“A Priest Who Meets Our Need!”

“A Priest Who Meets Our Need!”(Heb.7:23-28).
In my denomination, the PCC, the prayer of Confession of sins is central in the worship service. It is the first prayer during a worship service.
The Worship leader – whoever s/he is – ends the prayer of Confession with, “Therefore we plead with you” and the congregation continues, “Take away from us O, God, our sins which separate us from you, that with pure hearts and cleansed lips…” This prayer remains the same even if all the worshippers are clergymen and women.
These clergies are mandated to listen to the confessions of Christians and pronounce forgiveness on them. But these ministers are part of the general confession of “take away from us…” because they too are imperfect as much as the rest of the worshippers.
Of course any clergy remains a Christian like any other – fallible, mortal and imperfect.
Two words that describes the priesthood of Christ which was/is absent in human priesthood are permanence and perfection.
Permanence is the state or fact of lasting forever; meanwhile perfection is the state of being perfect.
Human priesthood is characterized by impermanence and imperfection.
A human priest is mortal so he cannot continue to serve as priest for ever. He is impermanent.
Jesus is immortal, so he has a permanent priesthood.
While a Worship leader and the congregation pray, “take away from us…”, Jesus’ intercessory prayer is, “take away from them, O Father, their sins which separate them from us…”
The Lord Jesus Christ has a permanent priesthood because he lives forever.
“Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”
He is a priest who meets our need. He is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.” Any other priest is the opposite of who and what Christ the priest is.
Christ is the “appointed Son, who has been made perfect forever.” He is the high priest who meets our need because he is the guarantor of our salvation through his once and for all sacrifice.
Weekend prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, we put our hope and trust in you who are able to save completely those who come to God through you. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.