You are . . . a royal priesthood . . . that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

— 1 Peter 2:9

Here’s a question: What was the main job of a priest in the Bible?

The priest’s role was to serve as a mediator between God and the people, approaching God on behalf of the people and helping the people to receive God’s instruction and blessing.

The priests of God’s people were appointed to teach God’s law, explaining how to live in relationship with the holy God, turning away from sin and seeking to live God’s way. In Exodus 19:6 we read that God called his people to be a whole nation of priests so that they could bring God’s blessings to the nations.

In the New Testament, this same mission is given to the church. The church is made up of all people who follow Jesus, who is both our great high priest (Hebrews 4:14-16) and our Savior from sin (Matthew 1:21). By his death on a cross, he paid the price of our sin to reconcile us with God and to give us new life forever with him.

Through Jesus, God has provided for each one of us the way out of sin to full life.

Heavenly Father, when we eat the Lord’s Supper, recognizing Jesus’ gift of himself for our sake, may we know your justice and mercy so that we, your priests, may be enlivened to share your good news with the world. Amen.