Remember Whose You Are

Hebrews 5: 1-10, by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
October 18, 2015

Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; 3and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. 4And one does not presume to take this honor, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
5 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,
‘You are my Son,
today I have begotten you’;
6as he says also in another place,
‘You are a priest forever,
according to the order of Melchizedek.’
7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; 9and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
– Hebrews 5: 1-10

It is one of the most humbling experiences in the life of faith. Many have shared that it brought them to tears. It is the ritual called “the laying on of hands.” It is a moving experience to circle around an individual to lay hands upon them and pray for anointing or healing. Rituals like this reveal the mystery of the Holy Spirit in palpable ways.

We also embody this ritual at the ordination of ruling elders or teaching elders. It is hard to put into words the way the mantle of God’s grace feels through all of those hands. It is humbling for a person of faith to feel the physical weight of prayer. It is moving for a person of faith to be called from the body of Christ to serve the people of God with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love.

The liturgy in the Book of Common Worship says that “Ordination is Christ’s gift to the church, assuring that his ministry continues among us, providing for ministries of caring and compassion in the world, ordering governance of the church, and preaching the Word and administering the sacraments.”

October 16 was the anniversary of my ordination. It is day I remember and give thanks to God for all the special people that nurtured God’s gifts in me. I remember the weight of the hands upon me and how it was a burden and a blessing. But I am so grateful the day was not about me. The day was to celebrate God’s faithfulness among us. It was a day to celebrate God’s steadfast love among all the people of God.

Our text this morning from Hebrews speaks to the experience of calling spiritual leaders. They are called from the body to serve the larger whole. We hear of the burden and blessing of this calling in the responsibilities given to the high priest in those days. The high priest was to create a space of worship to lift the brokenness of humanity into the light of God’s grace. And then the author of Hebrews quickly turns our focus to Jesus Christ. God’s only Son fulfilled the prophecies to be the high priest for all time. Christ was chosen and called to lead God’s people into God’s eternal restoration.

As God continued to weave a vision of ministry in the biblical story, Jesus Christ embodied a new way to pour God’s grace into the brokenness of God’s people. He was chosen from the beginning as Emmanuel, God with us. We hear those words of Christ’s choseness in today’s text– “You are my Son” (Hebrews 5:5). Those words echo the words of Jesus’ baptism in the synoptic gospel accounts: “You are my Son, the beloved. With you I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22). As the mantle of God’s grace rested upon Jesus in the Jordan River, he was anointed as God’s beloved. The One who would pour out God’s steadfast love through his death and resurrection so that all who believe in him may not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Christ lived into his choseness as our high priest unlike any who came before. Jesus took on the humbling identity of a servant leader. Hebrews describes Christ’s humble response saying, “Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest. He did this through faithful obedience in prayers and supplication, with loud cries and tears” (Hebrews 5: 5,7).

Jesus’ faithfulness is noted in the gospels as he said he came to serve and not to be served (Mark 10:45). It is Christ’s humble and servant leadership that invites us to be a part of God’s vision of ministry in the biblical story. That vision is the cornerstone of our Reformed faith and it is called the priesthood of all believers.

I recall my pastor saying at my ordination service a number of years ago that even as a pastor comes alongside God’s people, the ministers are the ones who are in the pews. Christ works through each of us so that we may minister to one another. I wonder if you have ever thought of yourselves as ministers in the priesthood of all believers?

I like the way our Presbyterian liturgy says it: “We are all called into the church of Jesus Christ by baptism, and marked as Christ’s own by the Holy Spirit. This is our common calling, to be disciples and servants of our servant Lord.” *

Whether we were baptized as a young child or in adulthood, our baptism is sufficient for our calling to serve in the body of Christ. By water and Holy Spirit we share in Christ’s dying and rising to new life. We are initiated into the greater family of faith, the Church Universal. We are joined to Christ’s ministries of faith, love, compassion, peace, and reconciliation. And together we are sent to continue Christ’s ministry into a hurting world.

The waters of baptism help us to visualize Christ pouring out God’s grace into the brokenness of humanity. Christ poured himself out to give us new life. Likewise we are to take our spiritual cups, which are full and filled with the Holy Spirit, and pour out God’s love in life-giving ways for others. We experience the priesthood of all believers in so many ways. When someone inspires another to dive a little deeper into faith; when laughter pours out of stories that strengthen bonds of faith and friendship at retreats; when we share the bread and cup with our homebound members; when we lay hands upon another in prayer for anointing or healing; when we gather food for those in need; when the local congregation recognizes her potential to be the church in beautiful ways during interim periods.

This afternoon some of us will see the priesthood of believers at work in our fall stated presbytery meeting. I will have the humbling experience to be examined by the members of Providence Presbytery. I will answer questions regarding theology, worship, sacraments, and polity. I pray for God’s faithfulness as we enter into these next steps towards my installation as the next pastor of Van Wyck Presbyterian. And I would covet your prayers as we continue in this process. I am grateful and humbled to walk this journey of faith beside this congregation and this presbytery. And as we celebrate God’s faithfulness, let us remember God’s vision of ministry.

Our text this morning encourages us to pause and give thanks for the common call God has placed upon all of our lives through Jesus Christ. We are called to respond to the gift of faith and our common call in baptism as Christ did with humility and servant hearts.

We will have an opportunity to respond to God’s grace following the sermon by remembering our baptism. It is a ritual that invites us to recommit ourselves to God’s story of serving in ministry together. It helps us to feel the presence of God’s Spirit moving in our lives. Hear the blessing of God’s grace through the Scriptures, liturgy and prayers. Experience the mantle of God’s grace as you touch the water in the font – the womb of spiritual renewal.

Remember you are God’s beloved. Give thanks for the saints who have poured out God’s love to you in life-giving ways. Praise God for the ways the Spirit has nurtured the unique gifts and talents in you and in me. Your baptism is sufficient for your calling to be a minister in the priesthood of all believers. Remember your baptism and remember whose you are. You are a daughter, a son of the living God.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

*“Ordination and Installation of Deacons and Elders,” Book of Occasional Services (Louisville: Geneva Press, 1999), p. 19.

Susan Andrews, Pastoral Perspective on Hebrews 5: 1-10, "Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 4" (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), 182-186.