Friday, Oct. 25
Leviticus 8:1 – 9:24 Read it here
The instructions in Leviticus for the ordination of priests are pretty elaborate, especially for a nomadic people who had to carry everything with them.
Ordaining the priests requires sacrifices and anointings, and the ceremonial dress is distinctive. The clothing is described in detail: the tunic, sash, robe and ephod (apron-like decorated garment).
There was a breastpiece and turban and diadem (crown)…all in all, there was no way to mistake who this was. And that was important.
Just a few years ago many of us watched on television as Great Britain bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II and witnessed the crowning of King Charles III. The pageantry was impressive as the kingdom participated in practices and rituals it has experienced for many centuries to mark the death of one monarch and the start of a new reign.
Even for those of us who have cast off the rule of monarchy, there’s something fascinating about watching the pomp and splendor that recalls a bygone era when ritual mattered so much.
Many years ago I spent a couple of years as a chaplain at Port Houston. I found the role of uniforms on ships to be interesting.
The ships I visited were merchant ships, not military ships, so the use of uniforms varied between different lines and different countries. In general, though, there were two patterns.
In ships that were from less affluent countries, the crew seldom had uniforms. They would wear everyday work clothes, often rather shabby. The officers, though, usually had shiny uniforms based on military dress, with lots of braid and ribbon. It only took a glance to see who was important and who was not.
On ships from the U.S. and most of Europe, though, it was different: the crew invariably wore workplace uniforms. If the uniforms were dirty, it was from that day’s work; they were well maintained and sharp looking. Up on the bridge, though, the officers were likely to be wearing T-shirts with jeans or shorts.
In the days of Aaron, or the early days of the British monarchy, or a bygone era of sailing, there wasn’t television or photographs or the other things that make leaders familiar to the masses. Even the Israelite population was in the hundreds of thousands: most people would not know the high priest in person, and most saw him seldom if ever.
The elaborate clothing served as a testament to everyone who saw him that this is who he says he is. The surroundings and lesser priests and Levites bore silent witness to the priest’s authenticity. The elaborate clothing gave strength to the person wearing it.
By contrast, when Paul writes of similar clothing in the famous “full armor of God” passage in Ephesians 6, the witness to the strength of a believer isn’t in his or her literal clothing, but in wearing the attributes of a faithful follower: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the footwear of peace.
We don’t have priests in the same sense as Leviticus. Even in churches that use that title, like the Catholics and the Episcopals, there is less emphasis than there once was on using the trappings of the priesthood to convey authority.
As we look at leaders in the church, we need to look not to who looks like a leader, but who acts like a leader in the servant-leader model of Jesus.