|
SERMON
TEXT ON THE OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC MINISTRY SEPTEMBER 2005 Various Texts Jesus
instructed the disciples: " GO AND MAKE
DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS…TEACHING THEM TO OBEY EVERYTHING I HAVE COMMANDED
YOU." [Matthew 28.19-20] Paul
told the Ephesians: " IT WAS
HE [Jesus] WHO
GAVE SOME TO BE APOSTLES, SOME TO BE PROPHETS, SOME TO BE EVANGELISTS, AND SOME
TO BE PASTORS AND TEACHERS…" [Ephesians 4.11] From
Acts we learn: " PAUL AND BARNABAS APPOINTED ELDERS…IN
EACH CHURCH AND, WITH PRAYER AND FASTING, COMMITTED THEM TO THE LORD…"
[Acts 14.23] Paul,
writing about the Apostles of Christ, to the Corinthians, says, "
SO THEN, MEN OUGHT TO REGARD US AS SERVANTS OF CHRIST AND AS THOSE ENTRUSTED
WITH THE SECRET THINGS OF GOD." [1 Corinthians 4.1]
Paul
directed Timothy: " AND THE THINGS YOU
HAVE HEARD ME SAY IN THE PRESENCE OF MANY WITNESSES ENTRUST TO RELIABLE MEN WHO
WILL ALSO BE QUALIFIED TO TEACH OTHERS." [2 Timothy 2.2] In
his First Letter Peter writes:
" TO THE ELDERS AMONG YOU, I APPEAL AS A
FELLOW-ELDER, A WITNESS OF CHRIST'S SUFFERINGS…BE SHEPHERDS OF GOD'S FLOCK THAT
IS UNDER YOUR CARE, SERVING AS OVERSEERS…" [1 Peter 5.1-2] To
all intents and purposes it would appear as if those for and against the
ordination of women agree on the theology of the Office of the Public Ministry [LTJ Pg. 45 para 3 & 46 para
6]. The CTICR papers published in May 2005 do not
actually say this, but certainly give that impression. Publicly it seems agreed
that the office is divinely instituted and arranged [TA 6.1-2].
Publicly it seems agreed that this office originates from the prophetic office
of Jesus and was communicated to the Church for all time through his Apostles [Tappert AC Art 28.5; Tr 320.10].
So the office of the public ministry is not a matter of indifference [an adiaphora]
for the Church [See
FOC X Tappert 610.1; TA 6.3]. It is not an office
that can be arranged as the Church sees fit according to national, local or
cultural requirements. Publicly it seems agreed that the chief responsibilities
of this office are the preaching and teaching of the Word, the correct
administration of the Sacraments and the application of the Keys [Matthew 16.19; 18.18; John
20.22-23]. And as if to confirm what I've said the
summary of the papers, published in 'The Lutheran' claims, "
THAT THERE IS AGREEMENT ON THE NECESSITY OF THE OFFICE OF THE ORDAINED
MINISTRY. WE AGREE THAT CHRIST INSTITUTED THE OFFICE AS A SPECIAL MINISTRY
DISTINCT FROM THAT OF THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS."
['The Lutheran'
Summary Pg. 2 25.7.2005] So,
one might well ask, what is all the fuss about in the LCA? Why is it necessary
to have this debate - a very divisive debate that has been bubbling away in one
form or another for 16 years? The debate is necessary because irrespective of
how it may appear [or what may be written] those for and against the ordination
of women do not agree about the office of the public ministry [See LTJ Pg. 50 2nd
Para]. I believe part of the problem lies in how each
side understands the relationship between the office of the public ministry and
the priesthood of all believers [1 Peter 2.4-5/9-10]. As
regards this relationship the second CTICR paper, entitled 'A Case for the
Ordination of Men Only' states the long held position of our church, saying
correctly, " THE LUTHERAN CHURCH DISTINGUISHES
BETWEEN THE SPECIAL PUBLIC MINISTRY OF WORD AND SACRAMENT AND THE MINISTRY
EXERCISED BY EVERY CHRISTIAN, AS A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL PRIESTHOOD…THE FORMER IS
NOT DERIVED FROM THE LATTER." [CTICR Pg. 24 TA 6.4]
Though I have read the six CTICR papers three times those arguing for WO make
no reference to this essential distinction and do not seem to endorse it even
by implication. In
this light the third paper published on behalf of the CTICR, entitled 'A Case
for the Ordination of Women and Men' makes interesting reading. One would
expect it, given that scripture determines this issue, to begin by identifying
one or more scripture texts that directly support the ordination of
women either from the Old or New Testaments. No texts are offered because, as
those who favour WO freely admit, there are none [CTICR Pg. 49]!
The only text ever advanced is Galatians 3.28 and the use of it by the pro WO
lobby does extreme violence to its meaning! Nor does this thirteen-page paper
cite a single example of an ordained woman in the Apostolic Church before or
after Jesus ascension until 1929 [CTICR Pg. 37]. They cannot offer any
precedent for WO because there is none. Indeed, various ecumenical and local
church councils have consistently opposed the ordination of women throughout
the centuries e.g. those of Nicaea 325 AD, Laodicea 365 AD, Chalcedon 431 AD,
Orleans 533 AD and Paris 829 AD [CTICR Pgs. 31-32]. The
third paper therefore appeals to the reader from another angle. An angle that
seeks authority to ordain women via precedents from within the priesthood of
all believers, not from Apostolic commands. The writer looks for stories
of women " WHO ACTIVELY WORK FOR THE KINGDOM OF
GOD, STORIES IN WHICH WOMEN HAVE AUTHORITY OVER MEN, AND STORIES IN WHICH THE
WOMEN PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL OF JESUS." [CTICR Pg. 37] Twelve
examples using up six pages are offered including Miriam [Exodus 15.19-21],
Deborah [Judges 4
& 5], Elizabeth and Mary [Luke 1.39-56],
the Samaritan woman [John
4.1f] and Mary Magdalene [John 20.1f].
Now there is nothing particularly new about this line of thinking [a booklet I
have in my library published in 1954 did something similar], but the whole
approach is ludicrous [CTICR
Pgs. 38-42]. None of the women is an OT priest or a NT
pastor. Some of the women are even fictional [Luke 13.20-21 & Luke 15.8-10]!
Obviously this does not mean that their role in the Kingdom of God or their
place in one of Jesus parables' is unimportant, but their lives - their faith -
their witness to the grace of God, have no direct bearing on the ordination of
women. They are merely representative of the priesthood of all believers. However,
we must take very careful note of the argument. If we allow it the theology of
the office of the public ministry will be changed, for the paper looks for
something other than - something beyond Apostolic authority to justify
ordaining women. It is basically advancing the argument that the public
ministry is derived from the priesthood of all believers. By so doing it
suggests that the priesthood of all believers has the right to ordain women
contrary to the wishes of God's Word and Apostolic authority where the need
arises, say through cultural pressure. It is a way of arguing that Jesus
Apostles' got it wrong and, as a result, so has his Church! Our
understanding of the office of the public ministry depends on a number of
scripture passages. Certain verses in Jeremiah and Ezekiel point forward to NT times, to a special
Shepherd over God's flock, and to the activity of other divinely appointed
shepherds [Jeremiah 23.4; Ezekiel 34.22-23]. Clearly Jesus prophetic office and the authority
he gave to his disciples, particularly immediately after his resurrection and
before his ascension, is fundamental [Matthew 10.1/7-8; 18.18; 28.18-20;
Luke 10.1-4/16-17; John 20.21-23].
Later, Apostles like Paul and Barnabas, expressed this authority through their
teaching and " APPOINTED ELDERS…IN EACH CHURCH AND,
WITH PRAYER AND FASTING, COMMITTED THEM TO THE LORD…"
[Acts 14.23; Titus
1.5] Nevertheless, the Apostles understood that they
only acted for Jesus. Paul would tell the Ephesians: "
IT WAS HE
[Jesus] WHO GAVE SOME TO BE APOSTLES, SOME TO BE
PROPHETS, SOME TO BE EVANGELISTS, AND SOME TO BE PASTORS AND TEACHERS."
[Ephesians 4.11] Later,
Peter indicated that he was a pastor no different to those who followed him,
saying, " TO THE ELDERS AMONG YOU, I APPEAL AS
A FELLOW-ELDER, A WITNESS OF CHRIST'S SUFFERINGS…BE SHEPHERDS OF GOD'S FLOCK
THAT IS UNDER YOUR CARE, SERVING AS OVERSEERS."
[1 Peter 5.1-2] Pastors,
like the apostles, are directly responsible to Jesus "…AS
THOSE ENTRUSTED WITH THE SECRET THINGS OF GOD."
[1 Corinthians 4:1]
The pastor represents the person of
Christ toward those to whom he has been called [Luke 12.42; 2
Timothy 2.24]. The pastor is an
ambassador [2 Corinthians 6.2], a slave of Jesus Christ [2 Corinthians
4.5] and the servant of God's
people [1 Peter 5.2]. And Lutherans
have always recognised the need to maintain a delicate balance [indeed a sharp
distinction] between the called public ministry and the spiritual priesthood of
all believers [1 Tim 5.22; 1 Tim 3.1-7; Titus 1.6-12; TA VI.4]. Certainly the public ministry exists within the
Church - it serves the universal priesthood and it needs its support, but the
pastor is not strictly an employee of the people. For
his part Luther held neither to a theory of transference [that is, the
derivation of the public ministry from the priesthood of all believers as
represented by the congregation], nor to the idea of a priestly office, instituted
by God, on a superior spiritual level [TA 6. 4-5]. He believed that there
is one 'ministry of the Word' instituted by God and exercised by both common
and special ministers in private and in public [TA 6.4].
Every Christian is a priest by virtue of baptism, but some Christians are
'priests of priests' by virtue of their mediated calling into the public
ministry. Luther consistently kept his reflections on the two ministries in
creative tension with each other, avoiding the temptation of deriving the one
from the other. He maintained that neither the promise of salvation in Christ
nor its communication through the public ministry are dependent on the human
relationships that exist say between a particular congregation and a pastor or
between 'the common' and 'the special' forms of ministry within a church
body. Our
understanding of the spiritual priesthood of all believers depends on passages
such as 1 Peter 2.9. We teach that all Christians belong to a common
priesthood, which serves the world in word and deed on God’s behalf and brings
the world’s needs to God in prayer. This common priesthood originates in the
Sacrament of Baptism and through the call of the Gospel [Galatians 3.28].
All those who are baptised are consecrated with the Holy Spirit to serve as
Jesus priestly brothers and sisters [1 Corinthians 6:11]. Jesus shares his
holiness with us [Hebrews
2:11] and facilitates access to God the Father and his
grace [Romans 5:2;
Ephesians 2:18; 3:12]. Those
who are called out of the world by the Gospel to serve as God's priests perform
two functions [1 Peter 2:5/9; Revelation 1:6; 5:10].
Firstly, they serve the world on God’s behalf.
Secondly, they represent others before God the Father by interceding for them.
They do this together in the divine service, and personally in their secular
vocation, for example as a farmer or a mother. They proclaim the gracious
presence and acts of the Triune God to the world through their confession of
faith. They offer themselves in
love to others and perform good works for their benefit [Romans 12:1-21; Hebrews 13:16].
They bring God's blessings to those who, unlike
them, do not yet have access by faith to God’s gracious presence [1 Peter 3:8-12].
They offer 'the fruit of their lips' as a sacrifice by interceding for the
world [Hebrews
13:15; Revelation 8:3-4]. Like
Jesus, their Great High Priest, they function as a bridge between heaven and
earth - between sinners and God. In recent times, an alternative
understanding of the office of the public ministry has arisen from the
priesthood of all believers [courtesy of individuals like Friedrich
Schleiermacher 1768-1834].
The argument runs that Jesus words to the Apostles, conferring the Office of
the Keys [Matthew
16 and 18] and the
Great Commission [Matthew 28 and John 20], were addressed to the Church. The
apostles were not an authoritative group of church leaders, but were the whole
Church in existence [CTICR Pg. 49 lines 4-7/9-11]. Hence the whole Church received the
responsibility of preaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments. In
this model the work of public ministry arises out of the priesthood of all
believers. The people possess and administer the ministry of Word and Sacrament
because they received it as a gift and duty from Christ. In these circumstances
the Church ordains people on the basis of their inner call [LTJ Pg. 50] or charismatic gifts [CTICR Pg. 25 1st
& 2nd Paras & Pg. 50 4th para]. Such public ministry recognizes
sexual equality and claims to uphold good order - the essential text being 1
Corinthians 14:40, where Paul exhorts that "
EVERYTHING SHOULD BE DONE IN A FITTING AND ORDERLY WAY." [LTJ Pgs.
44/67-68] In this
model of ministry a pastor basically exists [has authority] to prevent the
possibility of everyone acting as 'priests' at one and the same time. With
this understanding it can be suggested that the best and most effective
congregations will not need a pastor at all, for the essential work of
preaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments, as well as the
additional work of teaching, education, providing fellowship and engaging in
evangelism etc. can be fulfilled by the members. Accordingly, every Pastor should be working to do himself/herself
out of a job, and the success of his/her ministry will be gauged by how many of
and how well the individual members are taking up the tasks of the Church. At the heart of the LCA debate about WO is how we
understand and explain the relationship between the public ministry and the
priesthood of all believers. If the public ministry originates from Jesus
prophetic office and the delegated authority of his Apostles - if it is
distinct from and not derived from the priesthood of all believers, then the
issue is surely resolved. We will affirm Augsburg
Confession Article XXVIII [Tappert
81.5-6], when it explains the sending out of the twelve by
Jesus [John
20:19-23] as foundational to the establishment of the
public ministry. We
will affirm what the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope observes, "
THE AUTHORITY OF THE MINISTRY DEPENDS ON THE WORD OF GOD."
[Tappert 321.10] We
will affirm our own Theses of Agreement on the Office of the Ministry adopted
in 1950, which says, " THE SPIRITUAL
FUNCTIONS OF THE APOSTOLATE ARE CONTINUED ONLY IN THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD AND
SACRAMENTS." [TA A11-13.6]
And since women were not counted among Jesus Apostles and since Jesus Apostles
did not permit women to be ordained as pastors that really should be the end of
the matter [TA 6.11]. On the other hand, if it should be decided that the
public ministry is to be authorized and arranged by the priesthood of all
believers [by the people of the church - by you and me!] and not by Jesus and
his Apostles then we must urgently rewrite all of our theological statements
about the public ministry. The LCA's teachings on ministry will be
unrecognizable! Furthermore, if we dare to replace Jesus authority [Matthew
28.18-20] and his blueprint
for public ministry set out through the Apostles [2 Corinthians
10.8] with our own we'd better
be sure we're right! We'd better be able to justify such a step from the
scriptures because valid authority to act for Jesus is vital both for the
office bearer [the pastor] and the recipients of such ministry [the people]. Why is this important? Well, the
office of the public ministry is essentially Christological - it flows from
Christ and it represents Christ [see CTICR Pg. 50 lines 7-9].
As Christ receives his official status as Chief Shepherd and Bishop from God
the Father, in turn the pastor shares in that same office with Christ,
receiving it directly from him. So, given whom they serve, every pastor needs
the assurance that they are properly called by Jesus through the Church to
speak his Word to the world. Uncertainty on this point makes pastoral ministry
an impossible burden! No pastor wants the prospect of having to explain or
justify the validity of his or her office on the Day of Judgment! Moreover, we
see Christ is at work in the
pastoral office. When pastors speak the Word, administer the Sacraments and
pronounce absolution, it is Christ himself who is present and at work [in persona Christi; 2 Corinthians
2:10/17, see also LTJ Pgs.46-47].
Luther, echoing ancient writings, held that the pastor was God’s hands and
God’s mouth or alternatively Christ’s hands and Christ’s mouth [LW
22. 505-506]. But logically
if others doubt a pastor's call or authority it may cause them to doubt the
validity of that person's ministry, destabilize a congregation, affect the
entire church body and inhibit the spread of the Gospel. Though many would definitely not agree I believe the
WO debate is endangering and not enhancing the future of the public ministry in
the LCA. Ordaining women would contradict Paul's instructions to Timothy - "
THE THINGS YOU HAVE HEARD ME SAY IN THE PRESENCE OF MANY WITNESSES ENTRUST TO
RELIABLE MEN WHO WILL ALSO BE QUALIFIED TO TEACH OTHERS."
[2 Timothy 2.2] Ordaining women would make the office into something
it was never intended to be. Ordaining women would rip the heart out of the
office Jesus and his Apostles instituted. WO would effectively destroy the
office of the public ministry! Women would be pastors in name only - they would
exist and function without divine authority. And the loss of the public
ministry would deeply impair the activity of the Church. This is not merely my
dogmatic opinion. It is the opinion of some serving on the CTICR [See
LTJ Summary Pg. 26 para 4].
It is the opinion of one of the greatest Lutheran theologians, Martin Chemnitz,
the author of the Formula of Concord, who once warned: "
BECAUSE TEACHING IS THE PRINCIPAL PART OF THE MINISTRY, IT IS INDEED TRUE THAT
WHEN THE TRUE DOCTRINE IS CORRUPTED AND WRONG OPINIONS ARE ESTABLISHED THE
MINISTRY ITSELF IS ALTERED, AND THAT THE MINISTRY OF THOSE WHO CORRUPT THE
DOCTRINE SHOULD FOR THAT REASON BE FORSAKEN, BECAUSE IT IS WRITTEN:
“BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS!” LIKEWISE: “THE VOICE OF
STRANGERS THEY DO NOT HEAR, BUT FLEE FROM IT.”
[Examination of the Council of Trent M. Chemnitz Volume 2.142] AMEN. Pastor Neil Guthrig 11.9.2005 Grampians Lutheran Parish |