Hebrews 7.23-28
“Jesus holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever,” says today’s second reading from Hebrews. “Jesus is able to save completely those who put their trust in him.”
The line from about Jesus’ eternal priesthood—about his ministry on our behalf toward God—gives us the confidence and hope. Through all the changes and chances of life, our life in God is assured. Jesus continues forever. This assurance through change, stability as a gift from God, has been on my mind after this weekend’s diocesan convention. In recent years, the congregations with whom we share life together in the Diocese of North Dakota, have been through a number of changes and transitions, including two Provisional Bishops and another bishop who assisted us for a time. Bishop Brian Thom, our current Provisional Bishop, has called for the election of a new bishop for the diocese. Priests come and go, Hebrews says today; bishops, too. Yet through changes in the church, and all the changes in the world or for us, we have confidence and hope that our life in God is assured. This is what salvation means.
Thinking about a bishop’s election—and the upcoming state and national elections for that matter, with unknown changes ahead of us, both in the church and the world—prompted a visit to all the Bishops of North Dakota whose pictures are hanging up, down, and around the hallways here at the cathedral. These pictures take us back to our very beginnings in Dakota Territory.
In the hallway toward the office, for example, you’ll see bishops Mann, Edsal, and Walker. Walker was our first bishop, appointed in 1883. Early in his time, he fitted a passenger rail car into a travelling chapel, his ‘Cathedral Car,’ and furnished it like a church: altar, pulpit, seats for worshippers, and even a bishop’s chair to make it an official cathedral. Walker took to the rails and went all around the state, making stops for worship and establishing missions. Walker’s Cathedral Car became the inspiration for a whole series of Chapel Cars in remote areas of the United States. It also gave Walker the reputation of never being home!
You’ll also find pictures of bishops in the hallway circling the chapel by the Sunday School rooms. There you’ll see Masuda, Hopkins, and John Poyntz Tyler. If you’re a history buff, the name John Tyler is familiar as the 10th President of the United State. Our Bishop Tyler is that president’s nephew. Tyler was a renowned preacher. As bishop, he went to New York City every summer on fund-raising tours for us. His sermons were reviewed by the New York Times and describe his eloquence and imposing pulpit presence. Back home, however, Tyler’s sermons weren’t as appreciated. The history of the diocese notes that as Tyler got more and more involved in administrative work, he had less and less to prepare sermons. Yet, the history notes, that didn’t make his sermons any shorter! Our Bishop Tyler also officiated at the wedding of President George Herbert Walker Bush’s parents Prescott and Dorothy; was a longtime Bush family friend.
Each of the pictures reminds me of how, in the Old Testament, God’s people set up markers—a stone pile or some kind of shrine—to be reminded of important times and places when God had encountered them. All our bishops have been, in small measure and their own way, markers and pointers to God. Some were no doubt holier than others, some wiser than others, some friendlier. But all of them, as chief pastor of the diocese, preached God’s word and administered the sacraments among us. Through them and their ministry, the Holy Spirit was at work making them signposts to the love of God in Jesus Christ, people through whom God encountered us.
Where are they now? The answer—apart from Bp Michael who preached here a month ago and seems to be in good health—is that they have died. “The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office.” What the letter of Hebrews says in words, our photo gallery of bishops does in pictures. Leaders serve and then move on; their responsibilities are taken up by others.
Yet in contrast to the change that we see around us, our life is held secure in God’s eternal changelessness. “Generations come and generations go,” says one of the wisdom writers of the Old Testament. “But the steadfast love and faithfulness of the Lord continues forever.” In all change—the church, the world, your life—Hebrews points to the steadfast faithfulness of God in Jesus Christ. Jesus “holds his priesthood permanently.” He is the source of our confidence and strength through all the changes of life, “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” It’s the line from ‘Amazing Grace’ about going through dangers, toil, and snares. “Grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace shall lead me home.”
At the heart of today’s reading from Hebrews is a description of Jesus as our Great High Priest. Jesus offered himself on the cross once for all and defeated the power of sin and death in his resurrection. This is his ministry on our behalf toward God. Yet his life and work are not merely past tense but a present reality; not merely for the history books but a gift for our life today. In history, he died once to sin; risen from the dead, he “always lives to make intercession.”
To intercede is to bring the needs of one person to another on their behalf. Jesus, Hebrews says, intercedes for you. Jesus is praying for you. Jesus the Great High Priest brings your life into the presence of God. He prays for the joys you can’t find words to express; and he prays on your behalf for the fears you can hardly dare speak. Jesus is praying for your needs, your hopes, the patience you need to get through each day, and he shares in your gratitude for small, daily pleasures. And, in a world where so much is frightening, so much is fragile, Jesus prays for you to have the courage to live as his followers in the world. This is what he says in the Gospel of John: “Do not be afraid. Believe in God, believe also in me. Peace I leave you. My peace I give you, not as the world gives.” Jesus is praying for you through all the changes and chances of life, praying for us in our life together and in this diocese, praying for the world. This is God’s salvation and care for you—your salvation.
I recently came across a quote that seemed particularly timely considering this weekend’s diocesan convention and the steps now being put in place for the election of new bishop in a year. “North Dakota Episcopalians again face a period of uncertainty and speculation about who will be chosen as their chief pastor.” It sounds recent, as though it could’ve been local news coverage of this weekend’s diocesan convention. “North Dakota Episcopalians again face a period of uncertainty and speculation about who will be chosen as their chief pastor.” The word that especially stood out was ‘again.’ The quote is from 1951. What’s the cliché? ‘The only constant is change.’
For the church to continue, God raises up, again and again, people who take up the call to serve. “The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office.” Yet through all change, “Jesus holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.” He lives to intercede for us, to bring our needs to God. And today he meets us at this altar table, a marker and spot where he is truly present to encounter you and give himself to you. In him, you receive strength through the faithfulness of God that endures in all generations. Through changes in the church, in the world, and in your life, you have confidence and hope that your life in God is assured—your salvation.
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