Clothed in Him (ADVENT-URE 7: The Priestly Robe)

We have a new identity in Christ, and our position in Him, if He is our Savior, is fixed - He is our King, our High Priest, our Advocate before the Father, and the Lord of all.  We are in Him, and we
are told in Romans 13:
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Because we are in Christ, we can clothe ourselves in Him.  The robe worn by the High Priest in the Old Testament demonstrated that He was consecrated, approved, if you will, to approach the very throne of God.  Now that have been brought into a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus, we can come before Him - Hebrews 4 tells us we can come before the throne of grace, to receive grace and mercy.  Yes, we approach God not in our own righteousness, but in the righteousness that has been shared with us through Christ.

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It's the 7th day of December, Day 7 of 25, the Advent-ure for this year, and we think together about symbols that point to the birth of Jesus and its significance.   Today, we focus in on a solemn ceremony in which Aaron, the High Priest, and his sons were consecrated before the Lord.  This is found in the 8th chapter of the book of Leviticus:
6 Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.
7 And he put the tunic on him, girded him with the sash, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him; and he girded him with the intricately woven band of the ephod, and with it tied the ephod on him.
8 Then he put the breastplate on him, and he put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastplate.
9 And he put the turban on his head. Also on the turban, on its front, he put the golden plate, the holy crown, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
10 Also Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them.
11 He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the laver and its base, to consecrate them.
12 And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him, to consecrate him.

The High Priest would go into the Holy of Holies to offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people.  This was an annual event, a temporary renewal.  Under the new covenant, Jesus, our High Priest has offered us a lasting atonement. Hebrews 9 says:
11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.
12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh,
14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Under the Law, the High Priest would speak for the people before God - He was consecrated and clothed for that service.  Jesus speaks for us and actually was offered before God to take away our sins.  The priestly robe worn by Aaron and successors reminds us that Jesus has been clothed in righteousness and holiness, and we, because we are in Him, are told to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" - we share in His nature and His forgiveness!

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The headline really got my attention.  From the ChristianHeadlines.com website, it reads very simply, "Jesus Named King of Poland."  Say what?   

And, this apparently took place with the President of the country present, in a late November ceremony at the Church of Divine Mercy in Krakow.  The article, which references a Christian Today story, states that, "The ceremony coincided with the end of the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year of Mercy and the 1050th anniversary of Polish Christianity."

The prayer at the ceremony included these words: "In our hearts, rule us, Christ! In our families, rule us, Christ! ... In our schools and universities, rule us, Christ." It continued: "Through the Polish nation, rule us, Christ! ... We pledge to defend your holy worship and preach Thy royal glory, Christ our King, we promise."

The prayer also included these words:

"We entrust the Polish people and Polish leaders to you. Make them exercise their power fairly and in accordance with your laws. ... rule us, Christ! Reign in our homeland and reign in every nation – for the greater glory of the Most Holy Trinity and the salvation of mankind."

According to Christian Today...

...the Conference of Polish Bishops said the act was "not the culmination, but the beginning of the work of enthronement of Jesus Christ in Poland and the Polish nation". The bishops stressed that the rule of Jesus was not coercive and that the 'enthronement' was not intended to add to Jesus' honour or power but was a national recognition of his sovereignty over the universe.

Bishop Andrzej Czaja even said: "It is not a declaration of Christ the King, because he is king. It is not a declaration of Christ the King of Poland."

And, isn't that the point?  This does seem to be more of an affirmation than a coronation.  Because, the coronation of Christ as King over God's entire creation has already taken place - long ago.  In His earthly ministry, He declared that He was a King.

But, this religious ceremony in Poland can provide a springboard for believers from a variety of denominational stripes to think about the position of Christ over creation and His position over our own lives.  It is certain that He rules and reigns, and His sovereignty cannot be disputed.  We can proclaim that, and should, but we recognize that it is an act of Almighty God. That is His position.  

Jesus is not only King, but He is the great High Priest, Who has come to be the perfect sacrifice so we can enter into a relationship with God through Him.   Aaron and those who followed in His lineage in the tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe, wore sacred garments and were allowed into the Holy of Holies once a year.  Jesus has granted us the way to the throne of grace on a continual basis - the access has been granted, and we go because He has gone before us, and we come consecrated before Him, clothed in robes of righteousness.

On the personal level, we proclaim Jesus as our King and Lord, our Savior and Redeemer, and recognize He is our High Priest, the One who has made the way for us to come into a relationship with God.  We can appreciate and declare His titles and positions, but we also need to make sure that we are living out the truth of His positions in our lives - if He is King, we live in that manner: as our High Priest, we take advantage of the access that He has granted to us.