Set apart (March 16, 2025)

Exodus 29:1-9, 35-37

There was something in the air – expectation, purpose, excitement – as I made my way to the front of our small Presbyterian church. I kneeled on the dais before the pastor, and all the other elders gathered around. They laid hands on me and prayed. It was warm, and the weight of their hands rested against my shoulders. I could feel their blessing. That day, and my installation as an elder in my community, was the start of my vocational journey, and a threshold moment in my life of ministry.

While my experience may have lacked the sacrificing of bulls, the tying on of sashes and the washing of water, it was a moment of ritual significance. As Christians, our tradition is marked by these moments of ceremony, moments set apart to memorialize the importance of what is taking place. Today’s story in Exodus 29 links us to the rich history of our tradition and highlights the sanctity of these experiences. Seven days are set aside, seven full days – a biblical number of completeness – to atone and consecrate. Days filled with meaning and purpose and intention. Something sacred happens when we recognize and ordain the leaders of our communities.

Ordain means “to fill the hand.” When we ordain our leaders, we fill their hands with the responsibility of standing as intermediaries between God and humankind. Aaron and his sons were set apart for this sacred task, to engage the Divine on behalf of the people. This responsibility carries with it both trust and respect. A community trusts the one ordained to remain faithful to God and the community in their work. A community also respects the one ordained because of the severity of the responsibility placed upon their shoulders.

For Christians, this kind of intermediary thinking might be hard to wrap our minds around because we are steeped the language of the New Covenant: All we need is Jesus, the One who died the final death so that there would be no barrier between God in humankind. Through the presence of the Spirit, each of us is unified with God. Why do we even need “priests”?

While it’s true that we might not need priests in the way that the ancient Israelites understood the vocation, there is still a need for those who are set apart to engage in the sacred work of shepherding the church. Today, that process of setting apart usually involves years of discernment, training and a commitment to ongoing formation.

For most mainline denominations, a prerequisite to ordination is a degree from seminary. People go to be trained in the art of pastoral care and theological reflection. Through their training, they get submerged in the waters of Christian leadership and are shaped by the “priests” of the past and the present in order to become the “priests” of the future. It may not involve the sacrifice of bulls, the wrapping of sashes, or the washing of water, but it is a long, deeply transformative process that, if stewarded well, consecrates the person for the hard work of caring for God’s people here on earth.

The consecration required for this task means “becoming holy.” Without confusing definitions, the meaning of consecrate is related to the word sanctification, which is just a fancy way of saying “to be made holy or set apart.” Sanctification is the process that all Christians are invited into as disciples of Christ. It’s not just for our priests. They may be the exemplars, as they take the first step across the threshold into something more, but we shouldn’t be far behind them in seeking to become holy.

This is the nature of Christian formation: as followers of Jesus, we are set apart to do something. More often than not, that is to bring the light of God to the world. As the pastor, or priest, is the exemplar, set apart from and for the community, the Christian people are set apart to be an exemplar for the world. We are a chosen people, and when we carry out our rituals of baptism, communion, and the laying on of hands, we are making a decision to be consecrated before God for the world. This is what Jesus invites us into when he says, “Come follow me,” and it is through him that we are made holy.

Questions for reflection on Exodus 29:1-9, 35-37

1. As you think about the rituals and ceremonies of your tradition, which ones stand out to you as meaningful? Which would you like to learn more about?
2. How might you thank or share our appreciation for the leaders – lay or ordained – who’ve committed to care for you as God’s people?
3. If Exodus 29 stirred something within you about taking a further step into Christian leadership, what might that entail? What does a commitment to a life of consecration mean? Who might you talk to about that next step?