Year A - 20 Pentecost (Proper 24) - October 18, 2020

The Rev. Ken Saunders 

St. James Episcopal Church 

Greeneville, TN 

Year A - 20 Pentecost (Proper 24) - October 18, 2020

Isaiah 45:1-7
Psalm 96:1-9, (10-13)
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Matthew 22:15-22

It’s no secret that this world values money… money from trade (the buying and selling) drives the economy and the economy drives wealth and world position and from wealth and position comes power. And if I could quote Voltaire, or possibly spider-man (who knows) “with great power comes great responsibility.”

Money is the world’s scorecard or marker, and people that don’t have it, want it… and people that have it want more of it. No wonder the scripture says, "where your treasure is… there your heart will be also." We tend to spend money on the things we value, the things that are important to us, the things that we need, and even the things we think we need. 

I helped lead a youth retreat some years back and it had pictures of people from different places in the world posed out on the front lawns of their homes with all their possessions. It was shocking to say the least,  to look at pictures from impoverished countries that had a few bowls and pots a bedroll and two goats and a bedroll… 

And then you look a the family from the United States… with so much STUFF in the yard, you couldn’t see the family…

Money and possessions, drive some of the biggest political issues and cause some of the biggest arguments and problems of our day.  Money and possessions and fighting over control of money and possessions cause war and violence and hatred… 

Money and possessions… No wonder how you use or treat money and possessions is mentioned over 800 times in Holy Scripture. Yet, the way some folks argue about what is in scripture and what isn’t you would think that sex or something else would top the list.

Jesus is confronted by 2 groups this morning, the Pharisees and the Herodians… The Pharisees we know are the religious elite. They were the ones who walked around “holier than thou” and thought they were keeping every letter of the law. They actively opposed the Roman Empire…

The Herodians on the other hand worked within the Roman Empire and supported Herod, who was the Jewish King but was basically Caesar’s puppet… The two groups were ideologically and politically opposed to each other, but had one thing in common… they both were out to get Jesus…

So they come up with a scheme to try to get Jesus to use his words against himself… After buttering Jesus up with praise for his regard for truth and no partiality they ask Jesus a question to try to trip him up…They ask, "is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?" They thought they had him… but Jesus quickly catches onto their scheme…

And Jesus tells them that they are being hypocrites and he asks them why they are testing him… So Jesus asks to see the coin that is used to pay the Roman tax and they produce a Denarius… Then Jesus asks whose head is on the coin and who’s title… and they said the Emperor… Jesus then says, very confidently, "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.

It’s interesting that this scripture passage over the years has been put forth as Jesus acclamation that good Christians should pay taxes… but that’s not exactly what it’s saying. The reason it’s so confounding to both the Herodians and Pharisees is that it’s a deep dive, both politically and theologically into the aspects of paying and giving…

Paying and giving both to the Emperor, Caesar, (or what we give power in this world) and Paying or giving to God (who doesn’t trade in Caesar’s currency.)

Jesus’ question of whose head and whose title are on the coin has us look at some of the theological aspects… The image of a head or a person’s likeness that to whom you give power and authority with the title, “Caesar the divine” written on it, is none other than idolatry… So why not return the scorecard of this world to the tyrant that has his head plastered all over it. Jesus’ argument makes perfect sense.

But you can’t look at what Jesus says about the Emperor’s coin and ignore what he says about God. Remember he also says, "give to God the things that are God’s. Both the Herodians and Pharisees would know, as we well know and have been taught from the beginning that we belong to God.

We are made in God’s image and we walk around this earth and bear the image of God. So, are we giving to God those things that are God’s? 

As I said, God doesn’t trade in Caesar’s currency… Now, Cindy Painter and Doug Temple are both going to hate me saying this… right here in the middle of our pledge season. God doesn’t want your money! God doesn’t need your money. God wants you! God wants your life and love. God wants your praise and adoration. God wants your thankfulness and your attention. God wants your souls and bodies.

If everything in this world was created by God and every human being bears the image of God then God already owns it all. What we do with our life, our money, and our stuff, is how we show this world that we are trading with different currencies in a different market... That we are investing in eternal things (heavenly things) and not earthly things. The currency of God’s kingdom is radically different from that of Caesar’s.

When I was in the Diocese of North Carolina we had a saying that embodies this idea… It was our diocesan stewardship statement… see stewardship isn’t about just money… it’s about how we use our time, what we value, how we are accountable for the things we are given and the things that we earn, and how we use our passions, skills, and abilities to help usher forth God’s kingdom. 

The saying in North Carolina was simple, say it with me… Stewardship! All that we are! All that we have! All the time! It’s a very simple message to understand…

So there are some things for us to think about today… into these coming weeks and months and into the coming year… What do we value? To whom or what do we give power and authority? Who are we? and who’s are we? What are we thankful for? To Whom or to what do we give praise? In what currency do we trade? - knowing that we have to live in this world and prepare for God’s kingdom? How do we use that which is entrusted to us for the spread of the redeeming message of Jesus and the building up of God’s kingdom in this world?

All that we are! All that we have! All the time!

Year A - 19 Pentecost (Proper 23) - October 11, 2020

The Rev. Ken Saunders
St. James Episcopal Church 
Greeneville, TN

Year A - 19 Pentecost (Proper 23) - October 11, 2020

Isaiah 25:1-9
Psalm 23
Philippians 4:1-9
Matthew 22:1-14

I heard a story a few years back about a small parish that had just called a new priest to lead them. They were so happy to have a young and educated pastor to help them grow and do the Lord's work in their community. The first week the pastor gave a fantastic sermon and everyone was so pleased. After Church they greeted each other and they told the priest how pleased they were that he accepted the call to serve their small parish. The second week the pastor delivered the same sermon. (you know they say, that all great preachers... they only have one sermon…) The people were still happy that they had the new priest and they didn't mind too much that he repeated the same sermon from the previous week. Again, on third Sunday the pastor gave the same sermon. The parish was now wondering if this guy was a complete dud, after all he delivered the same sermon three Sunday's in a row. So, the vestry decided to speak with the priest about his lack of performance in the pulpit. On the fourth week right after the service, and after hearing the sermon four times in a row the vestry met with the priest. They told him how wonderful it was to have him there and how they enjoyed him and his family and were so pleased that he had accepted the call to come to their community. However, they also said that they were a little upset… Upset that he had delivered the same sermon now four weeks in a row. While smiling he looked at them and said, "Well, I'll change my sermon when you all start listening!"

During the past few weeks we have heard some powerful and inspiring lessons from the gospel of Matthew. And they all point towards our response to the Lord’s invitation. Through the gospel lessons we learned that we are called to be the Church and live a life of faith and obedience… We are called to react, to forgive, and to witness to others what we believe. This has been the theme that has been repeated over and over and over again during these past few Sundays.

Today we were presented with Jesus telling us the parable story of a wedding banquet which a king gave for his guests. In scripture, a wedding banquet is often used as a metaphor for the great messianic feast, the kingdom of heaven, that we all have an opportunity to be a part of. In the Revelation to St. John the divine, we are told that at the end of times... after all the wars, tribulation, destruction, and rebellion takes place... The Lamb of God, who is Jesus the Christ, will come down from heaven, and be seated on his throne with all his angels in all his power and all his glory. The scripture says that he will be dressed like a beautiful bridegroom who is awaiting his bride. His bride, the Church.

The bride of Christ is the Church, which is adorned in all her beauty and splendor, just like a bride is dressed on her wedding day. And that is why the Church is always decorated with elegance… with beautiful vestments and sometimes gold and silver, revealing the God's beauty and glory. And then the marriage feast of the Lamb will take place, the feast of feasts, and all will be invited to the supper.

However, we have to make sure that we have our wedding garment. It is our baptismal garment that becomes our wedding garment, our entry pass… as we are part of the body preparing for the arrival of the bridegroom… If we don’t have the wedding garment, we will not be able to join the party. 

As we heard in the lesson this morning; a man was at the party that did not put on the wedding garment that had been provided and was thrown out of the banquet into the street. At baptism we were baptized into Christ's death and then raised with him (re-born in him) in order to walk in new life. We were sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit through the anointing with Holy Chrism. In most churches the newly baptized wear a white robe which is symbolic of our new life (our wedding garment), and we are given a candle which is the light of Christ. We are then walked down the isle, and make our first procession into the Church as a member of the body of Christ, as we were welcomed into the household of God. And then we were invited to the Lord's Table to feast on the bread and wine, that spiritual nourishment for our journey which is the body and blood of Jesus.

This invitation didn't just go out one time but continually goes out week after week after week, as the Lord wants us to share in his hospitality. Whether we respond or not is our responsibility.

I said a few weeks ago, that what we do in response to God’s grace in our lives is up to us… God has given us a grand opportunity, to be part of a community that worships, learns, and fellowships together… But it takes more then us just showing up to the feast… It takes action… action to honor our great host by donning the wedding gown of salvation… because the wedding garment doesn't do us any good, if we don’t put it on…

I am not talking about what you wear, or don’t wear to church, I am talking about what you do in response to the invitation that you are so freely given… Do you accept the salvation (the wedding garment) that you are offered? And when you do, what do you do in response, Do you put it on?

Our Lord expects us to continually answer the invitation daily, to live out our baptismal vows to seek and serve him in all persons and love our neighbor as ourself and strive for justice and peace and uphold the dignity of all people. And Jesus says that he would be there with us…

He wants us to come and sit at his table and feast on the food of eternal life, the food that nourishes our souls… The Lord offer us an open invitation which was given to us at baptism, and he continually invites us to worship, to learn, to our share faith and fellowship with one another. But, as I said, it goes further than us just showing up for the feast…We have to be willing to put on the wedding garment, the garment of salvation… and live our lives in response to God’s love for us. 

We do this by witnessing to his love in the world… by living our lives in a way that testifies to his love…It’s not about going out and babbling scripture at other folks… expecting them to understand and to be “converted” or “saved” from hellfire and damnation. It is about living your life in such a way, that others realize that you have something special going on... You have that something so special that it radiates forth from you... and they are interested, and they ask you about it… Then you have the open opportunity to share with them the invitation that you have received, and invite them…

It is all in how we respond… It’s all in how we live… Some people respond to this invitation and others don’t… However, as we heard in the gospel reading from Matthew, if we don't respond, God will invite other people who will respond... others who "want" to respond.

Perhaps our gospel lessons for the past few weeks have been a bit repetitive on purpose. Perhaps we are not listening to what Matthew is telling us. Sometimes when we hear the scriptures read in church or anywhere else, we tend to hear what we want to hear and then forget or ignore the rest. We like to pick and choose bits and pieces of the gospel, rather than listening, hearing, and accepting the whole gospel.

Today we are once again invited to hear the gospel's call to faith, and to be the church in the world – living out our baptismal covenant by loving God, loving one another and witnessing to the truth… Let us be constantly striving to don our baptismal garment, to live out our response to the salvation so freely given to us… So that on that day… we will be prepared to sit at the table of the Lord, and be partakers of that heavenly banquet... That Great Wedding feast that has been prepared for us!