By Stephen DeSena
What is a High Priest? What an odd question to start a blog post with. A culturally relevant teen who is disassociated from an ancient religious culture may presume to think thoughts of a blissed out catholic minister instead of a robed Jewish man entering into the Temple of Yahweh. So yet again, what is a High Priest? Unless we are impassioned to dig deep and mine the riches of our ancient Jewish roots, we will never begin to fully behold and magnify the full beauty of our Lord Jesus who is himself our faithful and dutiful High Priest.
For us Fellows, Capital Commons is our weekly gathering of feasting, singing, and discussing with one another. As we gathered for our evening discussion this past Monday, our beloved John Kyle (Director of the Capital Fellows program) introduced us to our new topic of servant leadership as we looked to Christ's example in the book of Hebrews. I personally find immense delight in reading the book of Hebrews and recommend that you sit down to read it right now! Though, of course, itself is not more divinely inspired from the rest of our scriptural canon, it is certainly my favorite.
The book of Hebrews declares the supremacy of Christ over all, that he alone is the sole mediator of the superior New Covenant in his blood, along with sobering warnings to not drift, disobey, despise, defy, or depart from our sovereign Lord who is all that we need and all we could ever long for; the book of Hebrews breathes clarifying life, meaning, and understanding into the many seemingly confounding aspects of the Old Testament. We learn that that the Law and Prophets were always pointing to Jesus. He is our righteous high priest who fulfilled the law by making atonement for our specific sins in offering himself as our personal spotless sacrificial lamb. Our sovereign Lord became a curse for us on the cross in order that we may receive eternal blessings in him. Meditate upon this wondrous reality. In our reconciliation, we no longer need to hide in our shameful rebellion, but can assuredly come before our High Priest in need of forgiveness and restoration.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. -- Hebrews 4:15-16
Meanwhile… Dusk is setting, time is running short, and life for us Fellows seems to either be falling into place like a perfectly structured house or dismembering like a high-power smoothie blender. Some wish they had started talking to employers sooner, and some sit back with ease knowing where God is leading them next. Yet each one of us continues to intentionally strive with one another in the joyful celebrations and the lamentable rejections. It is Christ who taught us to bear each other's burdens, and we strive forward together, hand in hand, seeking to serve the world out of love for him in his love for us. He is our example, and in him, we ourselves become priests to this world in the mediation of his presence and the good news of his saving grace.
In his words… “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” — John 17:17-18
Pictures from the Week
Sunday Morning Shenanigans
Natalie rockin' the shades at Cornerstone—Too cool for School!
MPC Staff Match attack!
Know a Potential Capital Fellow?
UPDATE: The Capital Fellows class for 2023-24 is basically full at this point! We are awaiting one final decision . Praise God! What does this mean? It means we are now in the early, early recruiting of the 2024-25 class. If you know current university juniors, please let them know about the Capital Fellows program. We will begin accepting applications for the 2024-25 class on September 1st.
If you know a college student that should consider joining the Capital Fellows program, please encourage them to get in touch with us. The easiest way to express interest in the program is our Contact Us Form.
About Capital Fellows. Capital Fellows is an advanced leadership and discipleship program for recent college graduates. Through graduate courses, a paid internship, one-on-one mentoring and many leadership and community service opportunities, fellows develop and apply their gifts in real-world situations while learning to integrate a Christian worldview into all areas of life. Capital Fellows is a unique opportunity to live and work in the Washington DC area and to be an active member of a supportive community that seeks to serve the city with the love of Christ. It is also a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience in the workplace while deeply exploring God’s design for us as workers and contributors to human flourishing.
Pray for the Capital Fellows
Thank you for praying for the Capital Fellows each week!
Today, the Fellows have a half-day silent retreat. It's the second of two silent retreats during the Capital Fellows year. These retreats enable us to replace the noise of the world around us - news, texts, social media - with a short season of prayer, reading, and reflection. Please pray that the fellows would be blessed by this short time of silence.
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About The Fellows Initiative
Capital Fellows is part of a network of similar programs across the country. This network is called The Fellows Initiative. There are 34 Fellows programs in TFI, roughly 3,000 alumni living around the world, and more Fellows programs on the way.
If you know a church in the US or Canada that would benefit from joining TFI by launching a new Fellows program. Please contact TFI by visiting their website.
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