Th Ntur f Pristhd in th Church f nglnd - Essay Example

Th Ntur f Pristhd in th Church f nglnd (nd hw I might xrcis my ministry tdy) Th Church f nglnd cnsidrs itslf t stnd bth in rfrmd church trditin (currnt nglish lw rgrds it s Prtstnt) nd in Cthlic (but nt Rmn Ctlic) church trditin: Rfrmd in s fr s mny f th principls f th Rfrmtin hv influncd it nd insfr s it ds nt ccpt Ppl uthrity; Cthlic in tht it viws itslf s th unbrkn cntinutin f th rly pstlic nd ltr mdivl "univrsl church" rthr thn s nw frmtin. In mny ppl's ys, hwvr, th Church f nglnd hs s its primry distinguishing mrk its brdth nd pn-minddnss with sint dvtin t pristhd. Th min blif f th church rfrs t th fllwing: Every child of God is a priest! vry mn nd wmn wh is Christin hs ntrd "th pristhd." (Owen, 2002). Th nly high prist in Gd's systm tdy is in hvn" Christins r prists f Gd. Th pristhd undr th lw ws vry hnrbl nd scrd ffic, Hb. 5:4, "nd n mn tkth this hnr unt himslf, but h tht is clld f Gd, s ws rn." It ws n ccunt f this hnr tht ths prud mn, Krh nd his cmpny, nvid rn; nd Gd ssrtd nd vindictd rn's right t it, by cusing his rd t bud. It ws n hnr which, bfr th giving f th lw, whn vry prticulr fmily ws wnt t ffr scrifics fr thmslvs, th firstbrn usd t clim, nd thrfr th birthright ws s much stmd nd vlud. Thrfr Jcb hd such dsir f hving th birthright f his brthr su, nd su's dspising f it is spkn f s grt instnc f his prfnnss. Prist in th Church f nglnd is sid t b chif mn mng his ppl, Lv. 21:4, "But h shll nt dfil himslf, bing chif mn mng his ppl, t prfn himslf." Bcus th ffic f th pristhd is s hnrbl, it is nticd s wickd cntmpt f it in svrl wickd kings, tht thy md f th mnst f th ppl prists. Pristhd is vry scrd ffic, nd tht bv ll thr ffics. Lv. 21:6, "Thy shll b hly unt thir Gd, nd nt prfn th nm f thir Gd, fr th ffrings f th Lrd md by fir, nd th brd f thir Gd, thy d ffr; thrfr thy shll b hly. Thy shll nt tk wif tht is whr, r prfn, nithr shll thy tk wmn put wy frm hr husbnd; fr h is hly unt his Gd. Thu shlt snctify him thrfr, fr h ffrth th brd f thy Gd, h shll b hly unt th: fr I, th Lrd, which snctify yu, m hly." Church f nglnd blivs tht Jsus Christ is th nly prpr prist tht is t ffr scrifics, nd mk tnmnt fr sin, undr th Nw Tstmnt. H ws th prist f whm ll th prists f ld wr typicl. But yt ll blivrs r hrin in msur cnfrmd t thir hd, nd ssimiltd t him. Th pristhd nw is n lngr cnfind t n fmily, t rn nd his sns, but ll th tru Isrl r prists. vry tru Christin hs wrk nd ffic tht is s scrd s tht f th prists ws undr th lw, nd vryn is dvncd t lik hnr, nd indd t grtr. But hw vry tru Christin is prist f Gd will ppr in th fllwing things. Undr th nglish Church ll wh hv "btind ccss t this grc in which w stnd" r prists f Gd (Owen, Dorothy, 2002). Ths wh nc wr nmis, whn rcncild t Gd, bcm His ministrs, thrugh Him wh lvs us nd hs frd us frm ur sins by his bld nd md us kingdm, prists t his Gd nd Fthr. N wndr tht clstil vics ris in pn f pris unt Him in th stirring wrds: "Wrthy rt thu t tk th scrll nd t pn its sls, Fr thu wst slin nd by thy bld didst rdm mn fr Gd Frm vry trib nd tngu nd ppl nd ntin, nd hst md thm kingdm nd prists t ur Gd" (Rv. 5:9, 10). Th trms "high prist" nd "chif prist" r fund but 123 tims in th Nw Tstmnt nd thus th pristhd is highly rspctd in nglish Church. Th Grk wrd fr prist is hirus, nd th trm "prist" is fund 33 tims in th Nw Tstmnt, whr it rfrs t th Lviticl prists 18 tims. f th 15 rmining ccurrncs, 8 rfr t Christ, 3 t Mlchizdk, 1 t th pgn prist f Jupitr, nd th thr 3 t th ntir mmbrship f th church f ur Lrd, wh r dsigntd s kingdm, vn prists. In n cs is th trm pplid t spcil ministry r cst in th cngrgtin f ur Lrd. N gspl prchr, bishp, r dcn ws vr rfrrd t s prist in ny distinctiv sns; n such individul ws prist by right f ffic (Best, 1995). S pwrful r th mbitins f mn, nd s wid sprd r th ids f scrdtl cst in th rlm f rligin tht it is virtully impssibl t limint th id f spcil clrgy frm th minds f mn s thy my mk cmplt rturn t pstlic simplicity in wrk nd wrship. Thr is n lmst univrsl id mng th "prists f Gd" tht thy my hir r cntrct with smn f suprir tlnt t pprch Gd in thir bhlf nd t ministr in thir std. Thy littl sm t rliz tht this ttitud is th sd frm which pristcrft hs grwn. Undr th nglish Church cmprhnsin, Gd hd spcil inhritnc r clrgy. "t tht tim th Lrd st prt th trib f Lvi, t crry th rk f th cvnnt f th Lrd, t stnd bfr th Lrd t ministr t him nd t blss in his nm, t this dy. Thrfr Lvi hs n prtin r inhritnc with his brthrs; th Lrd is his inhritnc, s th Lrd yur Gd sid t him" (Owen, Dorothy, 2002). bsrv tht hr spcil grup ws st prt t ministr unt Gd nd t prnunc blssing upn th rmindr in Gd's nm. Thus thr ws distinctin btwn th clrgy nd th lity in th prvius dispnstin. nthr ffring f this pristhd undr th nglish Church is th pryr f fith. Thugh this is rthr cmprd t incns in Scriptur thn t scrific, yt it is qully n vidnc f thir pristhd. Incns ws tht swt cnfctin which w rd f, x. 30:34, "nd th Lrd sid unt Mss, Tk unt th swt spics, stct, nd nych, nd glbnum; ths swt spics, with pur frnkincns; f ch shll thr b lik wight." Ths thy wr wnt t burn upn th cnsr s thy ffrd it, which md mst frgrnt smll. Tht incns is typ f th mrits f Jsus Christ, nd sms ls t b typ f th pryrs f Gd's ppl in fith f th frmr. It ws th custm, whn th prist in th tmpl ws burning incns, fr th ppl t b prying withut, Luk 1:10, "nd th whl multitud f th ppl wr prying withut t th tim f incns." nd grcius pryr is cmprd t incns, Ps. 141:2, "Lt my pryr b st frth bfr th s incns; nd th lifting up f my hnds s th vning scrific." Th pryr f fith is s frgrnt svr t Gd, thrugh th mrits f him twrds whm tht fith is xrcisd. Bcus w liv in dngrus; ungdly tims, numbr f rgniztin hv bn crtd t strv fr bld ppl willing t stnd up fr rightusnss, truth, nd rprsnt Jsus Christ. n f thm is Ryl Pristhd (RP) which sts nw stndrds in th rp wrld. Stying tru t th strts; RP r bcming frc rcgnizd by millins, frd by mst, but rspctd by ll. Hr r sm blifs tht RP is bsd n: t ld ur yung ppl nd nyn wh listns t rp (including sculr rp) t Jsus Christ thrugh th gspl in rhym; t chng th fc f Christin rp music--ding wy with ll wk nd cmmrcil prductin--stting th pc fr ll lvls f hip-hp, including sculr. Gspl hip-hp will st th stndrd th wrld will fllw. lif isn't lwys th sist nd t tims w ll struggl. Nt just spiritully, but with wh w r. Filur isn't flling dwn, it's nt gtting bck up. with this pg w r ging t bring wrds f ncurgmnt t ur visitrs. Ths wrds will hlp vryn 'sty up' nd kp fighting. w r gnn kp it simpl. This clumn will b rl, trgting things w ll fc. W will bring rl-lif knwldg nd truths with biblicl prspctiv. Nthing sugr ctd nd with smthing fr vryn whthr yu bliv in Christ r nt. Th ryl pristhd hs crtin divinly givn rights. Ths cnnt b brgtd r trnsfrrd withut ding srius injury t th church, r dspit t th Spirit f grc. n f th bsic rights is tht f vry fithful child f Gd wh hs th bility, t spk t his fllws fr thir difictin nd cmfrt. In th primitiv cngrgtins, mn wr urgd t dsir this gift bv ll thrs. Th public wrship srvic ws s rrngd s t prvid fr this xrcis, nd instd f n tking ll f th tim, th brthrn wr tught t yild th spking privilg t thrs in mutul lv (1 Cr. 14:30,31). T this fct th schlrship f th wrld givs rdy cquiscnc. "Th prticiptin in wrship ws nt cnfind t th fficil mmbrs, but t vry ml mmbr it ws prmittd t uttr his pprhnsin f truth. Th rdinry srvics f th church wr vry similr t ths f gd pryr mting t th prsnt tim." (Best, 1995). t prsnt w r ll llwd s nr n ccss t Gd s th high prist nly ws undr th lw, nd with mr frdm, fr h might pprch but nc yr. H Church f nglnd blivs this principl nd ncurgs vrybdy t jin th mss nd bcm fithful nd tru t th pristhd trditins crtd lng tim bfr. Bibliography: 1. Best, G. F. A. (1995), Temporal Pillars. Queen Anne's Bounty, the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, and the Church of England (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). 2. Burns, A. (1999), The Diocesan Revival in the Church of England c.1800-1870 (Oxford Historical Monographs, Oxford: Clarendon Press). 3. Fryde, E. B., Greenway, D. E., Porter, S., Roy, I. (1986), Handbook of British Chronology (RHS, Guides and Handbooks, 2, 3rd edn, London: Royal Historical Society). 4. Horn, Joyce M., David L. Smith and Patrick Mussett (2004), Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1541-1857. Vol. XI: Carlisle, Chester, Durham, Manchester, Ripon, and Sodor and Man Dioceses (University of London School of Advanced Study Institute of Historical Research: London). 5. McClatchey, D. (1960), Oxfordshire Clergy 1777-1869. A Study of the Established Church and the Role of its Clergy in Local Society (Oxford: Oxford University Press). 6. Owen, Dorothy (2002), The Records of the Established Church in England, excluding Parochial Records (London). 7. Royal Priesthood Ministries. Available online: http://www.rpministries.com/ Read More