Community Church Sermons

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B - October 22, 2000

"Jesus, Our Priest"

Hebrews 5:1-10

Okay, so our text from Hebrews 5 tells us that Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizadek. I'm not sure about you, but I find myself asking, so what? What does that have to do with the Christian life? What does that have to do with the burdens I carry? What does that have to do with making the world a better place? And besides, "What the heck IS a Melchizadek in the first place?"

Let me tell you a quick story from the book of Genesis. Many thousands of years ago, God promised two childless nomads named Abraham and Sarah that even though they were way beyond the age for such things, one day they would have a baby. And over time, their child would become a great nation. And one day, that nation of wanderers would possess a land of their own. And through that promised child, that promised people, that promised land - God would provide a gift that would make possible the salvation of all humanity - of all the world.

Now Abram and Sarai - as they were called back then - responded to this calling in an amazing way. At first, they laughed at the incredible humor of the idea of hundred-year-old people having babies! But soon, Abe and Sarai settled down and simply believed it. If God promised it, it would be. Abram and Sarai were people of great faith. So they left their relatives and the place they were living, and they went and followed the Lord toward the promises he had made.

It was tough going. Despite all their best efforts - if you know what I mean - Sarai did not get pregnant. Despite all God's promises that he was leading them to a land of promise, there were insurmountable obstacles along the way. One was a terrible war.

Four kings and their armies marched against a coalition of five kings and their armies. In the bloody battle that followed, the four kings overwhelmed the five kings and sent them into retreat. Among those who fled was the king of Sodom in whose country Lot, the nephew of Abram happened to live. As the victorious forces advanced, they took the citizens of Sodom captive. Including Lot, the nephew of Abram.

When word came to Abram that Lot was captured, Abram knew he had to do something. God's promise was not to him only, and not only to his future descendents, but to his family as well. So Abram mustered up a rag-tag army of his own from among the men traveling with him. They numbered only 318 persons. Observers would surely describe their mission as suicidal. To try to save Lot, they would go up against the five victorious kings and their five mighty armies. 318 nameless nobodies against the mightiest military alliance in the world!

Thoughts began to flow through Abram's mind. Bold ideas began to take shape. Courage came to offset his terrible anxiety and deep, deep fear.

Abram divided the men into separate units, and they took cover in the hills. They waited until dark. And then - in the blackness of the night - they struck.

And when they did, something happened that no one could have imagined beforehand. Abram and his 318 men routed the most powerful army in the world! In the confusion of the battlefield, the five victorious kings and their five victorious armies, took to flight. Abram and his tiny band chased them all the way up to Damascus - 318 primitive nomads against God-knows-how-many-thousands! And when the pursuit was ended, and the victory was complete, Abram and his tiny band - with nephew Lot safely among them - started the journey back to where Sarai and the others were anxiously waiting. And as they passed by the city of Salem, which oneday would be called Jeru-salem, a strange thing happened.

The priest of Salem, the priest of God Most High, a man named Melchizadek, came out from the city to meet Abram and his men.

He brought loaves of bread and skins of wine, and the hungry nomads and their unlikely commander ate and drank until they were re-energized and ready to continue on. And then priest Melchizadek donned his royal robes, raised his arms above Abram, and said:

Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!"

Abram, the story goes, went on his way, rejoining Sarai and the others at a cluster of oak trees that rose up from the plain near Mamre. And strengthened by the gifts of God, mediated by Melchizadek the priest, they continued on their journey toward the promise!

Now, the author of the book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is to us, what Melchizadek was to Abraham and Sarah. And there are two beautiful thoughts to be considered here.

First, Melchizadek directly provided Abram and his men the sustenance they needed to continue their journey toward the promises of God.

The role of Jesus in our lives today is to be more than that of a teacher, more than a role model, more than an ethical guide. All of these things are good things and important, but in and of themselves, they are not enough. When you have lost a loved one, for instance, and you are caught up in the terrible pain of facing life without the one you love, it is not enough to say that once upon a time, Jesus revealed himself to be the resurrection and the life, and the Savior of the world. It is not enough to take hold of the concept of heaven, and the hope of eternal life. It is not enough to meet Jesus as teacher, as role model or ethical guide. We need something more from Jesus!

We need bread and wine to make it through the day! We need someone not to teach us, but to feed us. Not someone to guide us, but to strengthen us. Not someone to talk about what we ought to do, but someone who can take us by the hand if necessary and somehow pull us along, through the next minute, the next hour, the next day, the next week…the next…whatever.

Jesus - now that he is ascended into heaven - is to us what Melchizadek was to Abram. The One who provides bread for the journey. Do you remember what he told us to ask for when we pray?

"Give us this day our daily bread" The resources we need to make it through today.

Our family once had a friend who knew this secret to faith. She said she began every day in prayer, asking Jesus to provide all the bread she would need for the journey. She asked to be led to people who needed her help. She asked for wisdom to know what help to give. She asked the Lord to lead people into her life, so that she could be helped by them. She asked for the words to say to others in the course of the day - words that would heal and not hurt, words that would inspire and not provoke, words that would be the right words for the people to whom she spoke. And she prayed for strength - strength to squeeze all the good out of every day, all the meaning out of every relationship. Strength to face the problems that came. Strength to make it through the day.

And this friend of ours - living life as a single person, and even bearing the burden of cancer - used to laugh as she told us of how Jesus answered those prayers. Turning the corner in the supermarket, she'd run into a friend she hadn't seen in years, and the unexpected meeting would provide some gift of hope or grace. Trying to figure out how to deal with a challenge in her own life, she'd open the Bible and somehow, it would fall open to a passage that spoke directly to her heart. Her friends described these events as "coincidences", but she called them something else. She described them as "God-incidences", and noted that when she stopped praying, they seemed to stop happening.

You know, in this scientifically rationalistic culture of ours, we have lost one of the most important elements of faith - the power of God to enter our lives on a daily basis, providing us the bread and wine we need to face all the challenges of the day.

So writing to Christians like us who don't believe in an escapist faith but who do believe that life is bigger than we are, and that reality is not always what we'd choose it to be, the author of Hebrews reminds his readers that there is help available! Jesus' job in the kingdom of heaven is to be for us a priest like Melchizadek was for Abram. He invites us to turn to Jesus every day for our daily bread. And Jesus will surprise you with how good he is at doing it!

Now, the second thought is equally important. Not only is Jesus a priest who cares for our daily needs, but he is also a priest whose job it is to represent God's blessing and love.

When I was first out of seminary, my hair was long, my pants were bell-bottomed, and my name was what I had always been called since childhood. Butchie. But, for some reason, these features just did not lend themselves to a whole lot of credibility with my much more experienced first congregation. I guess it's just hard to listen to a twenty-four year old hippy named Butchie telling you about what you must do to inherit eternal life!

So to counter my lack of credibility, I decided to prop myself up by going down to the local religious store and buying a set of clerical shirts and collars. Surely, this fashion makeover would generate new respect and credibility.

One day, Sandy and I were shopping in the local supermarket. Over in one of the other aisles, we could hear a small group of boys talking and laughing, and having just a great time running up one aisle and down another. I love the freedom that children have to simply be themselves wherever they happen to be. And these kids were having a ball, just being themselves.

Well, they came careening around the corner of the aisle where Sandy and I were shopping, and we were sort of giggling about how wonderful it is to be a kid when, all at once, they spotted my clerical collar. And all of a sudden, they came to a screeching halt. And then, like soldiers stiffly marching by in review, they passed us in single file, and each one in turn solemnly said, "Good afternoon, Father!"

And once these young men had turned the corner, I could hear the joy renew itself as they once again began to run and enjoy their childhood. And when I realized what effect my new priestly persona had on these kids, I made a decision. And that was the last time I ever wore a clerical collar.

But now that I'm older…

I've come to better appreciate today, the important role of a priest. Yes, priests - whether Protestant or Catholic - can be party-poopers who take the wind out of the sails of people. Yes, they can be harsh in their judgments as one of our members recently told me, describing a time in childhood when their father had been laid off from work. It was the time of the annual fund drive at church and the pastor came to the door looking for a pledge. The father said he couldn't give, that it would be hard enough to make ends meet to provide for his family. The pastor said that wasn't good enough, and made some mention of eternal consequences for not giving to the church. And that was the last time the father ever went to church.

Yes, priest of all stripes, all denominations, can do some pretty stupid and unchristian things.

And yet, this priestly role is so very important in our spiritual lives. In fact, the role of Melchizadek in Abram's life was to represent God's love to him, that God was with him, that God was dedicated to fulfilling the promise of having a baby, of birthing a nation, of possessing a land, of bringing the blessing of salvation to humanity.

In other words, Melchizadek's blessing was a sign that, even though the events of today may be difficult and painful, the promise of tomorrow is still intact. God will do for Abram what he promised! And God will keep his promises to you!!

Many years ago, Sandy's mother Eva - who was a stroke victim - suffered another stroke. She was rushed to the hospital, and given her medical history, the situation looked terribly bleak. Family members were gathered in the hallway, outside the room where Eva lay unconscious. People spoke in hushed tones, and there was great sadness and resignation on the faces of all. The future did not look good.

Just about that time, a looming presence came around the corner, walking down the hallway to where we were gathered. It was George Seale, our pastor. He was a big, imposing man, and as he drew closer, every eye turned toward him. And when George Seale was close enough, rather than speak, he drew open his arms, and somehow gathered all the family members into his care. And as the tears flowed in that tight circle, somehow we knew that we were in the presence of God, represented in the person of Pastor Seale. And through his presence, we sort of intuitively knew that, though the day and the circumstances looked awfully dark, God had not abandoned us. God still loved us. And God would bring us through, no matter what the outcome.

How important it is, when you're going through tough times, to know that God is on your side. That God will not let you down. That God will fulfill all his promises to you and the ones you love. This is what a priest represents.

And so the author of Hebrews reaches out to each and every one of us who is wrestling with the concerns of every day living. When Abram worried about tomorrow, Melchizadek came and assured him of God's love, God's presence, and God's blessing. And the author of Hebrews turns to you and me and says…when you're down and discouraged, and worried about making it through the day, let alone to tomorrow, picture Jesus as your Melchizadek, your priest, your representative before God, and God's representative to you! And you will draw strength from him as he turns the corner and walks down the corridor of your life, sweeping open his arms to hold you tight.

For the early Christians, facing terrible persecution and constant difficulty, the image of Jesus as their personal priest - praying for them, advocating for them, representing to them God's promise that the kingdom will come, and that God's will will be done, became a source of tremendous hope and strength as they lived their lives every day.

And this morning, I invite you to receive the same gift to strengthen you on your journey. A priest who will feed you with what you need for the day. A priest who will assure you that, despite the challenges you face, God is still on the throne, and will lead you safely to victory, in Jesus!