Hi Jesse,
I'm quite happy for certain people to be given certain jobs. I don't doubt that declaring the forgiveness of sins is sacramental. But you can declare my sins forgiven in Christ's name as well as any presbyter. God's Spirit is within you, you have his Word, and you have his command to preach forgiveness.
On a (sort of) related topic, it dawned on me last night that the glory of the Church is not a Pope, a pieta or a parade, but a saint. The church is there to foster them. If the glory of God is a man fully alive, this is the glory of the Church also. The command 'feed my sheep' is best understood when we remember that Jesus was also a lamb. 'Feed my sheep' means 'nourish little Christs'. The church hierarchy etc is (or ought to be) completely subservient (the servant) to this great task.
Profound Thought Alert.
Perhaps the Church to the saint is the placenta to the baby.
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