Year A, Proper 24, Matthew 22.15-25, “To God the things that are God’s”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen

“Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Jake was the husband of the matriarch of my congregation in Thompson Falls.

Though Elsie never missed something at church, Jake never darkened the door of the Church.

He did, however, like pastors.  He would take us fishing.  He would enjoy having us out to the place along the Clark Fork River for dinner.

In short, Jake was a good guy, just not a church goer.

But Jake taught me  something about generosity that I’ll never forget. 

“Pastor,” Jake said, “Pastor, there’s one thing I’ll never understand about people.  They’re constantly complaining about having to pay taxes.  I just don’t understand it.”

“You know, one year I had to pay $25,000 in taxes.  Imagine that, just me and my Cat building roads in the forest, and I had to pay $25,000 in taxes.”

“There were other years that I didn’t have to pay any taxes at all.”

“Pastor, the years I had to pay a lot in taxes were a whole lot better years than when I didn’t.  People should be grateful to pay taxes, because it means they had a good year.  They shouldn’t complain.”

Gratitude.

That’s what Jake’s comments were all about.

Gratitude.

Whether it’s paying taxes, or making our offerings, we should do so with a grateful heart.

What a blessing it is to have received enough to be taxed, or to be able to make an offering.

Gratitude.

One more word about taxes.

One theologian remarked once that if we consider all that is God’s, there is little left for the Emporer.

How much should we give as an offering to God?

That’s the question for today.

And why should we give?

That’s another good question.

Giving has an interesting history, and the Church has done a variety of things throughout the ages to meet its financial obligations.

In the Old Testament times, God’s people were expected to bring their tithes, the first fruits of the harvest and offer them in gratitude to God.  It was straight forward.  10% up front.

Since then, many Christians have adopted this as a mandate for their own giving.

My mother and father-in-law told their story from when they were first married.  They were going to Church one Sunday morning, and between them they had only $1.  Could they give anything?

They prayed about it, and came to the conclusion that they’d give a dime.  10%.  And that they did throughout the rest of their lives. 

Many Christians have found this to be a rich discipline, and have reported many blessings from doing so.

One of the best pieces of advice  I’ve ever heard, and one that unfortunately I’ve not been able to adopt, was to give 10%, save 10%, and live off the rest.  If I had my life to live over, I’d like to do that.

At any rate, many Christians have answered those two questions of how much we should give and why, by saying that we are to give 10% of all we have received, and do so both out of gratitude and obedience.

One of the problems with these answers is that they can become a legalistic burden.  Sometimes, 10% is too much, and at other times 10% is far too little.

Pastor Herb Knutson, whom I knew in Montana, was deeply concerned about viewing our giving from such a legalistic point of view. 

His father experienced all sorts of guilt because he didn’t feel he was able to give as much as he was required to give.

Herb studied the scripture in depth, and realized that the Old Testament tithe, actually funded BOTH the Church and the State. 

It was a flat rate that covered everything, both giving and taxation.  Actually, when you think about it, submitting to a flat tax of 10% that supported the entire government and the Church would be quite desirable to many in our age.  Wouldn’t it.

But before we go there, there is another part of the Biblical witness to bear in mind.

In the New Testament, specifically in Acts, the early Christians were expect to give, not 10%, but 100% to the Lord. 

In Acts 2.44 & 45 it is written:

“All who believed were together and had all things in common;  they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

And again in Chapter 4 it is written:

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.

This was a radical concept.

It was radical in its day, and especially radical for us today as our entire culture is built around private ownership of things, from the land we live on to the money we have in the bank.

Many will say, “Well, that’s communism, and it’s been proven it just doesn’t work.  It didn’t work for the early Christians, and it won’t work now.”

Maybe so, but there is a truth that this points to, and that is this.

Our whole lives are lived as Stewards, caretakers of all that God has given to  us.

What we do with our lives, and with all that we have, determines whether we are good stewards or bad.

Yes, it is our responsibility to provide for ourselves and our families, food and clothing, home and shelter, transportation, health care, and all that is part of living today.

But support for the mission of the Church is also part of that responsibility that we as Christians have.

And, to put it bluntly, if one owns a $500,000 dollar home, two $50,000 cars, an RV or two, and countless other things, yet only gives as much to the Church as they might as a tip to a waiter following a fine meal out—well, that says something.

This brings up another point, about why we give and how much we should give.

Our giving is a witness to what we believe in, and who or what is truly our God.

Giving is an act of worship, with it we are acknowledging that the Lord is our God, and the Lord alone.

There’s a good news, bad news, joke about this.

The good news is that Jesus has returned to the earth.

The bad news is that he’s mad and has brought his accountants.

The point being, that there is probably no truer indicator of what we value in life, than our checkbooks.  And if our giving is merely an afterthought, well, that says something about us and what we believe.

Having said all that, I go back to Jake and Herb.

Jake’s observation is that we should be delighted to be able to pay taxes, and give generously, because it indicates that we have been blessed with a very good year.  Wise Words.

But Herb’s point is also well taken, it is wrong to approach giving legalistically.  The truth is that there are times in our lives when we will be able to give a lot, and at other times, only a little.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians:

“Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.”

That last line, is another point about why we give.

“That you may share abundantly in every good work.”

When we give, we participate in the mission of the Church.  It’s an act of Christian service.

And our gifts make ministry possible.

The Church wasn’t always dependent on free will offerings.

During the Middle Ages the Church owned massive amounts of land and profited off of it, supporting itself.

In Europe, even to this day, taxation supports the Church.

And I remember reading about the first Pastor of one of the congregations my Dad served.

His compensation was $200 annually, plus two offerings of his choice, and, we might add, all of his living expenses were basically covered.  If a farmer butchered an animal, part of it went to the pastor.  Pastors were given free medical care by doctors.  This even continued into my Dad’s ministry.  He paid a total of $35 to have six children, and that only because the obstetrician for one of the kids was Jewish, not Christian.

Today, though, our ministry is dependent on our charitable giving.  Buildings need to be heated.  Pastors need to be paid a salary.  And the wider mission of the Church is dependent on our giving.

The bottom line is that it is through the generosity of our members that our congregation is able to continue its ministry.  That’s simply a fact.

Why do we give?

Because Jesus said “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”

In order to do that in today’s world, and today’s economy, the Church needs cash. 

One final story.

There was a wealthy man who had a sense of calling to the ministry.  He was capable of making a lot of money, but felt the need to be a pastor, instead.

As he evaluated his gifts for ministry, though, he realized that what he really was gifted at was making money.  He wasn’t particularly suited for the ministry at all.

After much prayer and consideration he decided that the best thing he could do, was to make as much money as he could, and then give generously to support the ministry of those who were truly gifted as pastors and evangelists.

He decided he would live on just a small portion of his annual income, and give the rest to support the ministry of the Church.

It was a wonderful and faithful response.

We give, in order to support those who have the gift of ministry.

“Why do you give?” and “How much will you give?”

These are two questions each of us must answer for ourselves. 

And however you answer those questions, just remember this:

That whether we are able to  give a lot, or a little, we are always simply giving back to God what he has first given us.

That’s what the hymn we will sing next makes clear.

We give thee but thine own, whate’er the gift may be.

All that we have is thine alone, a trust, O Lord, from Thee.

Amen

Year C, Proper 24, Luke 18:1-8, Do not lose heart

Grace to you and Peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen

“Pray always.”

“Do not lose heart.”

“My help comes from the Lord.”

“The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
it is he who shall keep you safe.”

“I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them.”

On the one hand these are incredibly comforting words.

At least they would be if life always worked out like that.  But life doesn’t always work out that way.  And because of words like these, it can leave us wondering if there is simply something we are doing wrong. 

Do we not have enough faith?

Did we not pray enough?

Are we being punished for some sin, known or unknown?

One quick response, that is used all too often, is that God always answers our prayers, it just that the answer is sometimes yes, sometimes no, and sometimes wait.

And yet, when one is in the midst of a grave crisis in their life such an answer is inadequate.

Philosophers have put the issue this way:

Evil exists.

If God is Good,

                Then he must be unable to stop evil.

If God is all powerful, yet allows evil to continue,

                Then he must not be Good.

But if God is both Good, and All powerful,

                Why does evil continue???

That’s how the philosophers phrase the problem of evil.  But we’re not philosophers.

Our struggles get very real, personal, and tragic.

Jerry and Susan were excited.

They were expecting their third child.

And when Spencer was born they had all the hopes and expectations of any couple that just had a new baby.

But something was wrong.

Susan noticed that Spencer just could not nurse like his brother and sister had.

Subsequent testing revealed that Spencer had been born with a rare genetic disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy. 

Our congregation surrounded them with prayer and support, but the disease is what the disease is, and as predicted, Spencer slowly deteriorated until he lost all muscle function and died, about a year later.

Jerry and Susan had another baby, Andrew.

Andrew lived a little longer, in part because of some choices Jerry and Susan made which kept him healthier.  But just a little bit longer.  He too,  died.

“Pray always.”

“Do not lose heart.”

Those words are easy to say,

                That is until you are watching your second baby die of a disease for which there is no cure. 

Why?  Why does God allow such things to happen?

I’ve buried far too many children.

Some died in the womb.

Some died as new borns.

Some were killed in tragic accidents.

Some died of incurable diseases.

All of them were surrounded with prayer, fervent prayer, and yet they died.

And their parents will grieve for a lifetime.

And yet at other times prayer seems to “work”.

Yesterday I celebrated four years of sobriety.

I first became addicted to a drug called Ativan, or lorazapam.  I had been prescribed it to help with my chronic insomnia, and also, anxiety.  The downside of this drug is that it works on the same receptors in your brain as alcohol does, and like alcohol, is addictive.

I quit taking Ativan.  But I substituted alcohol for it.

I discovered that a couple of Scotch’s before bed would help me overcome the stresses of the day, and enable me to sleep.  But as always happened, I needed more and more to have the same effect.

Toward the end of my drinking, I had been prescribed Ativan, again.  And on October 14, 2012, I made the mistake of taking the Ativan after drinking heavily.

The combination of too much alcohol and Ativan almost killed me.  I entered a treatment center.

I prayed for help. 

Actually, what I would have preferred at the time is for God to help me through the crisis, but allow me to resume my pattern of drinking.  I enjoyed unwinding with a drink at night.  I didn’t want to give it up.

But instead of giving me what I wanted, God helped me to recognize that I was an alcoholic, and then he removed from me the compulsion to drink.  In place of the compulsion was a revulsion.  I couldn’t walk through the grocery store and see all the displays of wine and beer, without having a strong negative reaction.  Serving communion was a real struggle. 

But in the end, what happened is that I was set free.

It was an answer to prayer. 

There are many things we pray for.

In the wake of 9/11 our country collectively prayed that those who were behind that attack would be brought to justice.

It took time, and two wars.

Eventually though, Bin Laden, was killed, and in our mind, justice was served.

An answer to prayer.

At other times we pray, and yet find ourselves waiting and waiting for an answer. 

Our country has experienced too much gun violence.

Mass shootings have occurred in schools, and churches, military bases and night clubs, to name a few.

Sometimes there seems to be a motive.  Like racism.

At other times these killings seem to occur with no rhyme or reason whatsoever.

And they continue to happen.  In spite of our prayers.

Does God not care?

I don’t know all the answers.

Nobody does.

But it seems to me that there are some things we can say.

The first is the hardest.

You cannot pray yourself out of your own mortality.

Even Jesus died.

Some will have the good fortune to live to a ripe old age.

Others will die tragically, and too young. 

But we will all die. 

No getting around that.

But having said that, we also need to acknowledge that there is an incredible amount of healing in the world.  We probably will never know or appreciate all the times that we were saved from death by the healing hand of God. 
Sometimes it’s obvious.

I had open heart surgery to repair a failed mitral valve.  A hundred years ago I might have died.  Today I’m alive.  Healing happens.  And I thank God.

When we get the flu, or pneumonia, we don’t fear for our lives the way people once did. 

Healing happens.  Everyday.  An answer to prayer.

Another thing I’ve come to believe is that prayer is not a substitute for responsibility.

St. Augustine put it this way:

“Pray as though everything depended on God.

Work as though everything depended on you.”

Sometimes the prayer that we need is for guidance.  We need God’s help to determine what WE can do to combat the forces of evil in our world.  The struggle is that on our own we simply cannot agree on the answers.

I think one of the clearest examples of this is how we react to and respond to the violence that plagues our society.

·         Some suggest that if no one had guns, then these mass shootings would stop.

·         Others argue that if everyone had guns, then the shootings would stop.

·         God will probably have to help us through that one.  But our actions, or lack of action, will impact this issue and many others like it.

The final thing I’ve come to conclude, is that though suffering in one form or another will always be with us, so also will God be with us to lead us through this suffering.  The promise is that God will deliver us from suffering, not exempt of us from it. 

The clearest case of this is as we face our own deaths.

We are going to die.  That is true.

But God has promised not to leave us in the grave.

God’s final answer to death is not resuscitation, but resurrection. 

And so we live in a “Good Friday world” but with an “Easter faith”.  Death will not have the final word.

And for this reason, we do not lose heart.

May this peace that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen

Year C, Proper 24, Psalm 121:1-2, Help!

I lift up my eyes to the hills; *
from where is my help to come?

My help comes from the Lord, *
the maker of heaven and earth.

I am struggling to preach on the texts for this Sunday.  Pray.  Do not lose heart.  My help comes from the Lord.  These texts seem to be saying to me that if we simply have enough faith, God will, without delay, quickly grant justice to those who call on him.  The same, I would suppose, could be said for those whose prayers are for healing, or peace, or.  .  .  

The problem with such a promise is how does it not turn on the faithful when their prayers are not heard, when justice does not come, when the battle is lost to a devastating disease, when in spite of our prayers our world  continues to be embroiled in one conflict after another.  In the starkest terms, how many of our Jewish brothers and sisters died in the holocaust with prayers on their lips?

And how many, then, come away with the conclusion that they simply did not have enough faith, did not pray fervently enough, or were in some other way inadequate and hence, God simply did not choose to respond to their request?

But this  morning, I'm also thinking about my experience in AA.  AA is founded on the principle that freedom from alcohol can be achieved, not by our own power, but with the aid of a "higher power".  There is a truth in AA that I hate to speak, but is witnessed to time and time again.  Failure to embrace the help that comes from a higher power almost always results in the failure to succeed in program.

Total submission and admitting defeat is the starting point.  When one recognizes one's own failings and powerlessness over alcohol, then that opens the door for God to provide that which we cannot achieve ourselves.  And however we might understand that, many of us can only look back with gratitude that God did what we could never do, which is to remove from us the desire and compulsion to drink.  This was my experience.  This is the experience of the bulk of those  who have been freed from the power of alcohol through AA.

To what extent do these same lessons extend to other problems that we face?  

On the one hand, I still find myself confronted with the reality that the faithful suffer, and die, with prayers for deliverance on their lips.  On the other hand I cannot abandon the belief that if we surrender entirely to the power of God that we will experience the grace of God.

Perhaps the key is that the experience of God's grace comes to us in oft unexpected ways.  

Year C, Proper 24, Psalm 121, Luke 18:1-8, Hedging our Bets

Nancy was incredible.  I met her when I began my Clinical Pastoral Education at Metropolitan Medical Center in Minneapolis some thirty years ago.  I had been referred to her by the nursing staff on the floor.  She'd be a good visit.  And she had just received the news that she was dying from cancer.  My expectations were set.

What I didn't expect is what I saw when I entered her hospital room.  She had taken it over and made it her own.  The walls were decorated with numerous calligraphy wall hangings of her favorite bible verses about healing.  On her bed was an Amish quilt.  On her side table were tapes about miraculous healing, tapes which she told me presented the case that healing was something any Christian could claim, regardless of the odds, if they just had enough faith.  She also went on to say that in order to insure that her faith remained strong enough (faith muscles, she called it), she banned anyone who did not share her faith from visiting.  The nursing staff had informed me that it was a miracle that she was still alive, it now being a year or so after having been diagnosed with a particularly aggressive form of cancer.  But in Nancy's mind, the promise of a miracle was greater than that.  She hoped for a complete cure.  Unfortunately, she died a couple months later.

 I lift up my eyes to the hills; 

from where is my help to come?

My help comes from the Lord, 

the maker of heaven and earth.

There is a risk of faith.  If one, like Nancy, cultivates within oneself this incredible faith that God will indeed hear our prayers and come to our aid, and cure us even when we are riddled with cancer, then when that help doesn't come one must ask why.  In our lesson from Luke Jesus talks about our need to "need to pray always and not to lose heart."  Persistence pays off the parable seems to say.  Until it doesn't.

Even as she spoke of her faith muscles being strong enough to insure her healing, Nancy also shared a deep yearning for heaven.  "I just want to sing in that choir!" she blurted out at one point.  And she wondered about that verse that said we were neither married nor given in marriage in heaven.  How could it be heaven without her husband by her side, she wondered.  

What do we make of it?  It's easy to give God the credit when we are healed.  But about those times when we are not.  Does God bear responsibility for that as well.  One of the statements I've made numerous times is that we cannot pray ourselves out of our own mortality.  Simple fact.  

This morning what I'm wondering about a different take on it all.  I wonder if being truly healed is not about being free of disease, but rather about being fully alive even unto death.