Doctrine and Covenants 163 Commentary Series

A Sacred Covenant

by Jane Gardner

Priesthood is a sacred covenant involving the highest form of stewardship of body, mind, spirit, and relationships. The priesthood shall be composed of people of humility and integrity who are willing to extend themselves in service for others and for the well-being of the faith community. —Doctrine and Covenants 163:6a

Covenant is a familiar idea to students of the Bible. Rather than understanding it as a contract, the Bible shows that a covenant is a gift from God, the initiator of the covenant. God covenanted with Noah and Abram, promising to be present with them and God’s people. Moses heard God’s call and then explained why he was not the right one to lead the people out of Egypt:

…God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” “…come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?…….suppose they do not believe me or listen to me…..I have never been eloquent…..I am slow of speech and slow of tongue…..O my Lord, please send someone else.” —Excerpted from Exodus 3 and 4 (NRSV)

God didn’t give up. God heard the cries of the people and responded by calling Moses to leadership. When Moses offered excuses, God pointed out that he could take Aaron with him as a spokesperson. The gifts of Moses and Aaron were combined and complementary—“we” are called. The sacred covenant of priesthood is not “me”-centered; rather it is the marvelous, diverse, collective “we” who minister to the people’s needs.

Covenanting, then, is a gift from God involving divine promise and human commitment. It is vertical in that it involves God and the individual but also horizontal because it includes the people of God and their needs.

The prophet Jeremiah poetically speaks of God’s yearning to covenant with Israel:

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. —Jeremiah 31:33

It is invitation, gift, and sacred covenanting.

Of the eight sacraments celebrated in Community of Christ, the baptismal and marriage covenants are the most familiar. The baptismal candidate covenants with God to be a disciple of Jesus Christ; the bride and groom covenant with each other and God to form a lifelong sacred commitment. The purpose of both is to show through ritual and language a sacred commitment between God and God’s people.
It may seem unusual to refer to ordination as a sacred covenant. Through the laying on of hands and prayer, the sacrament embodies conferring authority by the institution. It also represents God’s call to ministry, the ordinand’s response, and the people’s affirmative support of that call. The covenant made through ordination is sacred because the interaction with the Divine is holy and results in ministry that addresses the well-being of the faith community.

This sacred covenant involves a holistic commitment by the ordinand—“body, mind, spirit, and relationships.” This holistic approach is the highest form of stewardship (defined as “the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.”) The reference to “highest” does not refer to verticality, but points to a deeper, more sacred trust involving the whole person.

President Becky Savage, who is experienced in health care, writes:

Personal health in mind, body, spirit, and relationships frees disciples and priesthood to focus on essential aspects of ministry. When one is healthy in mind, body, and spirit, they can focus beyond themselves. There is energy and capacity to meet the needs and expectations of the faith community. —Claimed by Christ’s Vision, 36

This holistic approach to ministry dispels the human tendency to label the roles in our lives, such as “parent,” “accountant,” “neighbor,” and “priesthood member,” keeping them separate and distinct from one other. When we segment our lives our ministry does not live up to its potential.

High priests often ask, “What am I to do?” This stems from the desire to identify the role of high priest and what actions are required to serve in this office. A more helpful approach reframes the question: “How will I be a high priest?” After a workshop exploring this holistic approach of being a high priest, a class participant wrote:

When I went to the high priest retreat I was looking for “something I could do as a high priest.” I had this little box I would fit it in and that would be my commitment and responsibility as a high priest.

When you went through your list of the many things that high priests are doing, I thought, but I already do three or four of those things! This morning I finally realized that my whole life is a commitment as a high priest. Everything I do, whether it is spending extra time on study and prayer or getting frustrated and taking those frustrations out on others—I am doing all of it as a high priest.

Everything we do, everything we are, addresses the sacred covenant made in the sacrament of ordination. As well as the holistic nature of priesthood ministry, the life of Jesus Christ offers insight into the humility needed to be a servant leader:

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant. And whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” —Matthew 20:25–28

There is a human tendency to place ourselves at the center of our actions and ministry, becoming self-serving rather than servant leader. This is such an interesting pairing of two words that actually represent extreme opposites in society. When and how can leadership be provided by a servant? Isn’t this too much to expect of a mere servant? Doesn’t leadership need position and status to be effective? These questions are unsettling and call for a shift in our understanding.

With humility we place God and God’s people at the center of priesthood ministry, not ourselves. As we strive to be servant leaders as modeled by Jesus, it follows that a sense of integrity will be present. As priesthood, we holistically live our convictions—we walk the talk. Or at least we try. Danny Belrose has written a prayer of confession and recommitment for servant leaders that addresses those times when our ministry falls short:

God, hands have been layed upon us,
         prayers have been uttered, hymns have been sung,
         and friends and family have rejoiced in our call to ministry.
We have studied and prepared.
We have held hands of the sick, blessed wine and bread,
         shared your word across pulpits,
         board rooms, and lunch counters.
We have blessed and been blessed.
Now hear our confession, Lord:
For we have warmed ourselves
         at the hearth of praise and bask in light meant for you.
Idleness and apathy have called our name.
Forgive our self-indulgence. Strip away our self-sufficiency.
Restore your Spirit within us.
Let humility illumine the wonder of your call in us
         that we might, once again, be blessed to be a blessing.
In Jesus name, we pray, Amen.
              —From Vulnerable to Grace by Danny A. Belrose, p. 49. Used by permission.

For priesthood ministry to be credible, God’s people need to sense the deep commitment of their ministers to be exemplars. This includes the priesthood member’s modeling of confession and repentance when poor choices are made as well as joyful travels on the path of discipleship.

Priesthood members can come to a place where their ministry is routine and almost rote in its execution. It would be important at such times to look for leadership development opportunities, consult with a mentor or spiritual director, read a challenging book, visit another congregation, or in some way look with new eyes toward priesthood ministry. As lifelong learners, priesthood members who embrace their sacred covenant as dynamic rather than static often find their ministry extended in ways and places they never imagined possible. What then does God require?

He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
         and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
         and to walk humbly with your God. —Micah 6: 8

Therefore, priesthood members are to extend themselves in service for others. The word “extend” implies something other than normal means. The definitions include: “to exert oneself vigorously to full capacity; to expand the influence, range, or meaning of; make more comprehensive or inclusive; broaden.”

Priesthood members making the effort “to exert themselves vigorously” will rarely find their ministry superficial, rote, or routine. There is a foundational assumption that ministry is based on genuine caring about people—priesthood members want to extend their ministry to others because they realize the sacredness of all God’s children.

“Service for others” is not limited to public or pulpit ministry. A small percentage of the priesthood member’s life of service happens on the rostrum or in front of the congregation. In many, unseen ways the sacred covenant is embodied by ministers that have the most impact on people’s lives. Do you know a priesthood member who has been instrumental in transforming his or her office into a better place to work? Have you seen a life transformed by a nurturing relationship with a priesthood member? Are there priesthood members who never preach, but whose lives are a living, breathing example of the gospel? In the holistic sense, the ministry of a priesthood member is never “finished” because there is always someone new to engage and something more to be done.

Why is this so important? The faithful ministry given by priesthood members has a major impact on the well-being of the faith community. It is instrumental in helping God’s people move out of their comfort zones and into radical, countercultural service for others.

Moses was called by God to provide leadership to his faith community because God had heard the people’s cries. Moses and Aaron responded to the call and ministered to the needs of the people. We minister together in a similar model, using the specific gifts and callings found within Community of Christ priesthood offices. The people of God and their well-being are the reason this priesthood exists. What could be more sacred?