Give to God What is God's

SERMON: GIVE TO GOD WHAT IS GOD'S 
tewardship Sunday ~ Practicing Our Faith ~ Generosity JUDITH B. BRAIN 
TEXT: MATTHEW 22:15-22 
OCTOBER 15, 2017 
SECOND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH BEVERLY, MA—UCC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. There was a delicate status quo at work in Jerusalem, this outpost of the Roman Empire. Religious leaders made deals with the Roman conquerors keeping their own people in line in order maintain a fragile peace. They had to make compromises to avoid violent oppression. Who could blame them?

But not everyone was pleased with this arrangement. Jewish rebels, separatists, and insurrectionists wanted to overthrow the Roman government. These rabble rousers had to be nipped in the bud. Rome would come down hard on them but their own leaders tried to keep them in check too. Some regarded Jesus as a threat to this fragile detente, not because he advocated violent revolution, but because he was an ally of the poor and a critic of tyranny wherever he found it—among the Roman occupiers or the rigid authoritarianism of his own religion. 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?"

     Jesus 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.

    "This engraving—who does it look like? And whose name is on it?"

     They said, "Caesar."

     "Then give Caesar what is his, and give God what is God's."

     The 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. Jesus taught about human dignity, about how important people were in the eyes of God, even the poor. Especially the poor! He taught people to seek God's best for themselves. This would not have been bondage to Rome. The authorities regarded this teaching as dangerous.

Thus, the trick question. "Should we pay taxes to Caesar?" If he said, "No, Caesar is a tyrant," as they were pretty sure he would, the Roman soldiers would arrest him on the spot. If he said, "Yes," he would lose the confidence of the people who loved him and looked to him for courage and guidance. He couldn't win.

I like this story. We often think of Jesus as serious and concerned only with saintly things. We also imagine that he was brave to the point of being foolhardy—putting himself in danger constantly. This story shows Jesus as a trickster with a sense of humor; and a person who would just as soon stay out of trouble with the bullies, thank you very much.

What was his answer to that trick question? Remember the response? "Give to the state what belongs to the state. Give to God what is God's."

They couldn't arrest him for that, could they? Caesar's picture was on the coin, that meant the coin belonged to Caesar. But somehow, the crowd didn't turn on Jesus in disgust. Wasn't he saying they should support that evil government? Why didn't they regard him as a traitor to their cause? How do you suppose he got away with that answer?

I think I know why. The clue is found in a Psalm. "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. The world, and all who live in it." Many of them there that day would have been able to quote the psalm: “The earth is Lord’s and all that is in it. … ” Everything is God's! Nothing belongs to Caesar.

Not the earth, not their homeland. Not their bodies. Not their minds. Nothing belongs to Caesar. They belong only to God! We belong only to God! Give to God what bears God's image, which is nothing less than the whole of us. I can imagine the faithful Jew in that mob who would have caught on to that clever response. I hear him whispering “Touché” under his breath.

WHAT DOES THIS STORY HAVE TO DO WITH STEWARDSHIP
 Today we kick off our stewardship campaign. Today I give what one of my friends calls “The Sermon on the Amount.” But when we encourage ourselves to pledge to the church, we are talking only about part of our stewardship – the way we use our money.

CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP IS NOT FUND-RAISING, IT'S A WAY OF LIFE
 Christian stewardship is not fund-raising, it is a way of life, an expression of who we are. This story is 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 Facebook profile.

GIVING IN A FINANCIAL CRISIS
I remember launching a church stewardship campaign at the lowest point of the financial crisis in 2008. One of our Sunday school teachers was an editor of the Harvard Business Review. She knew a thing or two about finances. I asked her advice about how to encourage giving. She replied, "We need to say that the investments that we make here at the church never lose their value."

We heard a moving testimonial from Doug today and we will be hearing more from other members of the congregation about those investments—our commitments to caring for one another, our reaching out in solidarity to those in need, providing solace in worship, music, and prayer, a beautiful, sacred space in which the community can gather. We'll be hearing about feeding people body and soul and extending a welcome that knows no boundaries. And we’ll hear about teaching our children these values. We need to know that when we give, we're supporting something that is worthy.

EXAMPLES OF GOOD STEWARDS, GIVING FROM THE TOP
I remember a 100-year old saint. Depression era survivors she and her husband were 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 pledge was a priority.

Their kindness and generosity was a way of life. And then there were the young parents of two kids. A military family, they lived on Hanscom Air Force base. I was with them at a booth selling children’s religious books. They were discussing two books that they thought their daughters would love. Which one should we get? I jumped in. “Get them both!” “No,” Annie responded, “our budget only allows for one.” Later that year, I was to discover that this frugal family gave one of the five largest pledges to the church.

I have to say, that our 100 year-old lady and the young family were some of the most contented people I know. They did not find meaning in things but in joyful giving. To this day, their examples inspire me. And, I felt accountable to them. I wanted to make very sure that the church was worthy of their sacrifice.

 It is also very important to acknowledge that there are seasons in our lives when we are capable of giving lavishly and seasons when any pledge is a stretch. Stewardship is who we are: That’s where our “Body of Christ” image comes in again. We carry each other.

People in my generation with our children grown, our houses almost paid for, and some money in the bank, we can afford to pitch in a little more to cover for our brothers and sisters who are drowning in college loans. People bowed down with debt need to find a place at church where they are free from anxiety about money and held with respect no matter what their financial circumstances.

GIVE TO GOD WHAT IS GOD'S, NOTHING LESS THAN OUR WHOLE SELVES
 So, I’ve shared some inspiring stories about giving and not just money. Giving to God what is God's is how we express our personality in positive, life affirming directions.

Stewardship has been defined as “what we do with what we have all the time.” I could not, in good conscience, ask you to support the maintenance of this building, the salaries of the staff, and the programs of this church, if I hadn't already asked you to be faithful to Jesus Christ with what you have all the time.

I would not be able to muster much enthusiasm for any church if I did not believe that we are part of something awesome. What we hold here; the message of God's love and faithfulness is sustained by financial gifts yes, but it is utterly priceless.