I've been thinking about...

The Priesthood of All Believers.

What else would I be thinking about on Laity Sunday, right?

The priesthood of all believers is a foundational tenet of Protestantism. It is rooted in the New Testament, articulated fully by Martin Luther in his reforms of the church in the 16th Century, and a core principle for us still in the United Church of Christ as a denomination and in the Encanto Community Church as a congregation.

So, uh, what does it mean?

The priesthood of all believers means that we believe that all Christians have equal access to the love, grace, and mercy of God. It means that we do not need an earthly mediator to stand between us and God in order for us to have access to the gifts and blessings of God. We stand sure in our conviction that Christ is the only mediator that we need, and through him we know that the love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness of God is offered to each and every one of us. In that sense, we are all priests given full access and authority to go directly to God with our petitions, prayers, and offerings.

We find the same conviction in scripture. 1 Peter 2:9 says, "You are a royal priesthood and a priestly kingdom." Revelation 5:10 says, "Through your blood you have made us into priests and kings." 1 Corinthians 4:1 puts it like this, "No one should regard us as anything else than ministers of Christ and dispensers of the mysteries of God."

Protestantism does still have a high regard for clergy (I’m not encouraging you to wholly get rid of me or any future pastor who might serve this congregation!), but on Laity Sunday we have the opportunity to celebrate the gifts and good graces that the members of our congregation have to share and lift up in service to God.