Becoming (biblically) Human
By Matthew Farrelly
The men’s retreat this month was a blessing to me and to many men at Church of the Resurrection. Deacon Stephen spoke about something I’ve actually been trying to sort out for some time: that is, the idea that our work is prayer – ora et labora, pray and work.
This gets at the very heart of who God made us to be. All facets of our lives are to be characteristically worshipful. We were created to worship. One particular facet of what it means to worship is that God made us to be priests.
Of course, we are familiar with the Levitical priests and their function and purpose in Israel, but, from the start, Adam and Eve were priests in God’s garden. Our priesthood, however, has changed with the coming of Christ. Jesus is our now High Priest and, in Christ, his Church has become a kingdom of priests.
Priests offer sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. Fundamentally, this has never changed. Jesus, as both priest and sacrifice, offered himself for the sake of the whole world, making a way for our priesthood in Him. The Church now embodies Christ in all that we do just as he did. We are now the sacrifice and the priests for the sake of the world. We offer all parts of our lives: our work, our children, our students, our leisure, our worship to God.
St. Paul speaks of it this way in Romans:
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Romans 12:1)
In Philippians, Paul speaks of his own priesthood. Notice the language:
Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. (Philippians 2:14-18)
Paul calls us to be ‘without blemish’ – just as all sacrifices were to have been. We are to offer ourselves and all that we do as a priestly ‘drink offering’ to God, pouring out ourselves for the sake of our neighbor.
Back in Romans, the language is made all the more clear:
I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. (Romans 15:14-17)
Paul understands acutely that he is lifting up the Gentiles to the Father. They are his offering which the Holy Spirit will sanctify. If our lives are ordered by ora et labora, then all of our labors are priestly offerings. And God will sanctify the work that we do. We will ‘have reason to be proud of our work for God.’
This last week, Father Stewart introduced the concept of imitating Christ in marriage and celibacy. We see this same language from Ephesians 5:
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk [live your lives] in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV)
Like Jesus, and Paul who followed him, do we understand and embrace that we are both sacrifice and priest? Have our imaginations been baptized with the understanding that no matter what we do, we are offering a sacrifice to God.
Malachi spoke of a time that the LORD’S “name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to [His] name, and a pure offering. For [His] name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts.” (1:11)
Through Christ, God has torn the curtain of the temple so that all places where Christ is present are holy places. Christ is in his Church day-in and day-out: at home, at work, at play.
As his Church grows, the bounds of the temple expand so that ‘every place’ will be an offering. The whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. So, our priestly service is in everything and through everything we do and will continue this way until Christ’s return.
Help us, Father, to live and move and have our being in you that we may be both sacrifice and priests.
