Oct 18

Grace and peace ...

I cannot tell you

how thrilled I am

that today's Bible texts

talk about politics.

because we have not had enough

conversation about politics yet

have we?

of course I'm kidding

i don't know about you

but I have had it up to here with politics

political spin

and this scene of people

coming up to try to trick Jesus

which with what is essentially a political question

is something that makes me

want to find some other chapter

in the Bible

and go preach it

because we have seen too much of this sort of baiting

I think

and to make matters worse

if you look

at the the text from Isaiah

this is a Bible text that--oh---a handful of years ago

when I was concerned about christian support

for a politician whose name will go un mentioned

I'm not gonna say who

but let's just say

that this politician

had some moral faillings

and when I went on the hunt to Christians

to who would explain

why in the world they were supporting

this politician

this is the tax

that they would use

essentially the reference to king Cyrus

is to that of a pagan king through whom

God is depicted as working in the world

and essentially the message was

we agree - this politician might be immoral

but we still see God doing work through this politician

so - pay taxes to Caesar

God working through immoral politicians

and politics

I can't imagine

that there's anything to preach on today

so i'm being facetious

it's just I don't wanna

I really don't wanna

yet - here we are

we are now in the process

of a very sacred democratic duty

i’m happy to tell you - my vote is cast

and it’s recreipt has been verified

the one thing

that I want to see about both of these texts

is there not one to one equivalence

another words

just because a politician is immoral

that does not make that politician Cyrus

it does not -- in and of itself - prove

that God working through them

now in all fairness...

it also doesn't mean that

that's the first point

the second point

is that in the case of the gospel

the leader of the government

we're talking about

is it it's a very different situation

than the one that we live in today

Jesus is asked do we pay taxes

to Caesar or not

and he does a very interesting thing in this text

it's easy to miss

he asked for the coin

that used to pay the tax

he doesn't have it but others do they bring it to him

an indication that they are prepared to pay that tax

they've done what it takes

in terms of buying and exchanging

in order to pay it

they have bought in to the world

jesus essentially says

to the extent that you bought into that world

give it back

go ahead and pay the tax

because it Caesar's

but give to God

what is Gods

people of God you are citizens of this land

we have blessedly bought into citizenship in our country

and it's a good thing we have

it's a blessed thing we have

in this time in which we gather together

as the people of God

it is very good and righteous and holy for us

to spend a little time

thinking about what are the rights and responsibilities

of that

so I bring them to you

courtesy of the department of immigration and naturalization

which simply says

that citizens have these benefits:

Freedom to express yourself.

Freedom to worship as you wish.

Right to a prompt, fair trial by jury.

Right to vote in elections for public officials.

Right to apply for federal employment requiring U.S. citizenship.

Right to run for elected office.

Freedom to pursue “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

and others...

WITH THESE RIGHTS WE ARE ALSO AFFORDED CERTAIN RESPONSIBILITIES....

Support and defend the Constitution.

Stay informed of the issues affecting your community.

Participate in the democratic process.

Respect and obey federal, state, and local laws.

Respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others.

Participate in your local community.

Pay income and other taxes honestly, and on time, to federal, state, and local authorities.

Serve on a jury when called upon.

Defend the country if the need should arise.

my only task here today

it's a simple one

and it is to remind you

that this is not your only citizenship

you have a dual citizenship if you are baptized

in Philippians chapter three we read but our citizenship is in heaven

and it is from there

that we should be expecting a savior

the lord Jesus Christ or in the book of Hebrews

for here we have no lasting city

OK

back then many of them thought of themselves more as citizens of cities

than countries

we don't have a lasting citizenship here

the writer is saying

but we are looking for the city to come

that is where our deepest and most profound citizenship arises and why do I say that that's important for us to think about because one of the truths about God's kingdom

unlike

unlike our citizens here ship here which seems so loftis is divided into Palapa

into party

and into petty politics

there is no division in gods kingdom

in the early church

one of the greatest divides

was between the Gentiles

and the Jewish Christians

Jews who embraced jesus as the Messiah

it was a big struggle

and there were the beginnings of parties

that were forming within the church and that day

lobbying for their particular position

and to that

to that

the writer of the book of ephesians says so then you are no longer strangers and aliens

but you are citizens with the Saints

and also members of the household of God

it is one household

we know that well here at Lord of life

because it's good to be family

and we know it

and if ever there is an important time

for us to connect with his church

ironically

it's a time and we're in a time when it is feeling harder and harder to connect with each other

but you know even even when we are distant

we are family

great even when we're separated

we're family

even when all we've got

is the little box on the screen

we are family

and the thing I want to remind you on this day

as we go

and vote and do our sacred duty

is that we are one family

we may have very different opinions within us

but we are one family

citizens of one heavenly kingdom

and let let us never ever forget that

amen