“Need A Priest?”

I have a friend who says, “The only time some people want their priest is when they are hatched, matched or dispatched.”  In other words, people appreciate the priest’s service at births, weddings and funerals.  Those might be the times people appreciate priestly service but we need a priest far more often than that!  One could argue that we never have a day without a need for the Priest.  Priests are common in religion.  The desire for a priest is a reminder that we are wired to recognize the gap between ourselves and deity.  We see the priest as the one who can get us in good favor with the “other.”  The priest prays, offers sacrifices and declares absolution for our failures.  The Jewish priesthood was appointed by God.  God was reminding the Jews that there was a distance between Him and them and that sacrifices were needed to close the gap.  Obviously the gap never stayed closed because sacrifices needed to be repeated.  The words of John the Baptist, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world,” were epic!  Jesus Christ cancelled the need for any future sacrifices when He declared on the cross, “It is finished.”  The final Lamb had been offered, the final sacrifice was made and the debt was paid in full.  We are so blessed.  We have a Great High Priest who paid the price for our redemption and since He was raised from the dead, He is able to secure that redemption at the right hand of the Father.  He is our Priest forever!  So, do you need a priest?  Yes!  And you can have one in Jesus Christ the Lord.