Readings:
2 Sam 5: 1-5, 9-10;
Psalm 48;
2 Cor 12: 2-10;
Mark 6: 1-13

Collect:
Almighty God,
send down upon your Church the riches of your Spirit,
and kindle in all who minister the gospel your countless gifts of grace.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reflection - We Are a Royal Priesthood

Many of you are aware that I was licensed by the Bishop of Buckingham this last Sunday. The licensing is both a religious and legal affair which marked the end of my curacy (priest in training) and wherein I was formally given the license to carry out my ministry in the Church of England as a priest. But what does it really mean to be priest as members in the body of Christ as we live out our lives here on earth.

In the ancient Israel there was a sort of checks and balance in the governance of the people of Israel, the Royals (kings) and the Priests with each role having it’s specific functions. The priest are from the lineage of Aaron (from the tribe of Levi), only they could approach God at the temple; only they could offer the sacrifices. The rest of the Jews could not.

The king on the other was special in Israel because he was anointed with oil by the priest. This means he was equipped and empowered by God to do the task of ruling Israel and fighting the battles of the Lord.  The separation was strict and there were severe consequences for the two kings (Saul and Uzziah) that tried to combine the roles by offering sacrifices to the Lord instead of the priest.

We are living in a new dispensation of grace where as joint heirs with Jesus Christ, we have all been called to be priests – no longer after the old order of the old testament, but after that of Jesus Christs who has sent us all to make disciples of all nations.

Some of us may have been called to minister as priest by leading the people of God in worship, conducting baptism, marriage funeral among other duties; but when we look closer at the bible, we will discover that all Christians are supposed to function as a priest in one way or another. In 1 Peter 2:9, the bible says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light”. Which means we may not all be called to wear the dog collar and bear the title of reverend, but we are all called to the work of advancing the kingdom of God as we proclaim his love and mercy to the nations.

Because of the New Covenant, there is no longer a priest who must come from a specific tribal line. Christians being royal priests represent the fact that we have been united with Christ, we are his body, and whatever glory Christ receives we receive as well. 

On a final note, I want to say thank you to everyone in the partnership for their support to my family and I since we came to the partnership in May 2013. It has been a fantastic experience of serving and ministering together as we take the love of Christ to our communities. 

Adedayo Adebiyi