Eugene Peterson wrote:

… if we want to change our way of life, acquiring the right image is far more important than diligently exercising willpower.[1] Willpower is a notoriously sputtery engine on which to rely for internal energy, but a right image silently and inexorably pulls us into its field of reality, which is also a field of energy.[2]

A story paints a picture. If it is true that “willpower is a notoriously sputtery engine,” (to this I think we can all attest) but that the right image or vision contains an inherent power to cause change, then painting pictures with words, or to say it another way—to tell stories, is perhaps the most powerful thing we can do when it comes to transforming our lives, and indeed, the world.

It should not surprise us that Jesus knew this! Viva storytelling!!!

The insistent argument of post-modernism is that there is no Grand Story that makes sense of the world. The late Robert E. Webber, Myers Professor of Ministry at Northern Seminary in Illinois, and founder of the Institute for Worship Studies, was a prolific author. His final book—literally dictated from his deathbed—is titled Who Gets to Narrate the World?.

Dr. Webber considered this question to be the most pressing spiritual issue of our time.[3] Webber believed that Christianity in America will not survive if Christians are not rooted in and informed by the uniquely Christian story that is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Wherever there has been conflict in the world—throughout history—it has been as a result of conflicting stories meeting head-on. In days past, this happened relatively rarely, but in today’s highly mobile society, where the views of any obscure philosophy are only a google-search away, competing stories are colliding at an unprecedented rate. Will we teach our children to cope with this new reality by giving them to understand that Jesus is “the way for me” or that He is “the way, the truth, and the life”?

This may come as a surprise, but the answer to that question will be determined by storytelling; by whether we do it, by whether we do it convincingly, and by whether we live in accordance with the story we say we believe—by whether we do it well.

My passion is to tell the story of the gospel—God’s narrative as told in Scripture—in a manner that makes it leap from the pages into our lives! Too often we consider the Scriptures theology to be studied (and it is), principles to follow (most certainly it is), maxims to remember, or archaic stories of people who lived long ago in a situation far removed from ours, and who found solutions little relating to the predicaments of today. May it never be so!

The Scriptures are not just a collection of stories, but a meta-narrative, an over-arching tale that gives meaning, purpose, and sustenance to our lives. It tells us our place in history, our role in society, the hope of our future, and the way we should “walk” today (Eph. 2:10).

If it is true that the road to the future lies in the past, it is also true that when the past has been lost or neglected there is no certain future.[4]

R.C. Sproul has said that “truth is reality as God perceives it.” Let’s make sure our youth understand the world according to the story that God tells.

[2] Peterson, Eugene. Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992) p. 6

[3] Webber, Robert. Who Gets to Narrate the World? Contending for the Christian Story in an Age of Rivals. (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2008) p. 16

[4] Ibid

Simply put, many of us have squeezed living out of life. We don’t have time to soak in life and deep friendships. We’re always running around trying to get to the next event. This presents at least two major problems. First, our busy lifestyles stimulate a toxic disease called crowded loneliness. But there’s an even deeper problem. In our original design we were created with a connection requirement. If this requirement is not met, we will die.

Studies show that with increased resources comes increased complexity, not simplicity. “If they aren’t especially careful, the ones who have more actually have more with which to destroy themselves.”

If you’re looking for more peace and simplicty, check out Making Room for Life: Trading Chaotic Lifestyles for Connected Relationships by Randy Frazee (Zondervan, 2003 ISBN 9780310250166, 191 pages)

A profound tactic for introducing sanity into a chaotic lifestyle is the practice of the Sabbath. Much to our chagrin (for most of us), God actually knew what He was talking about when He commanded a Sabbath “for man.”

Consider the words of Bishop J.C. Ryle (d. 1900):

My own firm conviction is, that the observance of a Sabbath Day is part of the eternal law of God. It is not a mere temporary Jewish ordinance. It is not a man-made institution of priestcraft. It is not an unauthorized imposition of the Church. It is one of the everlasting rules which God has revealed for the guidance of all mankind….

I turn to the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ when He was upon earth…. I find Him speaking eleven times on the subject of the Sabbath, but it is always to correct the superstitious additions which the Pharisees had made to the Law of Moses about observing it, and never to deny the holiness of the day. He no more abolishes the Sabbath, than a man destroys a house when he cleans off the moss or weeds from its roof…. I am utterly unable to believe, when I see all this, that our Lord did not mean the Fourth Commandment to be as binding on Christians as the other nine.[1]

——————————

[1]Ryle, J.C. Knots Untied (London: Wycliffe House, 1877) 299-304

In a sense it all started with a picture—the picture of deliverance from bondage, the Exodus from Egypt. The Feast of Passover and the associated Feast of Unleavened Bread commemorate how God delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt.

In every generation, we should feel as though we ourselves have come forth from Egypt, as it is written:

“You shall tell your son on that day, `It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’” (Exodus 13:8).

Indeed, “Egypt” exists on more than one level, and we have been redeemed and led forth from the spiritual Egypt that was the “domain of darkness” and transferred “to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13b, 14).

According to God’s calendar, Passover (Pesach) was to be celebrated first, then immediately thereafter, the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In the midst of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (seven days long), was to be the Feast of First Fruits. From that date counting fifty days was Pentecost (Shavuot). The Gospels make it quite clear that the events at the end of Jesus first advent were not just coincidentally related to the “Feasts of the LORD” (Leviticus 23:2, 4, 37 & 44)—the feasts were, by God’s design, a picture of God’s redemptive plan. Passover, First Fruits and Pentecost foreshadowed and now commemorate the final events of Messiah’s first advent.

Throughout Scripture God makes it evident that He has chosen the Exodus from Egypt as a lasting illustration of both His faithfulness and of the redemption of His chosen people from spiritual bondage (Isaiah 11:16, Psalm 81:10). Likewise, the Promised Land is an illustration of God’s eternal rest (i.e., salvation, c.f., Ezekiel 20:40-44, Isaiah 11:6-12, 16, Hebrews 3:7-11; 4:1, 3a, 9-11). In fact, God does more than just associate these events as types. The final fulfillment of God’s promises includes the physical restoration of His people to the Land (Revelation 21, Isaiah 27:6, 9a, 13).

Let us then remember that,

…in Jesus Christ you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Messiah.  Ephesians 2:13

Dear God, I desperately need to hear from You. I need communication; I need to know what is true, what is right, what to do, what You mean. Please speak to me from Your word.

The passage that day was somewhere in the Gospel of John, and I heard nothing from above. I recall the despair with which I confronted Him after reading that day’s text over and over again.

God, it’s just a story; it’s history, but I don’t see any deeper meaning. I don’t hear or see any answers to my questions…. I need to hear from You; what am I to do?! What am I to understand?!

The walk of a believer is one of relationship with our Creator. Just like any earthly relationship, the degree to which we “feel” the reality of that relationship is determined by how much effort we put into it.

I didn’t really understand the proper role of regular devotions until after having been married for several years. There have been moments of magic in our marriage, but that is certainly not our daily experience! It seems like dishes to wash, bathrooms to clean, kids to cart to the next event, brakes that need fixed, toilets that overflow, and bills that mount seem to dominate our weeks. Those “magic” moments would never happen if we simply waited for them. It is the regular, consistent deposits we make into our relational “bank account” that add up to magic moments. Isn’t it strange how love can overwhelm you right in the middle of scrubbing grape juice out of the carpet together?

The amazing thing is that daily laying down our desires to honor our spouse transforms over time into a relationship of deep and enduring delight!

When my brother and I were growing up he was a poster boy for proper fiscal behavior. It didn’t matter whether he received $2 or $20, he was going to deposit some of it in his savings account. I, on the other hand, felt it was hardly justified to deposit anything less than $20 since it made no considerable difference in my account statement.

Guess who graduated with quite the nice bank account? Every once in a while regular devotions prove to be $50 or $100 deposits, and I treasure those moments, but most often they are $ .50 or $1 deposits that eventually add up to a deep, abiding relationship with my God.

I’m not really sure it matters how you do your devotions; what is important is that you maintain an awareness of conversing with God. Sometimes I find gold nuggets and sometimes I leave puzzled. Either way, the information I’ve learned or reviewed is precious to me…because I’ve chosen to love God.

I don’t often record the content of my conversations with Elisa; it’s not often that they’re mind-blowing. But, added up together, they’ve produced a relationship I wouldn’t trade for anything!

May we be faithful to converse with God, and may we teach our youth to treasure those times as well. They won’t always be memorable—though those mountain-top experiences will happen—but they will produce memorable, powerful, and reproducing believers!

The English word “priest” is an Anglo-Saxon corruption of the Greek word presbuteros or elder, but the Hebrew word for priest is cohen, which means “one who draws near”. Today we will investigate this idea as it relates to ordination. Let us ask and attempt to answer the question, “What does it mean to be a priest?”

Scripture is given to us in the form, primarily, of a story. Have you ever wondered why so much of the Bible is comprised of narrative? It’s because we don’t worship some ethereal, generic god, created in the projection of man’s imagination; no, we worship Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, a particular God, of a particular people, with a particular story. Our salvation is found in our adoption into that family, so their story becomes ours, and their promises become our shared inheritance.

So, we shall explore the role of a priest and the charge of ordination as we find it in the story of God’s people.  Let’s embark on our journey. Genesis 21 tells us that 4,080 years ago God the Holy Spirit visited Sarah, just as He had said He would do, and she bore Abraham a boy-child named Isaac, one who causes
laughter. Now Abraham had two wives, and the first was jealous of the second. So Sarah, seizing on Ishmael’s cruel mockery of Isaac, suggested to Abraham that he send Hagar and her son, Ishmael, away.

Abraham, like any good father, doesn’t appreciate this idea, but God tells him to do as Sarah says. What is particularly important to our story is God’s reason: “for through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” Isaac had a son whose name was changed to “Israel”, and some 625 years later we find 2 million + people
called “Israelites” quaking at the foot of Mt. Sinai, while thunder rolls from a dark cloud filled with flashes of fire, descending on the top of the mountain as all the while the voice of God roars like an earth-encompassing trumpet.

Just imagine, as if you were there, for indeed, God says that we are to consider ourselves to have been there. Speaking of Passover, which He enjoined upon all Israel’s generations, God said:

You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’  (Exodus 13:8 ESV)

In 1447 BC, God—through Moses—delivered His people, Israel, out of Egypt and trekked them through the wilderness for 3 months till they arrived at the mountain of God, otherwise known as Mt. Sinai or Mt. Horeb. The same place, incidentally, where Moses saw the burning bush, and where Elijah heard God’s voice in a whisper, but not in the earthquake, the wind, nor the fire.

Let’s turn to Exodus chapter 19:

(1)  On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. (2)  …There Israel encamped before the mountain, (3)  while Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

(7)  So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him. All the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD.

(9)  And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.” When Moses told the words of the people to the LORD, the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day. For on the third
day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. (13)  …When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.”

(16)  On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. (17)  Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

Exodus 20:18-21 (ESV)
(18)  Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off (19)  and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” (20)  Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”
(21)  The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

So God said to Israel, “I want you to be a nation of priests; an entire people who draw near.” But, in one of the saddest moments in Scripture, Israel replied, “Moses, we’re afraid; you go talk to God and come tell us what He says, but we are going to stay “far off.”

Moses climbs Mt. Sinai and spends 40 days communing with the Lord, as God shares with him the particulars of their wedding contract. Just 40 days after God’s proposal, and their betrothal acceptance, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do”, Israel is all ready unfaithful. Having declined God’s offer of intimacy, they commit the sin of the golden calf.

Moses climbs Mt. Sinai and spends 40 days communing with the Lord, as God shares with him the particulars of their wedding contract. Just 40 days after God’s proposal, and their betrothal acceptance, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do”, Israel is all ready unfaithful. Having declined God’s offer of intimacy, they commit the sin of the golden calf.

Moses descends the mountain in fury and speaks these unforgettable words: “Who is on the LORD’s side? Come to me.” Let’s look at the passage in Exodus 32:

“Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the LORD’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’” And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell. And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.” Exodus 32:26-29 (ESV)

Here we find the first chronological mention of ordination in Scripture. It came about because God’s offer of intimacy for all His people was declined. Therefore a special cadre of those who were willing to serve the Lord even at the cost of son or brother were singled out for special blessing and special responsibility.

The Apostle Paul reveals in his letter to the Ephesians that we also have been brought near:

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh …were… separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:11-13 (ESV)

Like the Israelites at Sinai, many today choose not to take advantage of their spiritual inheritance. As a people, we have been given the privilege of drawing near to God, and someday we will receive bodies of righteousness and no man will need say to his neighbor “know the Lord” for all will draw near. Until that day, however, a few are chosen to be consecrated in the here and now in a first fruit of the first fruits sort of way. Those few are known as priests, pastors, bishops, elders, or ministers.

Those who feel called to the role of priest must ask themselves whether they are willing to draw near to God even when others shy away? When the cloud descends on the mountain, when the ground trembles and the wind roars, will you still draw near? When those to whom you minister refuse to walk in the reality of their new creation, will you draw near on their behalf? Will you, like Moses, plead their case with God? Will you memorialize God’s sacrifice for their atonement? Will you assure them of God’s forgiveness? The privilege of thus serving is not given freely; there’s a price to pay, a burden to carry. James, the brother of Jesus, wrote:

“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers; for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” James 3:1 (ESV)

Let’s fast forward the story 343 years to 1104 BC. Turn with me to 1 Samuel chapter 2. The background of the story is this: Eli was the High Priest of Israel, his two sons, Hophni and Phineas were evil men. Called to be priests of the
Most High God, they seduced the women who served at the Temple, and stole for their own pleasure the choicest parts of God’s own offerings. Even today we find ourselves in such a place; men, and women, who have been set apart to the Lord as priests are teaching against the words of the Lord, spreading by their words and in some cases even by their actions, immoral sexual behavior. They are thus taking the offerings of faithful believers to use for their own nefarious purposes, rather than for the spreading of God’s Gospel.

What will happen, let us look to 1 Samuel 2:18, Samuel was ministering before the LORD, a boy clothed with a linen ephod. When God’s priests forsake His ways, God will put in their place even a boy. And like Samuel, God is calling you,

Patrick!, Philip, Steve, Come, follow me.

“Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling; calling for you, and for me.”  Will you say, ‘Here I am! Speak, LORD, for your servant hears’ ?

Before we make another quantum leap forward in our story, let us note one thing more from Samuel, in verse 21 of chapter 2:

“Indeed the LORD visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the young man Samuel grew in the presence of the LORD.”  1 Samuel 2:21 (ESV)

Turn with me to the Gospel of Matthew, the first chapter, verse 18.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:18 (ESV)

Remember also what we read in Genesis, “The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, …and Sarah conceived” (Genesis 21:1-2 ESV) Brothers and Sisters, when the Spirit of the LORD visits, there is always fruit.

What is the role of the Spirit in today’s proceedings? Well, we are the inheritors not just of the Levitical model, but we also guard an apostolic succession. So turn with me to the Gospel of John, chapter 20, starting in verse 21:

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”  John 20:21-23 (ESV)

We read also Paul’s words to Timothy:

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,  2 Timothy 1:6 (ESV)

But this we do today is a far more ancient practice. The anointing of the Spirit for the purpose of leading, and the investing of authority goes, again, all the way back to Sinai:

So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight. You shall invest him with some of your authority that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey. Numbers 27:18-20 (ESV)

And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.  Deuteronomy 34:9 (ESV)

In a sense we all stand at Mt. Sinai and say, “All that God has spoken I will do.” And like all men, we break our oath. But, to our great blessing, God has promised in the New Covenant that He will save us, that He will write His words on our heart, and that He will forgive our violation of the covenant requirements. Today, also like at Sinai, God has chosen some among his people of priests to be Priests and Levites of a particular nature, to be presbyters and deacons. Today, you stand at the foot of the mountain waiting on the breath of
God, to come through the laying on of the bishop’s hands, that the Spirit of God might implant within you the seed that will give birth to spiritual children.

What is the point of being one who draws near? First it tells us something about God’s character; He longs for intimacy with us. It is only out of a passionate relationship with Him that we find words to speak which can
overcome that fearsome warning, “not many of you should be teachers.” Like the glow that wouldn’t leave Moses’ face, out of our times with God come words that burn like a fire in our bones. Words of life and words of hope, words that can’t be kept silent within but must fly to their intended purpose. Words of testimony from our experience; so that we can say in life’s darkest moments, “I don’t understand what God is doing, but I know His character.”

Secondly, it is so that, as Paul wrote, we can “be imitators of God like dearly beloved children.” God is a pursuer. The familiar words of Psalm 23:6 don’t convey the full significance of God’s words:

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.  Psalms 23:6 (ESV)

Mercy in Hebrew is chessed, a word so full of meaning that no single English word can capture it; it is variously translated as lovingkindness, mercy, love, grace and steadfast love, but the core idea is of a robust love that never falters, that is completely reliable. But the really interesting word here is “follow” or radaph; yes, it means to follow, but more significantly it is the word used to describe a bandit chasing his victim or a predator hunting its prey.

So we might read this as:

“Surely, goodness and chessed shall pursue me all the days of my life.”

Will you pursue God’s people with the same intensity that God unfailingly pursues us?

Some days your parishioners will break your heart, but how often have we grieved God? It is our privilege to share in this small measure of His sufferings. Some days you will join the angels dancing in heaven over the one that has returned to the 99. This is the path of a priest: great responsibility and powerful intimacy.  By God’s grace, you are to be a foreshadowing of that which all creation groans in expectation of.

As we read in today’s passages, what has been promised will take place, for we serve a God of covenant faithfulness. Now, also like at Sinai, when Moses and the elders “beheld God, and ate and drank.” (Ex 24:11), let us eat the meal of God, let us observe the Great Thanksgiving, for God has come and dwelt among men, for Messiah was slain for our breaking of the covenant, and Messiah has risen again to meet with us at this covenant table.