Exodus 19: Being a Priest, a Calling That Costs Something

Introduction

"We humans have a deep need: we want to be seen." Marius Bühlmann of Vineyard Bern opens his message with a scene from a vacation: a nine-month-old baby who starts making noise whenever the adults talk among themselves, and who beams as soon as someone looks at her. This need begins very early, and it does not end with childhood. In recent months he has learned, sometimes straight from them, that three people in the church wanted to get involved but had deliberately told no one: they were waiting for someone to come and find them.

The text for the day, Exodus 19:1-6, tells of a God who sees, who acts, and who then calls a people of slaves to become "a kingdom of priests." In the second part, Marius invites Stefanie Grolimund to share what this calling has cost her, and the encounter with God that followed. One thread runs through the whole message: following Jesus has a price.

Outline of the Message

1. A God Who Sees, Acts, and Draws Us to Himself

The story begins at the burning bush, on the same mountain. God says to Moses: "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows. I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians" (Exodus 3:7-8).
"This story begins with God seeing." And he sees you in just the same way.
God does not stop at seeing: he sends Moses, frees Israel from its oppressors, and leads the people to Mount Sinai. Exodus 19 prepares for the encounter and the covenant of the next chapter.
"I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to myself" (Exodus 19:4). That is the reason for the deliverance.
After 400 years of oppression and captivity, God frees this people to draw them to himself and live in communion with them. "I don't just see you, I want to be with you": for Marius, this is "being seen, squared."
God commits himself through a covenant: "If you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples."

2. Chosen Last, Chosen Anyway

Marius recalls gym class, when teams were picked: "Please don't let me be chosen last."
God chooses a small, insignificant people with nothing to offer, exploited until then, the one nobody wanted. And he tells them: "I choose you. I want to bind myself to you."
This choice is not made to turn them into champions, but to bless all the nations through them, according to the promise made to Abraham (Genesis 12:3).
That day, another demonstration was taking place in Bern. Marius points out that God chose this people for himself, about 0.2% of the world's population, and adds that being chosen does not give them license to do whatever they want: if there were war crimes, they would have to answer for them like any other people. But he finds it frightening to see antisemitism becoming acceptable again and Jews no longer being safe in the world.

3. A Kingdom of Priests

"You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:6). Once slaves, mistreated, slaughtered, they become God's priests.
Priests were held in high regard. They served as intermediaries between God and people, had unique access to God, and opened that access to others.
Their role: to regularly remind the people of the ordinances of the covenant, to offer the sacrifices of reconciliation or thanksgiving, and to take care of the place of meeting. One family was even in charge of carrying the curtains of the tent of meeting.
Peter takes up this text almost word for word and applies it to the disciples of Jesus: "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession" (1 Peter 2:9). "You and I carry this calling to be priests."

4. A Priest at Church, at Work, and in the Street

On the way to the service, Marius walked past these demonstrations and got irritated, "even though I knew my text." Do you know that you are a priest in hostile situations, or at work?
What was on your mind when you came to the service: "What will God do?" or "I'm here because I am a priest, to serve God and give myself to him"?
Some live this out concretely by helping with the children or on the setup team. Others pray for people during the service and ask: "Who do you want to bless through me today?"
"When we gather, it is not about us." We are there to serve God together and to let others meet him.

5. A Living Sacrifice That Costs Something

No more need for animal sacrifices: "Thank you, Jesus." He died for us once for all, and that sacrifice is enough.
But Paul calls us to offer our lives as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). Hence the question: "Where is your faith allowed to cost you something?"
Around the age of thirty, Marius learned that people close to him had suffered violence and manipulation at the hands of men from Serbia, and that a former schoolmate had been attacked, again by a man from Serbia. Anger took root. "Racism is my problem, no matter what the other person did. And as a priest, I cannot afford it."
God convinced him and led him to a Serbian football club in Bern, where he was the only outsider for a year. During that year, God corrected his heart, changed his priorities, and gave him love for this people. "But at the beginning, it cost me."

6. Stefanie's Testimony: Called First to His Presence

This summer, as part of the "Million Month," Stefanie was asked to preach at the train station square in Bern. She had not planned to, but she did not want to let the team down. She prayed, and God said yes. She spoke about hope and, as she spoke, joy came over her: it was as if she no longer had any fear of people.
The next day, at the service, the theme of the prayer time was to give back to the Lord all the "vessels" of one's life. She did so, and God's presence came upon her with great power: she ended up on the floor, in tears. Her husband eventually went home with the children, and someone eventually drove her home: "I will never forget that ride." Three months later, she says she is still living "a great encounter."
Marius points out that the first thing said to the priests in the text is not a task: "I call you to myself." For Stefanie, there is this presence where words run out: "It does not depend on what we do, or how we are, or the quality of our prayers, but simply on being with him. That is the place where he sanctifies us."
In her case, it shows up as trembling. Her husband experiences nothing physical, but they share the same passion. The couple needed some time to come back together, through conversation and prayer. "What matters is the encounter with God. Whether it shows on the outside or not is secondary."
The living room rug has become "the most coveted spot in the apartment." They pray almost every evening and seek God's will more together, as a couple and as a family. After Stefanie and a friend prayed for a little girl who woke up as many as ten times a night, the child sleeps much better. At a weekend for teenagers where she was invited to speak about prayer, many met the Holy Spirit deeply.

7. Letting Go of Control

Marius has known this kind of manifestation since 1994 and the Toronto Blessing. You find yourself exposed and vulnerable, but he sees in this gentleness and hunger for God the starting point of service: "Service to people comes out of this encounter with him."
People sometimes tell Stefanie: "I would like more of the Holy Spirit, but not like you." She understands, and encourages them: "He is for you. He will not show himself to you in a way that is not good for you."
When she trembles or can no longer speak, she loses control, which is not pleasant. But she has understood: "I want to give him control over every part of my life." Manifestations are not signs of spirituality. What matters is openness and vulnerability before God. John Arnott, who was behind the Toronto Blessing, never manifested anything himself.
Neither the city, nor workplaces, nor families can do without people who are aware that they were made for God's presence and are ready to pay a price to open the way to that presence for others. "The question is not whether you think you are up to it." God chose the smallest and weakest people: "You, whom nobody would trust, you are the ones I will use."
During the prayer time, an image is shared: a red wooden spoon, still stained with tomato sauce, set aside. God says to those who carry everything: "Let it go, you don't have to feel responsible. I'll take care of it." A sense of responsibility is a great strength, which can become a weakness when you want to control everything.

Key Takeaways

God sees, and he acts. He saw Israel's oppression and he sees yours too.
God frees first in order to draw us to himself: communion comes before mission.
Like Israel, every disciple of Jesus is called to be a priest (1 Peter 2:9): to serve God and open the way to his presence for others.
Jesus' sacrifice is enough, but your life becomes a living sacrifice, and that costs something: a prejudice to give up, a fear to face, control to let go of.
Outward manifestations are secondary. What matters is the encounter with God and a heart open before him.

Personal Application

What is on your mind when you come to church: to receive something, or to serve God and let others meet him?
In which hostile situation this week, at work or in the street, did you forget that you are a priest?
Is there an anger or a prejudice toward a group of people that God wants to heal in you, even if it costs you?
Do you seek first what God gives, or God himself?
Which "wooden spoon" is God inviting you to set down, to trust him rather than control everything?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did God free Israel from Egypt according to Exodus 19?

According to Marius Bühlmann, Exodus 19:4 gives the reason: God bore his people "to himself." He did not only see them and deliver them; he wanted to draw them to himself to live in communion with him. Only then comes the calling: to be a kingdom of priests so that all the nations may be blessed.

What does it mean to be a priest as a Christian today?

Peter takes up Exodus 19 and applies it to the disciples of Jesus: "you are a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9). A priest has access to God and opens that same access to others. At church as at work, you are not there first to receive, but to serve God and let others meet him.

Do you need to experience physical manifestations to meet the Holy Spirit?

No. Stefanie Grolimund trembles and weeps in God's presence, her husband experiences nothing physical, and both share the same passion. For her, what matters is the encounter with God; the outward side is secondary. He will not show himself to you in a way that would not be good for you.