Pastor’s Notes for 6th Wednesday in Lent, B Date: 3/25/15
Theme: Sacramental Journey—sustained with gifts of bread and wine
Prayer of the Day
O God, with steadfast love you draw us to yourself, and in mercy you receive our prayers. Strengthen us to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, that through life and death we may live in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Brief Sermon Outline: “Sustained According to Melchizedek”
1. Abram &Sarai had already been journeying quite some time, with much uncertainty, many trials &meanderings behind them before they finally got to the land God had promised them in Canaan.
2. Melchizedek is a mysterious biblical figure—a Canaanite priest-king mentioned only briefly in Gen. 14:18-20 (when Abram/Sarai were just getting established in Canaan), in Psalm 110:4 (a psalm describing David’s invincible kingdom), then in Hebrews where Christ fulfills the purpose of be-ing our high priest-king who blesses us on our wilderness journey as Abram was by Melchizedek.
3. There’s plenty to speculate re: Melchizedek because scripture says so little re: him. So in ancient Israelite tradition, Melchizedek had no father or mother but was given an indestructible life as an oath from God; he did not die b/c, according to Psalm 110, God promised he’d be a priest forever. And he was King Melchizedek of Salem (which Hebrew root S-L-M stands for Shalom or Peace).
4. There’s no doubtmuch legend surrounding Melchizedek—a vague, rather dubiousfigure of anci-entIsraelite history, which is partly why the writer of Hebrews saw the flesh/blood reality of Jesus, Son of God, obedient to death & raised to be eternal source of salvation & peace as so significant.
5. Jesus wasn’t some vague, legendary figure—Jesus was the very embodiment of high-priestly au-thority, everlasting kingship & eternal source of blessings on the order of priest-king Melchizedek.
6. In fact, Jesus followed the way of obedience that God’s own people had failed to do from the days of Abraham/Sarah, and because of this, God granted him an indestructible life, a seat at the right hand of glory, establishing the man J.C. as our great high priest, mighty Lord & prince of Peace.
7. We’ll hear this coming Sunday part of an ancient baptismal creed that Paul records in his letter to the Philippians. It goes that Jesus, “humbled himselfand became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.Therefore God also highly exalted him gave him the namethat is above every name, so that at the name of Jesusevery knee should bend, in heaven & on earth under the earth, every tongue should confessthat Jesus Christ is Lord,to the glory of God the Father.”
8. That was part of an ancient Christian liturgy called a sacramentum; when the worship leader said, “every knee should bend,” the whole congregation would bend the knee and confess J.C. as Lord. On account of Christ crucified, we have a high priest & king who meets us wherever we happen to be in life, meets us w/ gifts of his indestructible life broken & poured outto sustain us on our way.
9. Abram &Sarai had already been journeying quite some time, with much uncertainty, many trials & meanderings behind them before they finally got to the land God had promised them. There they were met by the high-priestly-king Melchizedek, who presented them all with gifts of bread & wine.
The Word
(Hebrews 5:5-10)
So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,“You are my Son,today I have begotten you”; 6 as he says also in another place,“You are a priest forever,according to the order of Melchizedek.”
7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; 9 and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10 having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.