03/17/2024 ~ Fifth Sunday in Lent ~ Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 51:1-12 or Psalm 119:9-16; Hebrews 5:5-10; John 12:20-33 ~ VIDEO OF FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/925119542

Tu Es Sacerdos

“Christ, even the Christ, did not presume to take on the office of high priest. No, Christ was appointed by the One Who said, / ‘You are my Own, / today I have begotten you;’ / and in another place that One said, / ‘You are a priest forever, / according to / the order of Melchizedek.’” — Hebrews 5:5-6.

This happens. When it happens it takes me by surprise and makes me feel a little strange. It’s when someone addresses me as “Father,” refers to me as a priest.

Of course, for most folks the titles “priest” and “Father,” are interchangeable. But as I just said two weeks ago, I am ordained in the United Church of Christ and the title bestowed with that ordination in the U.C.C. is Pastor and Teacher.

This raises a question, but not a question about faith traditions. It’s a question about the English language. What does the word “priest” mean? (Slight pause.)

A strict definition says a “priest” is someone who handles blood. Now, if you are unfamiliar with Catholic theology an important concept is transubstantiation. There’s a $64 word, right?

Transubstantiation holds that in celebrating Communion the elements— bread and wine— maintain the outward appearances of bread and wine— taste, smell— but really become the body and blood of Christ. Hence, Catholic clergy are called priests since a priest handles blood.

But Joe (I can hear you ask), don’t Lutherans and Episcopalians often call their clergy priests? Yes, they do. The theological claim often espoused in those traditions is called consubstantiation. This says in celebrating the sacrament the bread and wine does not become the body and blood of Christ but coexists with the body and blood of Christ.

Indeed, in the three aforementioned traditions the place at which the sacrament is celebrated is usually called an altar. Again a definition: an altar is a place at which blood sacrifice happens.

Now, if all those definitions don’t make your head spin I don’t know what will. It certainly makes my head spin! And yes, there is yet another way to think about what happens when Communion is celebrated.

That concept says in the Sacrament we find the real presence of Christ. No matter which of these definitions is used, real presence applies to all of them. Since in our tradition we tend to rely on real presence we call the place the sacrament is celebrated a table.

I would suggest the real presence of Christ is tangible around an altar and around a table in Communion. After all, where two or three are gathered…. I maintain the real presence of Christ is tangible because in the sacrament we are called to recognize our mutuality, our commonality, our community in Christ. (Slight pause.)

This is said in the work known as Hebrews: “Christ, even the Christ, did not presume to take on the office of high priest. No, Christ was appointed by the One who said, / ‘You are my Own, / today I have begotten you;’ / and in another place that One said, / ‘You are a priest forever, / according to / the order of Melchizedek.’” (Slight pause.)

The observant among you will have noticed the sermon title this week is in Latin— Tu Es Sacerdos. The longer Latin saying is, “Tu es sacerdos in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech.” This translates as “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

When a priest is ordained Tu Es Sacerdos is an anthem often sung by a choir. Indeed, my friend and collaborator Paul Johnson and I wrote an anthem with that title, Tu Es Sacerdos, for the ordination of an Episcopal priest.

Well, who is this Melchizedek? (Slight pause.) When the reading from Hebrews was introduced it was said the New Testament contains a myriad of references to the Old Testament. There is, hence, a necessity to understand the Old Testament. And we find Melchizedek in the Hebrew Scriptures, in Genesis, in the story of Abram and Sari.

So to unpack some of this, the name Melchizedek means “sovereign of righteousness.” Righteousness means being in right relationship with God. In the Genesis passage it says Melchizedek was a priest of (quote:) “God Most High.”

The underlying Hebrew we translate as “God Most High” is El-Shaddai, one of several nameings of God used in the Hebrew Scriptures. This Melchizedek brings out bread and wine, blesses them and then sends Abram and Sari, later Abraham and Sarah on their way as they seek the land which God promises. (Slight pause.)

Given that brief description my guess is you can start making the myriad of connections this text lays out. The story of Abram and Sari, as I said later Abraham and Sarah, with whom God makes covenant, initiates the story of the Jewish people.

Melchizedek is a priest, a reference to the ancient practice of blood sacrifice. In New Testament times blood sacrifice was still practiced in the temple in Jerusalem. Coming full circle, Jesus at the table with the disciples, as did Melchizedek, blesses bread, the cup, and shares it. Then Jesus is crucified and resurrected.

Our Christian claim is that Jesus is resurrected. Why? Certainly one aspect of our proclamation about the resurrection is that in Jesus the covenant established with Abraham and Sarah continues. Further, just as Melchizedek was righteous, in right relationship with God, our claim as Christians says Jesus is the sovereign of righteousness, the One Who is in perfect relationship with God.

Of course, this Epistle is to the Hebrews who probably understood each of these connections. And so the author names Jesus as a high priest of God, like Melchizedek, and thereby calls to mind all the covenant connections in the Hebrew Scriptures. But the writer also makes a claim beyond righteousness: Jesus is the only begotten of God.

That, of course, leaves us with a question. If Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek what does that mean? Or perhaps more directly, if the covenant initiated by God with Abraham and Sarah and embodied by Jesus is alive, present now, what does that mean for us today? (Slight pause.)

I think the answer was voiced by Martin Luther. We are a priesthood of believers. From what place might that idea come? It is in this Epistle to the Hebrews, two chapters before today’s reading. (Quote:) “Therefore, my holy brothers and sisters, partners in the heavenly call, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our calling.”

That leaves a final question. What does it meant that our calling is to be a priesthood of believers? (Slight pause.)

Well, this is my read. The covenant lives today and we are called to live in right relationship with God, right relationship with one another, called to acts of kindness, called to practicing grace, civility, patience, wisdom, called to the seeking of hope, peace, called to the spreading love, joy.

And yes, in our tradition we are all pastors. But in our tradition we are also called to be a priesthood of believers. And our prayer is that God might empower us to act in ways of kindness, practicing grace, civility, patience, wisdom, the seeking of hope, peace, the spreading joy. (Slight pause.)

By the way, here’s another way to say what priests and pastors need to do: priests and pastors— that would be us— need to practice the difficult discipline called love. After all, we are descendants of, inheritors of the order, called to be in the order of Melchizedek. Tu Es Sacerdos. You, we, are in the tradition which calls us to be a priesthood. Amen.

Elijah Kellogg Church, Harpswell, Maine
03/17/2024

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “The Bible (the pastor holds one up) it is one book with many parts, sections, divisions. But perhaps it is also one singular entity and maybe one of our issues with Scripture is we are unwilling to delve deep enough into it to find what ties everything together. And what really ties everything together is the covenant of love with which God reaches out to us. Or as I like to say, God loves us and wants to covenant with us. I hope this does not sound too judgmental, but if the love of God does not jump off every page, we’ve just read it wrong. Try again.”

BENEDICTION: God has written the law of love within us. We are empowered to live according to that law, through the Redeemer, Jesus. In Christ, we experience God’s presence together. Where Christ leads, let us follow. Where God calls us to service, let us go. And may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge of God, the love of Jesus, the Christ and the companionship of the Holy Spirit, this day and forevermore. Amen.