Priesthood of all Believers
“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples” (John 15.8)In the 70s and 80s, many churches used to have those big sign boards outside with a text or a little thought for the week painted on in dayglow colours. eg “Don't let worry drive you to despair - let the church help.”
Some of them were quite witty, but all of them were subject to additions by anyone with a spray can.
So “The meek shall inherit the earth” had added underneath - “if that’s alright by you?”
And someone had supplemented the rather hopeful: “Are you tired of sin? Then come inside.” with “If not, phone Bayswater 7328!”
But I remember it was an Anglican Church in the vanguard of the charismatic movement which had the usual more discreet sign outside, which said:
Vicar: The Revd So-and-soSo what is the distinction between laity and priests, and how do we carry out our common task as disciples of ‘bearing much fruit’?
Ministers: the whole congregation.
Most of my working week at this time of year is taken up with organizing the ordinations of many new deacons and priests. There are about 60 in our diocese alone, which is most encouraging. We have 146 ordinands in training at present.
The 1960s was a time when all distinctions of persons were being swept away and so it is hardly surprising that Vatican II addressed what was seen as the problem of clericalism - nothing could happen without a priest. Priests were to become just ordinary chaps!
I think it was that great 60s theologian Spike Milligan who said: “never trust a priest who wears a rollneck sweater and says ‘call me Ken’”.
The Vatican II document Ulterior temporibus in 1967, while recognising the increasing role of the laity, still maintained that priestly ministry is ‘distinct from the common priesthood of all the faithful... in essence and not merely in degree.’
Many of my low church Anglican colleagues would disagree with this Vatican II distinction between ministry and priesthood. They would agree with the famous Church of England evangelical WH Griffiths Thomas, who was very influential at the beginning of the 20th Century and sometime Principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He said: “Christianity is a religion that is a priesthood and not one that has a priesthood.” This was seen as a strong part of Prayer Book, Reformation faith for many evangelicals.
Like Luther and the continental reformers they interpreted the Communio Sanctorum not in the medieval sense of being participants in the sacraments – the Communion; but in also being part of the fellowship of believers. They argued that there is nothing true of bishops, priests and deacons that is not true of the whole church.
So we must acknowledge that there is still a debate that divides the Christian church: is priesthood a matter of ontology or function? - does ordination change the very being of a priest, or does it just set a person apart for a particular ministry within the church order? (Eric Mascall gives one of the best and imaginative treatments of this in the last chapter of Theology and the Gospel of Christ, SPCK, 1977.)
Well, however we view priesthood, clergy both model and mirror the priesthood of all believers or the priesthood of all the baptized as it is often stated. We are all disciples, and in the words of our text, we are called to bear much fruit.
I want to suggest that we do this in two ways: by sign and by service. And these two ways reflect our Lord’s instructions to all Christians, priests and people, that they are to be a light to the world, and the salt of the earth.
I remember Bishop Richard saying at a deanery chapter as he looked round the room at those few not wearing dog-collars: “I want no anonymous priests in my diocese!”
But it is of course more than simply donning clerical dress, or for the laity, wearing a cross or some other Christian symbol, or carrying a large black Bible and reading it on the tube.
As lights to the world, we are to be signposts to the transcendent God. What does that mean?
At some social function this week I found myself, for the umpteenth time, trying to explain what a priest does.
People are generally happy with your doing good about the community, but what genuinely puzzles most of our contemporaries is any sense of devotion to God; of meaningful engagement with the Almighty through prayer and by the sacraments; of saying you can’t meet them for drinks till 7 because you are saying your prayers.
They don’t understand why I should spend so many hours in church every day or week. They do not understand that a priest’s engagement with the world is dependent upon his (or her) engagement with God.
It is especially in this way that the ordained are called to be the focus of transcendence; an archetype of the priesthood of all the baptized.
Our life in Christ should be a challenge to those round about us. It is a signpost to the transcendent God.
We must not hide our light under a bushel, or under some false humility that argues:
‘I’m such a poor disciple of Christ that I’d better keep quiet about.’ As the lady said to the Vicar on the door after a particularly fiery sermon: “Oh Vicar! We never knew what sin was until you came to the parish!”
Our involvement with church must be seen to be an involvement with a God whom we believe to be there; and not just as members of a local social club with nice music. Or as George Orwell put it: "choir practice in a jeweller’s shop".
Religious faith has become so internalised over the last 50 years - it’s all a matter of private belief - that many in western society find it very strange when Christians assert that it is a public truth. That the transcendent God has revealed himself to us in Christ, and that we are all called to respond. (The late Bp Lesslie Newbigin was very concerned with this.)
So we are a sign, lights to the world.
But secondly, we are to bear fruit by service. We are to be the salt of the earth. Jesus set us the example: “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matt 20.28)
It was this sense of service which fired the new democracies that sprang out of the Reformation in Europe. People realised that it was not just for clerics to be civic leaders, but all Christians were called to serve their society - for the common good and not just for their own good.
Salt that remains forever in the saltcellar is of no use. As disciples of Jesus Christ we should have a strong sense of public service.
In the simplest of terms, we should be known to be people who are kind and who do good in society.
I was at a seminar this week on the theology of development projects. It was for those 80 or so churches in our Diocese who have major building projects on the go and about 40 attended. It was inspiring to hear how different churches were developing their buildings to serve Christ in their community, whether the £35m scheme of St Martin in the Fields, or our own more modest attempt to make our buildings more useful in our mission.
So as priests and people, disciples of Christ, we are all called to be signs and agents of the kingdom of God, to be a royal priesthood.
“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.,” (John 15.8)
