Why We Gather Together

  • Mike Rydman
  • Sep 8, 2006

Why We Gather Together

 

I tend to be a voracious reader, and I enjoy consuming several books at a time. However, this past summer season found me taking on just one book that demanded my singular attention and effort. Leslie Newbigin, a since departed British theologian wrote a book in 1989 titled, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society. I found my reading of this book to be a challenge. It was not uncommon for me to read a paragraph, and then ask myself the question, "What did he just say?" I don't remember the last time it took me three months to read any single book.

 

It was also a book that caused me to highlight and underline more than a few statements as I read. One in particular still has me pondering, here a month or so later.

 

"The church gathers every Sunday, the day of Resurrection and Pentecost, to renew its participation in Christ's priesthood."

 

Why do we gather every Sunday? Because we're supposed to, or simply because it's what we do? It may be that both are true of us. The fact that Sunday is the celebrated day for our church, or any church for that matter is based on the Resurrection. We celebrate in worship because we have something wonderful to celebrate - the resurrection of Jesus, and His resulting victory over the power of sin and the fear of death. We have a savior in Jesus who is more than a well-intentioned martyr; He is God, Who lives and rules in our world, in our hearts and in our church. Even the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) happened "on the Lord's Day," which took place 50 days after the Sabbath of Passover week, the first day of the week. This Pentecost marked the fulfillment of Jesus promise (Acts 1:8) that He would send the Holy Spirit, whose presence in believers is what the Apostle Paul called "Christ in you, the hope of glory," (Colossians 1:27). By the Holy Spirit's presence and power in us we are able to then "participate in Christ's priesthood."

 

I can guess that when the first Jewish Christ-followers were first told that they were "priests," it must have come off as foreign and counter-intuitive to their orthodox ears. All Jews, Christian or not, knew that priests came exclusively from the line of Aaron. Everyone else was disqualified. Now, they're told that they are all "believer-priests."

 

First century believers also knew the role and duty of a priest: to represent God to the people, and to represent the people to God. Jesus intended the same to be true of believers, including you and me, and in the context of the Church - the Body of Christ. The Church gathers each week to renew its participation in this priesthood of Jesus; to remember that our role, thus our very reason for existing is to represent God to the people, and the people to God.

 

We are believer-priests. When we come to salvation and restoration in Jesus we are also given the role and responsibility to function as priests, to each other, and to the people in our respective worlds. As Soteria Church, we are called and commissioned to be "salt and light" to the still dark City of Everett.

 

When we gather together on Sunday evenings (or hopefully on Sunday mornings in the near future) we gather to celebrate the Resurrection and the Pentecost...and to remember and renew our priestly role and responsibility in Jesus' Kingdom plan for a world He continues to love. When we leave our collective worship service each week, we leave as priests on mission, to represent God to the people, and the people to God.

 

I pray we will be a faithful community of priests in these next days and months. I pray we will be intentional in our mission, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. I also pray that the next book I read won't take me nearly as long to finish.