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Sermon: Give to God What is God's

SERMON: GIVE TO GOD WHAT IS GOD'S

Stewardship Sunday

TEXT: MATTHEW 22:15-22

INTRODUCTION TO THE SCRIPTURE

The scene is the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus is surrounded by many of his followers. He is there to make his religious pilgrimage, to pray, and to teach. He didn't always fade into the woodwork and tended to set some folks' teeth on edge so he probably expected the confrontation that happens in today's story. There was a delicate status quo at work in Jerusalem, this outpost of the Roman Empire. Religious leaders made deals with the Roman conquerors in order to keep the peace. Compromises had to be made, of course. And who could blame them?

But not everyone was pleased with this arrangement. Jewish rebels, separatists, and insurrectionists wanted to overthrow the Roman government. They had to be nipped in the bud. Rome would come down hard on them but their own leaders tried to keep them in check as well. Some regarded Jesus as a threat to this balance, not because he advocated violent revolution, but because he was an ally of the poor, an advocate for freedom, and a critic of oppression wherever he found it-among the Roman occupiers or his own rigid religious authorities. He is being watched; the goal is to silence him. Here's what happened the day they set a trap.
MATTHEW 22:15-22 PAYING TAXES
... The Pharisees plotted a way to trap him into saying something damaging. They sent their disciples, with a few of Herod's followers mixed in, to ask, "Teacher, we know you have integrity, you teach the way of God accurately, you're indifferent to popular opinion, and don't pander to your students. (Wow, they're laying the flattery on pretty thick.) So tell us honestly: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
18-19Jesus knew they were up to no good. He said, "Why are you playing these games with me? Why are you trying to trap me? Do you have a coin? Let me see it." They handed him a silver piece.
20"This engraving-who does it look like? And whose name is on it?"
21They said, "Caesar."
"Then give Caesar what is his, and give God what is God's."
22The Pharisees were speechless. They went off shaking their heads.

IS IT ABOUT SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE?
A simple story that seems to confirm American ideology of separation of church and state. Keep state taxes and religious loyalties strictly separated. But there's more here than meets the eye. I share the opinion of many scholars that this story is not at all about paying taxes but about an ultimate commitment to God.
IT'S A TRAP
Here's the trap. Not only were the taxes being paid to the Romans, the hated occupying forces, but the coins with which they had to be paid bore an image of the head of the emperor, Caesar, who claimed to be divine. This broke two commandments: not to make graven images nor acknowledge any God but the One. Good Jews were left in a huge dilemma. Break the Jewish law and keep the Romans on your side, or break the Roman law and maintain loyalty to your Jewish faith. They know when they ask Jesus this question that there is no reply he can give which will keep everyone happy. Whatever he says they will have grounds to accuse him to someone-either to the Jewish leaders as a collaborator, or to the Romans as a revolutionary.

BUT JESUS WIGGLES OUT OF IT
But until the final trap that left him hanging on a cross, none had been set that Jesus couldn't wiggle out of. The scribes aren't as clever as they think. In order to avoid the prohibition against graven images, special coins were used in temple sacrifices so none of the taboo Caesar-headed money would ever be present to violate the Temple. When Jesus asks, "Do you have a coin? Let me see it," the scribes instantly reach into their pockets for one. Oops, hoist on their own petard. They might disapprove of these coins, but at least one of them has one, and what is more, they are standing in the Temple at the time. They have brought a graven image of the Roman emperor into the most sacred place in the Jewish world. Jesus could have just shrugged and walked away. He has punctured their self-righteousness; they are no more pure than anyone else, caught up in the inevitable complexities of human life.

But that is not the end of the story. He makes deeper point. "Who's image is on the coin?"

AND THERE'S MORE HERE THAN MEETS THE EYE
"Caesar's." "OK. Give Caesar's what belongs to him." But then he goes on "and give to God the things that are God's." And where do we see the image of God? Think creation ... "God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them. Male and female he created them." Give to the emperor what bears his image, says Jesus, but give to God what bears God's image, which is nothing less than the whole of us. 1

WHAT DOES THIS STORY HAVE TO DO WITH STEWARDSHIP
Today we begin our focus on stewardship. I say "focus on stewardship" because we practice stewardship every day of our lives. During the coming weeks, we will be talking about part of our stewardship-the way we use our money.

THE FINANCIAL CRISIS, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GIVING!
Talking about money in the middle of a financial crisis. Now there's an unfortunate situation, right? No, I think just the opposite. This stewardship sermon has probably more significance than any I have preached in my ministry. And for many of us, the role of the church may be more important than ever.
In an atmosphere of greed, mismanagement, over-reaching, blame and fear, we want to be part of a community that holds values of accountability, thrift, generosity, friendship, and sharing.

Julia Kirby is an editor of the "Harvard Business Review" and a church school teacher here at Pilgrim. She knows a thing or two about finances. The Sunday after the big crash, I asked her what she'd suggest for an approach to stewardship this year. She replied, "We need to say that the investments that we make here at Pilgrim never lose their value."

We'll be hearing testimonials from members of the congregation about those investments-our commitments to caring for one another, of reaching out in solidarity to those in need, of seeking solace in worship, music, and prayer, providing a beautiful, sacred space in which the community can gather. We'll be hearing about extending a welcome that knows no boundaries. And especially, about teaching our children these values. We need to know that when we give, we're supporting something that is worthy.

CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP IS NOT FUND-RAISING, IT'S A WAY OF LIFE
But in this story, I think Jesus is taking about the giver, not the recipient. He wants us to understand that money is a spiritual matter. We are not fund-raising here. We are talking about a basic spiritual orientation. New Testament Professor, Donald Senior writes, " ... one of the crucial meanings of money in our culture is self-expression." One could translate that, "We are what we spend." Our credit card printout is probably a better window into our character than our Myspace profile.

EXAMPLES OF GOOD STEWARDS, GIVING FROM THE TOP
Let me give you the example of Ruth Caie, our 100-year old saint. She and her husband were people of modest means, depression era survivors, people who did not know the meaning of luxury. They never had more than one car, lived simply, and cared for their belonging so they would last a lifetime.
Every year, they would assess their finances to decide if they could take a vacation. Whether they did or not was based on their church pledge. Unless they knew there would be enough money for the church, they did not take a vacation. Their kindness and generosity was a way of life and at 100, Ruth still exhibits those traits.

GIVE TO GOD WHAT IS GOD'S, NOTHING LESS THAN OUR WHOLE SELVES
Give to God what is God's, nothing less than our whole selves. Of course, it is not just about money. Although we often neglect to talk about money as an aspect of our spiritual lives, there is more. Giving to God what is God's is how we express our personality in positive, life-affirming directions.

It is about how we speak to our neighbors or our children or our parents. It is about how we spend our time, evaluate what we buy or determine what activities we participate in. What work we do; where we live; what kind of vehicle we drive; what TV we watch. This is about how we are.

Today, when we baptized Garrett, we said he belongs to God. We sang, "God's you are, from God you came. Back to God we humbly give you, live as one who bear Christ's name."

This is not just for children. Baptism promises are about giving to God what is God's, nothing less than our whole selves. And that is what stewardship is too. Not an annual campaign, not filling out a pledge card, but living-at home, at work, at school-as though we bear Christ's name.
1 For some of these aptly expressed thoughts in the four previous paragraphs, I am grateful to Rev. Anne LeBas, Priest in Charge, St Peter and St Paul, Seal, Kent, an internet colleague.