Pentecost 23
The Reverend Martha Frances
Year A, Pentecost 23, Proper 24
19 October 2008
Text: Matthew 22: 15-22
Other: I Thessalonians 1: 1-10; Psalm 99; Exodus 33: 12-23
Today's Gospel story is a short one, one we all know or at least have heard the punch line to: "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's & to God those things that are God's." At first glance, this story of Jesus teaching in the temple seems to be about our being good citizens & paying our taxes.
As a matter of fact, our elections are only a couple of weeks away (in case you haven't noticed!), & I want to remind you that one of our duties as Christians & privileges as Americans is to vote. We are called to study the candidates & vote our consciences. However, there's more to this story than voting rights. That's not what Jesus had in mind.
As this episode begins, it sounds like Jesus' opponents have finally found a subject in which to entrap him. Not much is known about the Herodians except they supported the Roman rule of the heirs of Herod the Great, in this case Herod Antipas. They would have believed the Jewish people should pay taxes to Caesar as their protector. For Jesus to declare otherwise, in fact, would be insurrection.
However, we are much more familiar with the Pharisees, the major Jewish party of Jesus' time. Their life's mission was to keep the Torah, the Jewish law passed down from Moses. They would have opposed paying census taxes to the Roman emperor. It is truly an example of politics making strange bedfellows for these two groups to approach Jesus jointly, & their flattery is a sure sign of their attempt to entrap him. Jesus is not about to be cornered.
Remember the first two of the 10 Commandments: the Hebrew people were to have no other gods except the Lord God YHWH, & they shouldn't make any graven images. Jesus, calling them all hypocrites, asks them to produce a Roman coin which would have borne the graven image of Caesar on it. The people had to pay taxes with these coins. Significantly, Jesus did not possess a Roman coin, but the Pharisees readily produced one. Their having a Roman coin at all indicated they accepted payments in coinage which should have been anathema to them. Hmmm, who is being trapped here?
Jesus answers their question with an answer neither group can argue with yet neither side will be satisfied. "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, & to God the things that are God's." For many, this expression has epitomized separation of church & state. Actually, Jesus is much more radical than that. Jesus recognizes that his opponents are looking for the limits of their responsibilities, both to God & to the Roman government. Jesus tells them they should give what the government requires as part of residing where Rome provides protection & governance.
However, much more important is his assertion that we are to give to God that which is God's. I ask you today as Jesus could have asked those around him, "What things are God's?" Or even more to the point, "What part of our resources are not God's?" You see, Jesus reminds us that, while there are limits to our responsibilities as citizens to provide for the upkeep of our government, giving to God is all-encompassing, for all is of God.
Jesus is telling us all of our lives & resources should be dedicated to God. His opponents look for limits—how little they can get away with & still be legal. But Jesus turns their question on end & reminds them—& us—that God's part is 100%. The Gospel records that Jesus' opponents were amazed & they left him & went away. If we were to take Jesus' admonition seriously, we would be amazed also, & perhaps we would also go away sorrowful just as the rich young man did in another story you may remember. Jesus asks his disciples to love God with all their heart, mind, & strength—with all their lives. He tells them all is God's anyway; they must make their whole lives available to God.
You know what? Jesus tells us the same thing today. Jesus says, there are responsibilities which we owe to the government—paying taxes, voting, participating as informed citizens in our political system—& we should fulfill these. But to God, we owe everything. We must not hold back anything to God. We shouldn't be squabbling about whether our tithe is 10% before or after taxes because it all belongs to God anyway.
During my over 4 years as vicar & executive director of Lord of the Streets, the Episcopal mission for homeless & transitioning people in Midtown Houston, I was regularly touched by the number of our parishioners there who took tithing seriously. They might only work periodically or receive some kind of disability check, but 10% of what they made came directly to LOTS. If members of most parishes gave proportionally as many LOTS' folks did, we wouldn't have budget problems in our diocese. The Biblical tithe of 10% is still an important marker amount to consider or work toward as part of fulfilling our promises to God, & some of our community is faithful to that. And the vestry, whose responsibility it is to plan for & administer the ministry of Hope Church, is incredibly grateful to those who commit to & pay a proportional pledge, even in times like these when the world is in financial turmoil & we are recovering from a natural disaster as well.
However, when Jesus talks about giving to God that which is God's, Jesus is speaking of our whole lives, not just our material resources. Jesus isn't talking about limiting our giving to 10% of the money we earn. No, Jesus isn't talking about limiting at all. Jesus urges us to give freely, giving of our lives & our abilities as well as our financial resources. Jesus calls for us to be generous with our whole lives: that whatever we give to God is only a shadow of what Jesus gave when he surrendered his life for us.
What might this sort of generosity of spirit mean in our lives today? For one thing, it means that this being a Christian is an on-going process of becoming more Christ-like, & it doesn't just happen by osmosis. St. Paul honored the Thessalonians today for their "work of faith, labor of love, & steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." Do faith, love, & hope sound familiar to you? Yes, they're the 3 cardinal Christian virtues. Paul uses action words with them: work, labor, steadfastness. The gifts we give back to God require on-going effort as do most things that are worthwhile.
What have you read recently to strengthen your faith? Do you have a study group or reunion group with whom you are accountable regularly for forming your mind after the mind of Christ? Growing in the faith assumes we're struggling with questions of faith & how they touch our daily lives.
Yes, love is a labor many times—an action verb which we choose to exercise, not just good feelings. This week I had the privilege of planning two funerals, one with the person soon to be deceased & the other with a family whose loved one had died that very day. Sherley Holden accompanied me on the first pastoral visit, & she can testify to the peace this man exhibited when he knew his wishes would be fulfilled & he had received final anointing & communion—the last rites. Such work of love is labor-intense, yet that is a priestly duty which is always an honor for me to do. Your providing prayers & casseroles & ongoing care for families who are grieving is similar loving labor. How many other ways can you render to God what is God's through the work of loving yourself & others?
Steadfastness is necessary as we show hope in the present & future in God's world, especially when such disasters as we have recently been experiencing sap people of their positive outlooks. Our parish is well-named, for we can all exhibit hope for Hope as we participate in the ongoing life of this parish, not only with our treasure but also with our time & talents. Participating in the fall festival next Saturday (don't forget to bring your animals for blessing at 3:00) & then the jazz service & ministry fair the next day should give us a new lease on the life of this parish. Your choosing in what ministries you'll participate this next year is as essential a part of stewardship as is catching up on your pledge & making a 2009 pledge which stretches you but which is still realistic.
In addition, our steadfastness in hope leads us to commit to witnessing to others of the love of God through Jesus Christ just as we vowed at our baptisms & re-commit to doing every time someone is baptized here at Hope. We reach out to others to share the amazing generosity of Christ's love & grace because it's the greatest gift possible, whether or not folks actually end up here at Hope, although we always hope for them to come to experience the attractive goodness which we strive to display.
During this time in which we are focused on how we can continue & grow the ministry of Hope in our community, I encourage you to open yourself to how much of the "all that you are & have" which God has given you you will return to God's use. Render unto God those things which are God's.
Year A, Pentecost 23, Proper 24
19 October 2008
Text: Matthew 22: 15-22
Other: I Thessalonians 1: 1-10; Psalm 99; Exodus 33: 12-23
Today's Gospel story is a short one, one we all know or at least have heard the punch line to: "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's & to God those things that are God's." At first glance, this story of Jesus teaching in the temple seems to be about our being good citizens & paying our taxes.
As a matter of fact, our elections are only a couple of weeks away (in case you haven't noticed!), & I want to remind you that one of our duties as Christians & privileges as Americans is to vote. We are called to study the candidates & vote our consciences. However, there's more to this story than voting rights. That's not what Jesus had in mind.
As this episode begins, it sounds like Jesus' opponents have finally found a subject in which to entrap him. Not much is known about the Herodians except they supported the Roman rule of the heirs of Herod the Great, in this case Herod Antipas. They would have believed the Jewish people should pay taxes to Caesar as their protector. For Jesus to declare otherwise, in fact, would be insurrection.
However, we are much more familiar with the Pharisees, the major Jewish party of Jesus' time. Their life's mission was to keep the Torah, the Jewish law passed down from Moses. They would have opposed paying census taxes to the Roman emperor. It is truly an example of politics making strange bedfellows for these two groups to approach Jesus jointly, & their flattery is a sure sign of their attempt to entrap him. Jesus is not about to be cornered.
Remember the first two of the 10 Commandments: the Hebrew people were to have no other gods except the Lord God YHWH, & they shouldn't make any graven images. Jesus, calling them all hypocrites, asks them to produce a Roman coin which would have borne the graven image of Caesar on it. The people had to pay taxes with these coins. Significantly, Jesus did not possess a Roman coin, but the Pharisees readily produced one. Their having a Roman coin at all indicated they accepted payments in coinage which should have been anathema to them. Hmmm, who is being trapped here?
Jesus answers their question with an answer neither group can argue with yet neither side will be satisfied. "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, & to God the things that are God's." For many, this expression has epitomized separation of church & state. Actually, Jesus is much more radical than that. Jesus recognizes that his opponents are looking for the limits of their responsibilities, both to God & to the Roman government. Jesus tells them they should give what the government requires as part of residing where Rome provides protection & governance.
However, much more important is his assertion that we are to give to God that which is God's. I ask you today as Jesus could have asked those around him, "What things are God's?" Or even more to the point, "What part of our resources are not God's?" You see, Jesus reminds us that, while there are limits to our responsibilities as citizens to provide for the upkeep of our government, giving to God is all-encompassing, for all is of God.
Jesus is telling us all of our lives & resources should be dedicated to God. His opponents look for limits—how little they can get away with & still be legal. But Jesus turns their question on end & reminds them—& us—that God's part is 100%. The Gospel records that Jesus' opponents were amazed & they left him & went away. If we were to take Jesus' admonition seriously, we would be amazed also, & perhaps we would also go away sorrowful just as the rich young man did in another story you may remember. Jesus asks his disciples to love God with all their heart, mind, & strength—with all their lives. He tells them all is God's anyway; they must make their whole lives available to God.
You know what? Jesus tells us the same thing today. Jesus says, there are responsibilities which we owe to the government—paying taxes, voting, participating as informed citizens in our political system—& we should fulfill these. But to God, we owe everything. We must not hold back anything to God. We shouldn't be squabbling about whether our tithe is 10% before or after taxes because it all belongs to God anyway.
During my over 4 years as vicar & executive director of Lord of the Streets, the Episcopal mission for homeless & transitioning people in Midtown Houston, I was regularly touched by the number of our parishioners there who took tithing seriously. They might only work periodically or receive some kind of disability check, but 10% of what they made came directly to LOTS. If members of most parishes gave proportionally as many LOTS' folks did, we wouldn't have budget problems in our diocese. The Biblical tithe of 10% is still an important marker amount to consider or work toward as part of fulfilling our promises to God, & some of our community is faithful to that. And the vestry, whose responsibility it is to plan for & administer the ministry of Hope Church, is incredibly grateful to those who commit to & pay a proportional pledge, even in times like these when the world is in financial turmoil & we are recovering from a natural disaster as well.
However, when Jesus talks about giving to God that which is God's, Jesus is speaking of our whole lives, not just our material resources. Jesus isn't talking about limiting our giving to 10% of the money we earn. No, Jesus isn't talking about limiting at all. Jesus urges us to give freely, giving of our lives & our abilities as well as our financial resources. Jesus calls for us to be generous with our whole lives: that whatever we give to God is only a shadow of what Jesus gave when he surrendered his life for us.
What might this sort of generosity of spirit mean in our lives today? For one thing, it means that this being a Christian is an on-going process of becoming more Christ-like, & it doesn't just happen by osmosis. St. Paul honored the Thessalonians today for their "work of faith, labor of love, & steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." Do faith, love, & hope sound familiar to you? Yes, they're the 3 cardinal Christian virtues. Paul uses action words with them: work, labor, steadfastness. The gifts we give back to God require on-going effort as do most things that are worthwhile.
What have you read recently to strengthen your faith? Do you have a study group or reunion group with whom you are accountable regularly for forming your mind after the mind of Christ? Growing in the faith assumes we're struggling with questions of faith & how they touch our daily lives.
Yes, love is a labor many times—an action verb which we choose to exercise, not just good feelings. This week I had the privilege of planning two funerals, one with the person soon to be deceased & the other with a family whose loved one had died that very day. Sherley Holden accompanied me on the first pastoral visit, & she can testify to the peace this man exhibited when he knew his wishes would be fulfilled & he had received final anointing & communion—the last rites. Such work of love is labor-intense, yet that is a priestly duty which is always an honor for me to do. Your providing prayers & casseroles & ongoing care for families who are grieving is similar loving labor. How many other ways can you render to God what is God's through the work of loving yourself & others?
Steadfastness is necessary as we show hope in the present & future in God's world, especially when such disasters as we have recently been experiencing sap people of their positive outlooks. Our parish is well-named, for we can all exhibit hope for Hope as we participate in the ongoing life of this parish, not only with our treasure but also with our time & talents. Participating in the fall festival next Saturday (don't forget to bring your animals for blessing at 3:00) & then the jazz service & ministry fair the next day should give us a new lease on the life of this parish. Your choosing in what ministries you'll participate this next year is as essential a part of stewardship as is catching up on your pledge & making a 2009 pledge which stretches you but which is still realistic.
In addition, our steadfastness in hope leads us to commit to witnessing to others of the love of God through Jesus Christ just as we vowed at our baptisms & re-commit to doing every time someone is baptized here at Hope. We reach out to others to share the amazing generosity of Christ's love & grace because it's the greatest gift possible, whether or not folks actually end up here at Hope, although we always hope for them to come to experience the attractive goodness which we strive to display.
During this time in which we are focused on how we can continue & grow the ministry of Hope in our community, I encourage you to open yourself to how much of the "all that you are & have" which God has given you you will return to God's use. Render unto God those things which are God's.
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Hope Episcopal Church
at 12:41 PM
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