Hymn of the Week: Priesthood Prayer

As with many of us, I've been praying a lot for the world this week, as the coronavirus outbreak continues to strike closer and closer to home. It's made me think about our calling as God's "kingdom of priests." We Protestants talk a lot about "the priesthood of all believers," but we tend to focus on the "all believers" part, using it as an explanation of why we don't have an official priesthood (as, say, the Catholics do). But we don't give enough thought to "the priesthood of all believers." What does it mean that we're all priests? Well, one of the major pieces of that role, if we extrapolate from what Hebrews says about Christ's ministry as the Great High Priest in the heavenly courts (as well as Paul's statements in Rom. 8), is the holy task of offering intercessory prayer. So I've written a little hymn that incorporates those ideas, using the tune of "More Love to Thee."

Priesthood Prayer

Here as your priests we stand,
Raising this prayer,
Bearing this broken world
Into your care.
For those in need of grace,
Healing, and strength, and peace,
We lift our prayer,
We lift our prayer.

Christ, as the Great High Priest,
Still intercedes,
And, as his Body here,
So too do we.
Grant that our prayer may be
Sweet service unto thee:
Lord, hear our prayer,
Lord, hear our prayer.

We were designed to be
Caretakers of
All of your works, and to
Guard them with love.
So, as your servant-kings,
We our petitions bring,
Steadfast in prayer,
Steadfast in prayer.

Here as your priests we stand,
Raising this prayer,
Bearing this broken world
Into your care.
For those in need of grace,
Healing, and strength, and peace,
We lift our prayer,
Lord, hear our prayer.