Prophet, Pilgrim, and Priest – Part Three

The Pastor as Priest – The Go Between (External)

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

1 Peter 2:9

The Nation of Priests – Ministry and the People of God

Christians learn their faith. In studying the bible, in praying, in devotion of worship, they come to know their God more. They find the shape of a life following after Jesus is changing at the interior core. Their pilgrimage is transforming them, making them a new person. That person fluidly finds themselves at work, in clubs, leagues, family events, buildings and neighborhoods. As the interior life changes, it provokes others to ask questions about the life of faith they see emerging. The Christian must now take the truth about God and the testimony of God and help another build his or her faith journey. Pilgrimage has turned into priesthood.

God called Moses and Israel out of Egypt. Having shaped the pilgrim path of patriarchs, He was now shaping the identity of a people. With Moses on Sinai, God gives an identity to the children of Israel in language that speaks not just of personal journey, or pilgrimage, but of priestly ministry as well.

Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.

Exodus 19:5-6

The Apostle Peter will take these truths about their identity from Sinai and apply them to the People of God beyond Calvary.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

1 Peter 2:9

The call to believers is to know Him and His way, live a transformed life, and be a nation of priests stationed throughout the world.

Priests like Ambassadors – The Church Speaks to the World

We speak both to the church and from the church. In other words, both Christian and culture need to hear the word of God. We need to be priests who understand how to serve both worlds.

When serving the culture, think like an ambassador. What do we bring from the message of the King that the culture recognizes, celebrates or affirms? Let’s connect, elevate and explain those things. What is said that confronts the culture? Where is the truth of God exposing lies, and the beauty of grace exposing our ugliness? Where does the story of culture – whether current events, history, or arts – share common ground with the messages being taught from the scriptures? When on Mars Hill, St. Paul has left behind the home court advantage and familiar faith and practice of the synagogue, and finds himself preaching and declaring the message of the gospel to philosophers and polytheists. He takes common pieces of culture – philosophical ideas, popular poetry, and religious practice – and brings the gospel to the people through the medium of a culture they understand. The priest must learn and know his culture and gain the careful discernment of what to receive that is shared in culture, what to reject that is defiled in culture, and what to redeem that is lost in culture.

The ambassador does not get overly involved in the affairs of the place he serves, unless very carefully measured. It is worth noting that electronic media, while wildly popular, is not the same as real community. People only know a thin slice of our lives via what we choose to post, and posts in this new media are instant, global, and permanent. This alone should give us pause as to how much real good can be done.

The Priest to the People of God – The Church Serves Herself

We are to be priestly to one another. The bible spells out how Christians are to serve and relate to one another in no uncertain terms. A list of “one anothers”, tells the Christian community how to live as the Church, and it is filled with priestly functions. “Bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2), confess sins and pray for one another (James 5:16), “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thes. 5:11), to name a few.

For the pastor, the greatest priestly push he has each week is the pulpit. Those minutes before the community, speaking to the Church, from the Word, to reveal Jesus, is a small part of the week, but is critical to its course. Like a spark that starts an engine and lays silent as the machine hums with horsepower, so the sermon is a small spark that sets larger things in motion. We encourage our people with a “Contemplative Question” in the guide page each week for us to consider after the sermon. Our Tribes (small groups at Terra), bring depth and personal life to the text preached. The sermon speaks a word from the scripture and, with the spark of the Spirit, the Church roars to life.

If you are preparing to teach the Word of God, understand that you are teaching a representative from 3 groups of people:
– Non-Believer
– New Believer
– Mature Believer

Consider the following:
– What questions would they ask of the text?
– What objections should be addressed?
– What information needs to be taught?
– How can they be encouraged at this point in their journey to grow closer to Jesus?

The Priest Guides the Prophet and Pilgrim – Compassion and the Calling

The prophet is careful with the source – the very Word of God. It means he is part professor who must teach a foundation as well as proclaim the Word faithfully. The pilgrim is careful in examination of self. To speak his own life into teaching, the pilgrim has to be part poet and story teller, crafting his language, his voice.   The pilgrim preacher must carefully consider the placement of self-revelation. What of the life story applies? How is it helpful? The pilgrim map becomes a teaching tool in the hands of the priest to aid another. The priest must consider those he serves.

The priest takes the study of the prophet and considers carefully how others will hear the message. He takes the unique gift of his own pilgrimage and seeks to use it to give shape to the internal life unseen, to aid in guiding another on the path. The priest cannot let knowledge remain in stained glass tombs or let spiritual life be stored selfishly in a cul-de-sac of grace. It is a heart for others, a true compassion, that marks the priest who pastors.

A Common Call – A Priesthood of the People

These three articles were written with pastors in mind. I meant to reveal some of what I think goes into writing a sermon as a matter of perspective (not just technique). I meant to encourage others as well. Much of what pastors do all Christians must do. You likely found the call to be a faithful prophet who hears, a pilgrim who responds, and a priest who shepherds resonating in your life. Likewise, you will likely be the voice that resonates with another.

People who reorient their lives to follow God become pilgrims. Dedicated pilgrims listening to God become prophets.. Christians are called still to carry the Truth and their testimonies to the world around them. It is time for a nation of priests – holy, bible-informed, honest, and thoughtful men and women – to arise and serve in the Name of the One who saves.