Hebrews 5:5 So
Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But
God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father.
The
main purpose of a priest is to make prayers before God on behalf of the people.
Mostly all religions appoint holy men and women to intercede between their
deity and the community at large. Festivals and feasts, holy days and religious
celebrations from all over the world have this in common: at the center of the
event, prayers are made to God, as well as petitions, confessions, and
thanksgivings.
As
Presbyterians, we practice the priesthood of all believers which is why we make
our prayers of intercession and confession together in church. The only High
Priest that we recognize is Jesus Himself and so we offer our prayers in Christ’s
Name. Some people say that we miss out the ‘middlemen,’ but that’s not really
what we do. Our prayers are always sacred and so we make them sincerely to
Jesus, in the confidence and knowledge that He is always in the presence of
God, His Father.
When
Jesus left Heaven to come to Earth, He did not feel entitled to His appointment
as the Chosen One. He still had to be given that High Office directly from God.
This is why we read several times in the Gospels about God declaring and
proclaiming that Christ is His Son. It is not just a public statement made in
the presence of the disciples and other witnesses, it is a genuine calling from
God to Jesus. It is the act of a High King conferring the title of Crown Prince
on his son; it is the divine deed of the Creator bestowing the highest honor
upon His child.
Today,
we will all say prayers. We will make confessions about our mistakes, as well
as intercessions about our circumstances. Whatever the case, and whenever we
pray, we all need to remember this: our prayers are made to Christ and we send
them to Him because He can then take them on our behalf and bring them before
God. This is what our High Priest does; this is Christ’s duty as the Crown
Prince of all Creation.
Questions for personal reflection
What am I
praying for today? Am I truly giving my prayers to Christ?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we worship You as our
High Priest and Heavenly King. We praise You as the Crown Prince of all
Creation and the Lord of all our lives. Thank You for receiving our prayers, as
well as for interceding each day on our behalf. May we serve, glorify, and
honor You forever. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If
you would like to ask a question or make a comment about today’s message,
please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
image is one of John’s latest Holy Week drawings. It’s called “Tormented Sky,’
which depicts Christ in silhouette carrying His Cross to Calvary. If you would
like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7280/13367529973_4ea429584b_b.jpg
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