You have made them to be a kingdom and priests and to our God; and they will reign upon the earth. (“Revelation 5:10 You have made them to be a kingdom and …”) (Rev 5:10)

To some, a priest is a celibate man wearing a white collar to whom you confess your sins. Others have more of an ancient conception of a priest who wears white linen garments and sacrifices animals in a temple. But when Peter says that we are the
priesthood (1 Pet 1:5-9), what did he have in mind?

Priests serve. Priests in the Old Testament served God and the people by mediating between God and humans. Without the priesthood, Israel’s relationship with God was precarious at best. This is why it was so horrible for Eli and his sons to be so sinful; they put the entire nation in danger. We also mediate between God and the rest of his creation. We are his representatives, called to serve others and to help them have a strong relationship with their creator. We do this through mediating his love, but also through giving life and light in places which are sterile and dark. To be a priest means we are to serve humanity.

Priests sanctify. One way priests served in the Old Testament is by consecrating people and places. In order for God to dwell on this earth, the earth had to be holy and sacred. The priests of the Old Testament sanctified the temple and Israel through the blood of bulls and goats. However, today we only need the blood of Jesus to consecrate ourselves and others. Wherever we go is holy ground and wherever we gather is the temple of the Lord (1 Cor 3:16, 17). We ought to change whatever organizations we are a part of through our presence.

Therefore, you do not have to be a man, wear a collar, or go to a seminary. We are not ordained by a cardinal or bishop, but by the Bishop (1 Pet 2:25). We do not wash ourselves with holy water or in mikvah’s, but in the waters of baptism. I hope that you will live up to the high calling to both serve and sanctify the world in which we live. There is no shortage of darkness and gloom. And while we must wait for Yahweh to vanquish death and darkness once and for all, we can still provide life and light through mediating God’s presence to the world.