We are All Priests Cont - Exodus 28
n Exodus 28, God gives Moses detailed instructions for the clothing of Aaron, the first high priest of Israel. The chapter is filled with intricate descriptions of garments, stones, gold, colors, and craftsmanship. It can be easy to read a passage like this and get lost in the details.
But underneath all of the details is something much more important: God called Aaron before He clothed Aaron.
God begins by saying, “Have your brother Aaron with his sons come to you from the Israelites to serve me as priests.”
Before there were garments, there was a calling.
Before there were responsibilities, there was an invitation to come near.
Before Aaron did anything for God, God brought Aaron into His presence.
That matters for us because our calling works the same way.
Called Before Clothed
We can easily think about calling as a job description. What am I supposed to do? What ministry am I supposed to lead? What gift do I have? Where am I supposed to serve?
Those are important questions, but they aren't the first questions.
The first question is: Have I responded to the invitation to draw near to God?
Our identity in Christ comes before our contribution to the church.
We are called before we are clothed.
Aaron didn't put on the priestly garments and suddenly become a priest. The garments were an outward expression of something God had already declared about him. In the same way, what we do for God should flow out of who we are becoming in Christ.
Our calling isn't ultimately about finding the perfect role. It begins with knowing the One who called us.
That's why Jesus remains at the center. We learn to recognize our calling by becoming familiar with His character and His Word. The more we know Him, the more our lives begin to reflect the One who called us.
The question isn't simply, “What am I doing for God?”
It's also, “Does the way I live reflect the One who called me?”
We Are All Called, But We Are Not All Called the Same Way
One of the beautiful things about Exodus 28 is that Aaron isn't the only person who is uniquely equipped.
God also gives wisdom and skill to the artisans who make Aaron's garments. Aaron has one role, and the artisans have another. Both are necessary.
The same is true in the church.
Ephesians 4 describes different expressions of God's calling: apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. Each one serves a different purpose.
Some people naturally see possibilities and help mobilize others toward mission.
Some see places where the church has drifted from truth and feel compelled to call people back toward God's heart.
Some recognize the people who are missing and naturally invite them into the good news and community of Jesus.
Some carry the wounds of others and create spaces where people can experience care, belonging, and wholeness.
Some have a gift for bringing clarity to confusion and helping people grow in truth and maturity.
These aren't competing callings. They are different expressions of the same Spirit working through the body of Christ.
Unity doesn't require us to become the same.
Unity means our different gifts and designs are aimed toward the same Jesus and the same mission.
You don't have to be someone else to be useful to God. In fact, part of discovering your calling is learning to recognize how God has already wired you.
Pay attention to what you naturally notice.
What do you see that other people seem to overlook?
What problems bother you that others have learned to tolerate?
Who do you naturally notice?
What kinds of people or situations consistently move your heart?
What burdens seem to follow you?
Those things may be clues.
Your Burden May Be Part of Your Calling
One of the most powerful ideas in this passage is the picture of Aaron carrying the names of Israel's tribes.
He carries their names on his shoulders and over his heart.
The shoulders represent responsibility.
The heart represents affection.
Aaron's calling may have been personal, but his purpose was communal. What God placed on Aaron wasn't ultimately just for Aaron. It was for the people he was called to serve.
The same is true for us.
What God has placed inside of you isn't ultimately just for you.
Your gifts are meant to build up the people around you.
Your ability to see possibilities may help someone else step into a new season.
Your passion for truth may help someone find their way back to God.
Your ability to welcome people may help someone experience belonging.
Your compassion may help someone move toward healing.
Your ability to teach may help someone move from confusion to maturity.
Sometimes we look at the burdens in our lives and simply ask God to take them away.
But what if some of those burdens are actually connected to our calling?
What if the thing you can't stop noticing is something God has equipped you to address?
What if the people you naturally care about are people God has entrusted to you?
What feels unusually heavy to you may not always be a problem you need to eliminate.
It may be a burden God has designed you to carry.
Called to Build Others Up
Ephesians 4 gives us the purpose behind all of these different callings: to equip God's people for ministry and build up the body of Christ.
That's the destination.
Calling isn't ultimately about self-discovery. It's not about finding a title, platform, or position that makes us feel significant.
The goal is maturity.
The goal is that the people around us encounter more of Jesus because we faithfully live out what God has placed in us.
That's why discovering your calling isn't simply about asking, “What am I good at?”
It's about asking:
“How can what God has given me help someone else become more like Jesus?”
Your calling is a gift, but it is also a responsibility.
You were not equipped merely to make your own life better.
You were equipped to contribute to the life of the body.
Holy to the Lord
At the end of the priestly instructions, there is a simple declaration: “Holy to the Lord.”
That's where every calling ultimately has to land.
Whatever God has placed in you—your gifts, your personality, your passions, your influence, your skills, your burdens—must be surrendered to Him.
You have been called.
You have been equipped.
You have been given a unique design.
And that design is meant to be used for the sake of the people around you.
The question isn't whether God has called you.
The question is whether you're awake enough to respond.
Maybe you've been waiting for someone to give you permission.
Maybe you've been overlooking the ways God has already equipped you.
Maybe you've been so focused on finding your specific assignment that you've forgotten the first invitation: come near to Jesus.
So take a moment and ask:
What burden has God called me to carry?
Who has He placed on my heart?
What do I see that others don't seem to see?
Where has He uniquely equipped me?
And am I willing to lay it all before Him?
You are called before you are clothed.
And when God clothes you with His Spirit and sends you out, the purpose isn't simply that you would discover more about yourself.
It is that through your life, someone else would encounter more of Jesus.
