Priesthood of All Believers

Be the Church 11

Aug 24, 2023

group of people standing near brown brick wall — Photo by Javy Luzania on Unsplash

Intro

Here is the end of my Be the Church summer series. I hope that you have enjoyed it and it has been helpful. I had the opportunity to have a conversation with one of you who shared some of the struggles in preaching to folks who may (or may not) want to be reminded about the things that they are supposed to do as a member of a church. I have definitely stepped on some toes (speaking the truth in love, of course), and I hope that you have too.

These last two weeks are really about applying these past lessons, in taking up leadership roles within the congregation, and reevaluating one’s own fidelity to it.

11- Participating in the Governing Responsibilities of the Church

Psalm 112

This is a great psalm proclaiming the happiness of those who fear the LORD, and are righteous in their actions. There is a bit of the Prosperity Gospel theology that is common to the book of Psalms, but generally it is a ‘do what God wants you to do, and things will be good’ vibe.

Ephesians 4:1-16

Paul here begs the church in Ephesus to “lead a life worthy of the calling,” putting into practice all of the things that they have learned, as well as the gifts given to us. Paul here pulls (loosely) from Psalm 68, using the metaphor of God as a victorious warrior king (also blending it with the life of David, who the Psalm is attributed to). The image here is a victorious warrior-king who is returning from conquest, with the people and spoils of victory in tow. These gifts are to be distributed among the people, as the military and financial gain of the king means more power and wealth for their people (whether this is directly distributed or ‘trickled down’ I do not know).

Paul makes the added claim that the king (who he implies is Jesus) who ascends, also descended “to the lower parts of the earth.” This is a bit of an interpretive rabbit hole, but suffice it to say that it has been traditionally interpreted as a reference to the dead or ‘hell.’ Others suggest that it is actually a reference to the incarnation itself, making the descent to earth itself (ala Philippians 2). It also could be a reference to the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost after the ascent of Jesus.

The more important thing is that this victorious king brings gifts for the people. However, the spoils of this conflict are not jewels, gold, and enslaved people; but gifts for the living body of Christ. In his book, “The Forgotten Way,” Alan Hursch claims that these gifts continue to be given to the church, and that all of them are necessary for her flourishing. However, only two of them have been emphasized in the modern Western church (to her detriment). They are:

Shepherds (Pastors): It is telling that this is often the one word from this list that we use to describe our clergy. As such, we are relatively familiar with the concept. These are the folks who are called to oversee the ‘flock’ of the church. They are gifted and responsible for overseeing the congregation’s physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being.

There are elements of this role that tends to rest with the “women of the church” who care for many of the physical and emotional needs, especially of those who are sick. This element of the role tends to be recognized, but not honored. The role of Deacon was originally created in Acts 6 when the Apostles declared that “It is not right that we should neglect the Word of God in order to wait tables” after a controversy over distribution of food. Deacons continue to deal with the ‘every-day’ needs of the congregation (though in my experience in the American South, this tends to be more about caring for the physical building, etc).

Teachers: This is the other role that the Western church is comfortable with. Teachers are those who pass on information, and encourage discipleship of members. This is often delegated to the professional church staff such as clergy. However, this title is more easily shared with those who teach Sunday School or other educational offerings.

In my opinion, teachers should be those who have a thirst for knowledge and wisdom, and who themselves comfortable with being learners. They should be those who are unafraid of re-examining assumptions, and searching for what the Spirit is saying to the churches here and now.

Other Roles: the other roles listed in Ephesians are important ones, but are not always as encouraged and honored as others.

Evangelists: This is one that is pretty familiar in the wider body of Christ, but Presbyterians and Mainline folks in general tend to be less excited about this role. This is in part due to some of our evangelical sibling’s ways of living this role out. It brings up the idea of a street preacher screaming at people because they are going to hell, a sandwich board proclaiming that the ‘end is near;’ or the manipulation of emotions through speech, music, lights, etc, in order to ‘win souls for Christ.’ Younger folks pull back from the ‘cringy’ way that some of our siblings bring matters of faith into conversation without cause, or shift any conversation with a ‘Jesus juke.’

More positively, evangelism is ultimately the act of telling the good news about Jesus, and how we have experienced God in our own lives. This should be done authentically and gracefully, and some people simply have a ‘gift’ for it. The problem, perhaps, is when we assume that because I have that gift, that you should too; or that the way that I live out evangelism is also the way that you should.

The broader Protestant (as opposed to Evangelical) church tends to talk about evangelism in more missional ways. We love the quote from Francis of Assisi that tells us to “preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words”. We argue that loving our neighbor is a high ideal of Scripture, and that it is more necessary to live out the love of God, so that others can experience it, than just talk about it all the time (and often fail to live it out). This is certainly a veiled way to proclaim to gospel, but I would also caution all of us to not discount forms of evangelism just because ‘those people’ do it.

Prophets: This role is a vitally important one in the Hebrew Scriptures. These are the people who are called to faithfully speak the Word of God, even when (especially when?) those in authority do not want to hear it. Hebrew Prophets might be those in the court (like Isaiah), who have access to those in power and address them directly. They may also be those who proclaim the Word in the wilderness (like Micah). Prophetic voices are vitally important in the life of the church (even if they may be considered annoying). Tod Bolsinger argues in “Canoeing the Mountains” that we should be better listening to those voices on the margins. The cultural shifts that we are experiencing in a post-Christian world are more new to those who have traditionally been the center of culture (cis-het white males) but are old-hat to those who have been marginalized due to gender, race, orientation, etc. We need reformers who call us back to the Word of God; who call us to Justice, Righteousness, and Mercy; and who dream of a kindom of Heaven on earth.

Apostles: This is maybe the toughest one, because we also use this as the title of the twelve (12-1+1) men who followed (discipulos) Jesus, and then were sent (apostolos) to proclaim the gospel. Alan Hursch argues that this is the role in the church that encourages a more outward focus. Congregations can be very inwardly focused communities (especially when we are strapped for cash). The apostle is the one that reminds us that we are not called just for ourselves, but for those around us: to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, house the unhoused, visit the sick and in prison, speak up for the voiceless, free the enslaved, etc. These are the folks who get us off of our butts, and incarnationally be the body of Christ in the world.

Priesthood of All Believers:

The reformed tradition is one that has historically lifted up a “priesthood of all believers” as our call both as individuals and congregations. This concept is rooted in Exodus 19 and the Covenant at Sinai, when the Hebrew people covenanted to be a “kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” Priests are those who mediate between the human and the divine. In this same way, the ideal was that this one nation would be the mediators between God and all of the nations. This same concept is applied in 1 Peter 2 where the christian church is called on to live out this same priestly identity.

The Christian Scriptures emphasize that we do not need an additional mediator between us and the divine, but that we have a direct connection through Jesus. Theologians in the Protestant Reformation dove into this idea stressing that the priestly ‘monkery’ was totally unnecessary, and that we not only had this direct connection to God for the forgiveness of sin, but that we were also called as priests to mediate God to those around us.

The ‘gifts’ given by Christ of these five roles (and other spiritual gifts listed elsewhere) are for theo whole church, not just elites or leaders. God has already given us the gifts and abilities to be the church in this time and place. As God has been faithful in the past, God will be faithful in the future. To be sure, the gifts and ways of being the church in the 21st century are going to be different than the ones for the 20th (or 19th, or 12th, etc.) but Christ has freely given those gifts to the church and to our congregations. We just have to use them.

Ordered Ministry:

The Presbyterian tradition is one that holds up not only the Priesthood of all believers, but that some are called at various times to serve in ordered ministry of the church. The Word ‘Presbyterian’ comes from the Greek word presbyteros meaning ‘elder.’ Our Elders come in two flavors: Teaching Elders (also called Ministers of Word and Sacrament), and Ruling Elders. Teaching Elders are the clergy who devote their lives (or at least career) to preaching, teaching, shepherding, etc. the church. We require a Master’s degree, ordination exams, and the recognition of call by both congregations and presbyteries. Ruling Elders are those who are called from the congregation itself, and chosen because someone (usually a nominating committee) think that they have the gifts necessary to serve the church for a time. These two types of Elders share power in the local congregation (at least in theory), and in councils above the Session (board of elders) are to be equally represented. Deacons, as mentioned before, in many churches play a vital role in the ongoing life of the congregation in the roles of pastoral care, facilities management, etc.

In many churches, we are coming up to the time of the year when new Elders and Deacons are chosen, this might be a great opportunity to remind members of the high calling to which they have been called, and that they already have the gifts that they need to lead here and now.

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Worship Resources

Call to Worship (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)

ONE: There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord;

MANY: and there are varieties of activities, but the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Prayer of the Day

Victorious One, you have given us gifts and abilities to glorify and honor you. Some, you have called as apostles, calling us to mission and good works. Others are called as prophets, those who speak your Word boldly. Others are called as evangelists, to proclaim your world-changing news. And others are called as shepherds, overseeing your great flock. Still others are called as teachers, to share treasurers both old and new. Bless us in the gifts and roles that you have called us to, and help us to serve you with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love. Amen.