Daily Liturgy and Scripture

The book of James is sort of the Proverbs of the New Testament talking about a way to conduct ourselves. This isn't a new attempt to create a Law that brings back the old covenant, but rather shows us what lives transformed by Christ should look like.

The new priest and the new covenant are close fellowship with God, and God will not leave his people. There are leaders within the Kingdom, but Christ is our ultimate head and guide. The fruit of whole lives, helping others to live a whole life, is the abundant gift we are given from our Lord.

The priesthood of Christ seems to come now to something VERY sacred in the Jewish history books: the mountain of God. This was the place where God instituted his sovereignty, where Moses brought the Law to them. Now Jesus brings a new covenant, and a new Kingdom.

The Jewish audience had heard about the new High Priest, the new sacrifice, and the new temple. Now the writer of Hebrews brings it together: because Jesus fills the role of High Priest, we are sons and daughters, but this also means we are held accountable when we hold that honor. We have been made whole, and wholeness should be something we give to others.

Not to separate the new priesthood of Christ away from the tradition of the Jews, the writer of Hebrews now brings the narrative back to Jewish history, but with an emphasis on faith. This is not a reliance on the Law of old, but on the way of new believers and previous believers alike, united with a history of the faithful established by God.

The end result of this reframing of Jesus as both sacrifice and high priest is this: we have great hope in the future with a God who is near, and enduring persecution cannot remove us from him. This was important to the early church, and it remains our promise.

The sacrifice offered by the priest was also a central tenet of Jewish belief, and that comes to the forefront in this section. Not only is Christ's sacrifice the final sacrifice because it satisfies the full offering forever, it is also the dawn of a new covenant in the Sprit, where God's Word is written on our heart as his people.

Christ is the high priest and the fulfiller of the covenant, which was put into effect at his death. That death was also the final sacrifice which ended sin's bondage.

With Jesus as the High Priest, a re-imaginging of the temple is also necessary. The holy place where the high priest once entered required the transporting of the sacrificial blood as well, but Christ is both priest and the carrier of the sacrifice. We are freed by his sacrifice to enter the presence of God boldly.

Jesus is established as a high priest in an order that precedes Aaron, and his priesthood includes a new covenant that establishes a new fellowship with God. Through our connection to Christ, we are part of the work of that priesthood and heirs of his promise.

To trace Jesus as a priest in the order of Melchizedek is to connect him with more than the line of Abraham. The Abraham line establishes the Jewish people, but being a priest before that line existed makes the priesthood for all people. This was important because Jesus as a priest doesn't come away from the Jewish people to join the rest of the world, but he is part of a priesthood that already existed for the world.

The writer of Hebrews has covered Jesus's status as a high priest, but here we return, confirming the salvation that Jesus truly brings. His assurance is our motivation to love and serve the body of Christ, and imitating those already at work is how our faith is passed on.

A Jewish audience would have been very intrigued by this description of Jesus, their new high priest. Sacrifice and priest come together in him, and God's covenant is fulfilled in that sacrifice.

The writer of Hebrews brings another important factor in Jewish life into the discussion: Sabbath. Resting is an act of God, and it should be a time of true renewal. Making things new again is God's ultimate goal, and refreshing creation starts from a place of renewed people.

Once again for the benefit of the Jewish audience, the author of Hebrews brings important points to bear. This time, he talks about the Moses tradition and Jesus in comparison, who is greater than Moses and therefore the tradition Moses represents. This means that God has not rendered the Moses tradition as invalid, but that God has done a greater work to continue his own story.

Since Hebrews as written to a Jewish audience, the author is covering some pretty important pieces that relate directly to the Jewish experience: the humanit of God becoming man, Jesus joining the human experience, and becoming the high priest for all of us. A high priest was human, so it was critical that the audience understand that God had both fulfilled his promise in Jesus and charted a new future because Jesus is now Lord.

Jesus is not an angel, because he is higher than the angels. Jesus is the Son of God, and is God. If he were an angel or a man who was remade into a new being, he could not have been our Savior.

The reasons for the standard to which ministers are held is finally revealed: because these leaders will endure with their churches, working together through hard times. Paul seems to have hit a few of his own, having been abandoned and in need of friends who were far away.

There is a big difference between someone who is conforming their life to follow Jesus and someone who isn't. Paul seems to indicate that even when the example of Christ is before us, some will still follow their own way.

Reproducing ministry is more than just finding people who are willing to do the work, it also requires a standard to which those working can be held. Not because they are better than those to whom they minister, but because to represent Christ in his ministry is to act like Christ would act.

Perhaps one of the most important pieces of 2 Timothy 1 is the phrase, "What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus." This is a pretty good encapsulation of what religion should be in the Kingdom of Jesus: what came from Jesus, passed through the disciples, and continued being handed along through generations is that same pattern of sound teaching we pursue today. And of course, the working of the Spirit is part of that.

Paul seems to have concerns for his leaders' development, even about trivial things such as quarrels about the law and also more serious topics such as enslavement to passions. The end result is leaders who are willing to be set apart, who will model what citizens of Jesus's Kingdom look like in person.

God has ordered the universe, and so the Kingdom which Jesus established will also be ordered. This means the chaos humans a capable of creating should not be its defining quality, but a more thoughtful approach to how we behave.

How do you know the person that should be leading your church? Paul gave Titus one good way to find them: look to their families. Titus apparently lived among a people that were known for being craven, so a person with a family that didn't fall prey to that would have been an exceptional example.

Human tensions can cloud divine intentions. God has included the complicated and contentious human race in his plan, which certainly complicates the march of heavenly progress. And yet, we are still part of that plan, so learning ot live with one another in a way that honors God is critically important.

We need a spiritual family. We need spiritual parents who lead us, spiritual siblings who walk with us, and spiritual children that we mentor. This structure is what helps us hear from God and one another, and this is a healthy Body of Christ.

Paul is training Timothy as a pastor, and he was apparently quite young compared to many who entered into the vocation. Paul moves past this issue and encourages Timothy in the things which are more important than age, such as discipleship and godly living. This had to come first if it was to be taught to others.

Christ is risen! The promise of resurrection is for more than just the Son of God, it is for all of us. Jesus set the stage for the future that will be ours, and the future of our glorified bodies will be also fellowship with him.

The reality of Jesus dying is important, because resurrection is part of our own future. Jesus was the first to show what God has for the future, and that is also true of victory over death. The victory belongs to him, and we follow in his footsteps, just as we follow him in life.

The idea of this Friday being good seems ironic. It is the remembrance of Jesus's death, and on the surface it seems tragic, not good. But this is the work of God, the fulfillment of prophecy, and the victory over sin and death, which is certainly good news.

Today, we remember the day that Jesus ate his last meal with his disciples. There had no doubt been many before, but this one was significant: it included an invitation even to his betrayer. Eating with enemies is not our practice, but it seems to have been Jesus's.

Being part of the Kingdom of Jesus requires humility from all. Nobody is higher than anyone, and all are subject to Christ. this requires mutual respect, and Paul breaks that down to everyone -- even slaves and masters -- who wishes to follow Jesus.

Submitting to one another is an act that signifies humility. Husbands and wives practice this to honor one another, passing the love that has been given us by Christ. Practicing that love which is of Christ is part of following him.

Why all these rules for holy living? The conduct of the early church was certainly observed by those around them, because the world was watching as a new Kingdom unfolded. The way they composed themselves was a reflection of that new Kingdom, and God was growing it.

Paul continues giving the characteristics of a community governed by Christ, and they very much have the traits of Christ himself: being truthful with one another, but not pacifying one another. Unity, care for one another, and self-denial for the benefit of others. If we are the body of Christ, this is his DNA.

When we talk about the Body of Christ, this is what it looks like. We are unified to God through baptism (which is a recognition of work already done by the Spirit), and we are equipped for work to do the work which is God's. All parts are important, there are no kings in this Kingdom except Jesus.

The mystery of Christ has been revealed through the history of God with his people, the Jews. Now that Christ has come, that mystery has a life that lived among us to follow. That eternal purpose is now our purpose, and God continues his work through the Church and the Spirit.

Christ does more than bring together Jews and Gentiles he brings peace. Not only between people and other people, but between people and God. His humanity reconciles the fallenness of humanity and creates a new Kingdom of co-heirs with him.

The work of the Kingdom is God's, and we are participants with God in that work. It's easy to look at that work and try to make it our own, but it really is a partnership. We have been adopted into God's family despite being God's enemy, all of God's doing.

It must have been difficult to be Joseph, not just because he was the adopted father of the Son of God. The pregnancy Mary went through would have doubtless been a topic of gossip, and many probably thought him a fool for staying with her. But he did, and that kind of humility would be common in the son he raised throughout his life.

Predestination can be a tricky subject in today's culture, but there might be a few points we can agree on. We are sealed for all eternity as heirs with Christ, through whom we can call God our Father. He is our redeemer, and the work of God continues to bring all things to Himself, including us.

The practice of slavery was different in Paul's time than our view similar to the American approach, but slaves were still the bottom of the latter in the ancient hierarchy. Paul is appealing to the master of a slave not merely to free him, but also to call the slave his brother in Christ. This would have been a disruption to the social order, but such was the way Jesus made for us.

The work of a church is always a little business combined with spiritual matters, and sometimes those do overlap. Even from prison, Paul is concerned for both in relation to the Colossians.

Having laid out what we have walked away from in our following of Jesus, now Paul describes what we walk toward and in: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. And above all, love. These aren't goals in themselves, but become the fruit of our lives when the Spirit is present.

The Kingdom of Christ does not neutralize the things that make us unique. Paul's decree that there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, etc., does not mean a loss of cultural identity. It means that all of those things are caught up in Christ, and that everything is reframed in light of that. This is the same Paul who says he is "all things to all people," so he definitely doesn't think we need to all look alike!

The Kingdom of Jesus has been given a life to observe so as to know what God expects of us, and this is the Way we follow. He is also the power at work around us, working with the Father and the Spirit to bring the world back to wholeness. This is also the work we mimic.

Why was it such a big deal to tell the early churches he was doing on their behalf? Was Paul tooting his own horn? Maybe, but even more importantly, he wanted them to know that what they were part of was important. Living lives in Jesus was more than a new book of rules, it is a Kingdom that comes to life in the life of its citizens.

Walking in the Way of Jesus, aware of the Sprit, with a heart bent toward worshipping God: this is our part of life in the Kingdom. God is recreating all things, holding all things together in Jesus, until resurrection can fully restore the world.

In Romans 12, Paul talked about living sacrifices. Here again, he uses language that might have been familiar to those who knew the Jewish system of sacrifice: "a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God." This isn't the blood of animals, but the shared love between believers. It was money in this case, but there are certainly more ways that we can sacrifice for one another, living out the Way of Jesus.

Heavenly citizenship has earthly connections. Those who claim such a citizenship spur one another on to be more like Christ, as Paul unpacks here. The reward is already ours, and pressing on toward it is our daily work.