Last weekend I said that every gift reveals something about the giver and the receiver. But there’s one more thing that the gift of Jesus reveals. It reveals something about our responsibility to our community.
Our incarnational presence in the world doesn’t just meet human needs. It awakens faith. We stand in judgment of no person. But we are to assume the role of a priest in a world that desperately needs priesting.
In 1 Peter 2, Peter says that in God’s new order we function as a Kingdom of Priests. In the Old Testament, the priest and the prophet were two clearly distinct roles. The priest went to God on behalf of the people, and the prophet went to the people on behalf of God. Jesus operated with a dual function. He served as both prophet and priest. He is our model for life in the Kingdom of God today.
We cannot limit our interpretation of the doctrine of the “Priesthood of the Believer” to that of our personal ability to hear from God and speak directly to God without further mediation. The doctrine of the Priesthood of the Believer is a doctrine for missional Christians and the missional church. We have been sent by God into the world bearing The Gift of Jesus.
Who are you “priesting” this Christmas season?
