the Spirit, using their gifts together, they turned the world upside down!
"Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood." (1 Pet. 2:5).
Paul writes to the church in Corinth as to how that works. He compares the church to the human body, where all the different parts work together so the body can function the way it is supposed to.
Two main points: 1) no part is more or less important than any other. God gives gifts as God chooses, and God does so on purpose. Some people teach well, some share faith openly, some pray deeply, some are great administrators, some are gifted in planning and organizing, some are good with kids, others good with adults, some like doing things no one ever knows about, some sing, some play music, some are very hospitable, and some even preach. None are higher than any others, make us any closer or farther from God, and none are any more or less necessary. All are given by God so that each person can be part of God at work for the sake of the world.
2) The body functions as one body. We don’t have the arm going one direction doing one thing while the ear going off doing something else. We do this together. All our gifts are valuable, and they complement each other. This is why we’re made to be in community. This is why you can’t be a Christian alone. Christianity isn’t about “me and Jesus.” It’s about joining God in God’s work for the sake of the world. The priesthood of all believers.
This doesn’t mean we all agree on everything, live in total harmony at all times, and live like a Stepford Church. Being church is messy, and sometimes it’s hard. But it makes a difference knowing that we aren’t here completely as volunteers. The Spirit of God gathers us, equips us, and leads us in joining God at work in the world.
So, God meets us in our sin and brokenness (cross), adopts us as missionaries for life (bapt), forgives us unconditionally (HC), addresses us in ways that change us (Word), and gathers us into faith communities where we are more fully the body of Christ (priesthood of all believers).
Together we are called, gifted, equipped, gathered, and sent. We support one another and encourage one another. We recognize one another’s different gifts as coming from the same God, we value those gifts, and we use those gifts in Christ’s name. The Priesthood of All Believers. That’s the good news we bring to a broken world. That’s why we’re Lutheran.