Feed My Sheep
A Pastoral Letter
Bishop Eron-Peter Hull
My Beloved Sisters and Brothers~
The Peace of the Risen Lord be upon you. We who follow as disciples the Lord Jesus Christ are truly blessed to live in these amazing days. With the continual forward progress of the message of hope, my fervent prayer is that in our day we shall be able through the power of the Holy Spirit to eradicate hunger and addiction and inadequate healthcare and all of the evils that would prevent humankind from achieving its fulfillment, which we have seen personified in Jesus Christ. As the very-present body of Christ, the church is uniquely gifted to address these issues with the very same power and authority that our Lord wielded during his earthly life, if we will only learn its principles and submit ourselves, individually and collectively, to the sure and direct guidance of the Holy Spirit that is our birthright.
I would like to address with you today an issue that is fundamental to our ability to embody the “God-with-us-acting-in-the-world” Kingdom of which Jesus spoke so clearly and eloquently ~ the Holy Priesthood of Christ. In favor of brevity, I would only like to address the history of the Priesthood very lightly, as numerous other texts can and do give a much more thorough treatment of the history itself.
There are in essence two priesthoods, or types of priesthood, in existence in the church. The first is the greater priesthood, which is the nature of all those born in Christ in their role as mediators between God and a broken world. Saint Peter clearly explains this priesthood in his first General Epistle as such:
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9, NKJV)
Here Peter, the first chief of the apostles, is addressing the broad church and its members in their role and function in the world. Clearly enough, he defines the basic responsibility of those who have joined themselves to the Body, and that is to tell the story of how God, in Christ, has brought them out of ignorance into a brighter day. We tell this story each time we speak of God’s work in our lives, and each time we perform acts of mercy and justice in the name of Christ, and each time we offer our prayers for others. That is the very nature of mediation, to go between. We could ask of the text “For what purpose?” “Why does God need our praise?” Indeed, God does not need our praise. Nor is the God we meet in Jesus Christ a God who would have us praise for some ambiguous “greater good” or “spiritual exercise” of their own. Rather, we are set apart by the mark of Christ to take our part in carrying this message of what God is doing in Christ, so that others may come to enjoy the benefits of discipleship. And each time we do that, we are mediating, bridging a gap, so that our fellows can come to enjoy the same insight and blessedness which we share. That, in brief, is the nature of the “Priesthood of Believers”.
The second priesthood in the church is the specific priesthood of those called out and set apart as ministers of Christ, to serve both the Body and the broader world. Before we continue further, I would like to share with you a definition and explanation of priesthood that I believe is appropriate, and will be the foundation upon which we address engage this subject.
“You are men who hold the priesthood of God, who hold divine authority to represent Deity in whatever position to which you have been assigned. When a man, an ordinary man, is set apart in his community as a sheriff there is something added to him. When a policeman on these streets, at the crossing, holds up his hand, you stop. There is something more about him than just an individual, there is power that is given to him. And so it is throughout life. No one can be given a position without being enhanced. It is a reality. So , too, is the power of the priesthood. (David O McKay, Ninth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, quoted in Teachings of the Presidents of the Church, David O McKay, p.115)
Elder McKay here spoke of two qualities inherent in the servant-priesthood of which we speak. First, he defined it as “divine authority to represent Deity”, and secondly, he describes a very real change that comes over a person when he or she is ordained. We have heard this same principle referred to as sacramental character. Nevertheless, we acknowledge, as do most disciples, that in the act of setting apart a person for ministry, something about them is changed, and they are entrusted with especial authority to minister in the name of Christ. This is what we call the servant-priesthood. And it is this priesthood I would like to address with you, my fellow laborers.
I have a unique privilege. As a Bishop in Christ’s church, I can trace my apostolic lineage through two very different vehicles. First, I was ordained to the Priesthood as a young man within the LDS church, and subsequently was ordained to an apostolic ministry by an Elder with a special calling as a Patriarch and who had a very strong gift of prophecy. The LDS church traces what it calls its “line of authority” to its first President and Prophet, Joseph Smith Jr., whose testimony is that he and his associate received the Priesthood under the hands of the resurrected apostles Peter, James, and John. To engage in an argument of the validity of this experience would be to call into question the validity of the sacraments performed by millions of holy men some women over the past nearly 180 years. I will not do that. And frankly, having been blessed in the experience of receiving the priesthood through the ministrations of these holy people, I must in honesty attest to the reality and validity thereof. Secondly, I was ordained a Deacon, a Priest, and finally consecrated to the Episcopacy, all within the Sacramental/Liturgical tradition, and received in those acts lines of authority that also claim to trace back to St. Peter. Again I say, that I indeed felt the Spirit move in all of these.
The servant-priesthood, as understood by both of these great traditions, is first and foremost to represent Christ. Again, quoting Elder Joseph F Smith, the sixth President of the LDS church, “What is the priesthood? It is nothing more and nothing less than divine authority committed unto man from God” (
“Although the New Testament books were written very early in the life of the Church, distinctions had already been made between the ministries of deacons and elder-presbyters … During the Apostolic Age, the churches were governed by apostles; later the elders assumed this role, many of them having been appointed by an apostle or his delegate. Eventually, the greek work episkopos ~ overseer ~ came to be used for the person holding the office of elder.” (Phillip St Romain, Catholic Answers to Fundamentalists Questions, Liguori Publications, 1984, p. 16)
The Restoration Tradition Churches (those tracing their roots to Joseph Smith Jr.) have consistently understood that though many are called to service in the Priesthood, few are chosen to preside. Their priesthood structure is somewhat different, but the principles are the same. The Apostolic Office is entrusted with presiding over the church, shepherding it in the stead of Christ:
“The duty of the elders, priests, teachers, deacons, and members of the church of Christ ~ An Apostle is an elder, and it is his calling to baptize; And to ordain other elders, priests, teachers, and deacons; And to administer bread and wine ~ the emblems of the flesh and blood of Christ ~ And to confirm those who are baptized into the church, by the laying on of hands for the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, according to the scriptures; And to teach, expound, exhort, baptize, and watch over the church … And to take the lead of all meetings. The elders are to conduct the meetings as they are led by the Holy Ghost, according to the commandments and revelations of God.” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:38-45 LDS version)
Yet those who share in the apostolic office are not called to go it alone, for under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, other offices have been called into existence from time to time as the needs of the church have necessitated. In the early church, first the apostles were led in prayer to choose out what came to be known as deacons, those who would assist in the care of the poor and the widows. These were eventually entrusted with other reponsibilities as the times and circumstances demanded. As the early movement progressed, the apostles/elders/bishops could no longer handle all of the day to day pasturing and liturgical work of the church, and a separate presbyterate developed. In the liturgical/sacramental churches, these three offices, known collectively as the threefold ministry, have become the norm and with some exceptions (predominantly in the Protestant churches) have been the identifiable ministry within the body for nearly 2000 years.
Most importantly, my brothers and sisters, in our conversation of the servant-priesthood, we must reflect upon how holy and humbling a privilege it is to serve Christ as bearers of this holy priesthood. Again let me reiterate, we are entrusted with divine authority to represent Christ. How incredibly marvelous it is that the Creator and Redeemer of all that is would entrust one as frail and broken as I to carry the apostolic office in service to the church! When I think of it I am reminded of the prayer in the Roman Mass “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed”. And it is from this place of humble reverence and awe for our sacred trust that we must serve. Again quoting Elder Joseph F Smith “There is not a man holding any position of authority in the Church who can perform his duty as he should in any other spirit than the spirit of fatherhood and brotherhood toward those over whom he presides.” (ibid.142)
How lovingly we are called to serve, and how lovingly we must serve. And so it is with the ministry of Christ.
In our world, it is seemingly a negative to place oneself under the authority of another. Indeed, time and again good and holy people have placed themselves under the authority of others, only to have that authority abused. Yet, in the Body of Christ, there needs be a final authority ion church matters. In our ordination vows, we all take some vow of obedience. Let us obey those called to preside over us in the righteous exercise of their office. Traditionally, the presidential authority has been placed in the bishops/elders. Quoting Saint Ignatius of
“ You must all follow the bishops as Jesus follows the Father … Let no one do anything of concern to the Church without the Bishop”
It is, after all, our sacred trust to set the church in order, and to be its chief shepherds.
It is imperative that we uphold and sustain one another in our individual callings in the body. From the postulant for religious orders to the Bishop who presides, each must be honored and respected. If a person is chosen and set apart to an office, respect that and trust that they are working under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Religious, do your duty, which is first to pray and to serve. Deacons, serve the poor and outcast. Assist at the altar. Priests, pastor your flocks. Bishops, shepherd the church. Brothers and sisters, pray for one another. When difficult times come, when a decision is rendered that is not what we want, when we need to know that we are being guided by the Holy Spirit, pray. I promise you that our Father and Mother God will hear your prayers, and if you will quiet your own mind, and openly submit yourself to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, peace will come upon you and you will be comforted and guided.
