Mark 13:24-37        Jesus said, “In those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.”

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

Reflection        “The sun will no more give its light by day, nor the moon its light by night,” because we,  the People of God, have refused to succumb to the subterfuge of darkness. We have decided to “Keep Awake” and be the revelation of God’s new light which is nothing less than a new way of being human. It is not about right belief. It is about right living. And right living is the fulfillment of our hope for Advent; extending peace, love and joy to all humanity. 

This Sunday begins the season of Advent. It is the beginning of the Christian liturgical year during which we wait expectantly for the promise of new light to manifest. The temptation is to look outside ourselves and point our fingers at the untold myriad signs of darkness. We screw up our eyes and wrinkle our foreheads straining to see a new sun or moon or star rise outside of us (will there be a miracle cure for COVID?). But all we see is darkness (the COVID numbers keep rising; physical, social, emotional and financial loss abound). The result, we shudder, shrink and close our eyes. And darkness grows ever darker as we are lured into torpidity (turning to drink, drugs or mindless distraction) until Jesus’ bidding, “Stay awake!”penetrates the night and turns our world inside out. 

It is the end of time as we have known it, but only if we “Keep Awake!” “For behold darkness covers the land; deep gloom enshrouds the people.”(Isaiah 60.2) Interesting how little has really changed during the past 2760 or so years since the prophet Isaiah spoke these words. Life continues to challenge us at every turn. We grow weary, worn down and desolate, turning against each other and ourselves. Until Jesus breaks into the scene and counsels, ‘When darkness sweeps over the earth and all that you have counted on to be reliable and true seems to be falling from the sky into the abyss, “Keep Awake,” for it is out of the midst of darkness that new light rises.’ 

‘Awakeness’ is the light that pierces the darkness. Which is why when dark is at its darkest and things seem beyond repair, we must keep awake to wield the sword of hope against agents of despair. When darkness surrounds us and lures us into sleep, there is every chance we will miss the experience of something new and good and true. And if we miss it, how will we share it? How will we pass on the revelation of God’s renewed light?

Unlike the secular New Year that arrives amidst gyrating crowds and explosive light displays, our New Year, our Advent season of hope is born on the quiet wings of peace, love and joy because the season of hope is born in our hearts. As the prophet Isaiah asserted, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.” (Isaiah 9.2) In other words, there is hope no matter how dark the times may seem.

The season of Advent, our new Church year, leads to the fulfillment of our ancient ancestors’ hope, hope that we know comes as God’s light born again each year in the incarnation of Jesus.  And, the season of Advent depends on us to “Keep Awake” because we can only be the continuing revelation of God’s light in the world if we “Keep Awake.” 

So, “Keep Awake.”  Rather than forward, delete the nasty social or political cartoon. Rather than judge the person who seeks refuge or assistance, offer food, drink and a place to sleep. Rather than talk about “those people,” ask someone who does not think or pray or vote like you to tell you their story, then listen. Rather than lament the way things are, talk about a blessing you experienced this week (if you are reading this you still have eyes to see!). Voilà - there you have it. The end of time as we have known it because you have  refused to succumb to the subterfuge of darkness. 

Happy New Year! 

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Gospel text for Sunday 22 November 2020

 

Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Reflection        Sheep or Goat? What do you get when you breed a sheep with a goat? According to wikipedia, a geep or a shoat, but this hybrid rarely survives birth because of the genetic difference between them. Which brings us back to the question, sheep or goat?

I can see myself as both. This week a woman I will call Lisa came to the church asking for assistance with her rent. She gave me the information needed to pay her landlord and I felt good that we could help her. But when she immediately asked me for a gas card, I felt miffed, partially at her but mostly at myself because I had given away the last three gas cards the week before and had not yet replenished the supply. Still, I invited her to come back to the church the next afternoon for a gas card and she left. As it turned out Lisa’s landlord would not accept the discretionary account credit card, only a cashier’s check. My feelings of benevolence were fast fading. Driving to the bank to procure a cashier’s check was rather like navigating the fields of outer darkness, where I was grinding my teeth and grumbling

By grace there was no line inside the bank. While a kind teller printed the check, the sheep Debra had a talk with the goat Debra. “So, you are feeling inconvenienced. Did not want to drive to the bank this morning. Certainly did not want to go to Frys to purchase gas cards. Hummm. Imagine how inconvenient it would be if you could not pay your rent or put gas in your car. Imagine how you would feel if you had to ask a stranger for help.” The teller returned and offered me a blessing, “There will be no fee for the certified check.” Smiling I left the bank and went to Frys and purchased gas cards.  Now the sun shone through the windshield as I drove back to church. Peace was restored to my soul and I experienced the joy of being blessed to be a blessing. Sheep or goat? There is no geep or shoat.

Earlier in Matthew’s gospel we listen to Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mountain (Matt 5.3-11) teaching the ethics of God’s kingdom. In summary, we the people of God are meant to be pure in heart, merciful and peacemakers. We are meant to offer comfort and care to the poor, the meek and the mourning, even at the expense of being misunderstood or persecuted. Jesus proceeds to interpret the Law of Moses in what we call the six antithesis (Matt 5.21-48). Jesus is saying. Moses’ law is good but it does not go far enough. Do not murder and do not even express hatred or malice. Do not be sexually immoral or break any commitments, be truthful and have integrity in all things.

Throughout Matthew’s text we receive instructions on how to live as Jewish Christians, not only in obedience to Jewish law but also in imitation of Jesus’ exemplary mercy. With today’s gospel text we arrive at the moment  of reckoning. How are we doing?  Matthew’s text is the only gospel that describes this disturbing judgment scene where we find ourselves directed to either the right or the left hand of God.

This I believe is the mystery and hope in the pericope. You see, whether we are sheep or goats we are still held in the hand of God because God is the shepherd. We all belong to God. But in order to fully participate in the joy of God’s kingdom we must not only receive God’s blessing, we must allow God’s blessing to flow through our hands. The way we do this is by following the Mosaic law and living in imitation of Jesus whose life and ministry is all about connecting and caring for all people, especially the marginalized. 

We are blessed to be a blessing. There really is no gray zone between  feeding the hungry, dropping off water for the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, giving clothes to the naked, caring for the sick and visiting the prisoner; in other words, being sheep. Or being goats and hesitating to hand the hungry five dollars, reluctant to leave water for the thirsty, turning away the stranger, shrinking from the naked, shirking the sick and shunning the prisoner. No geep, no shoat.

Every hour of every day we have the opportunity to choose how we live. Do we choose to live in accord with the ethics of God’s kingdom and experience the joy of God’s blessing right here, right now on earth? or do we choose to withhold comfort, care and connection and naturally experience the misery of being dismembered from God’s kingdom?  Every hour of every day we choose. Shall I be a goat or a sheep? Our choice determines our experience of being cursed or blessed.

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Gospel text for Sunday 15 November 2020

 Matthew 25:14-30        Jesus said, “It is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 

After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 

Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

Reflection        There was lots of head scratching and grimacing the first time a group of folks read through this text about the man who entrusted his property to three  slaves while he was on a journey.  A lot jumps off the page; slaves, investing, trading, fear of the harsh master, the very idea that “… to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” Folks were not happy and wondered,  “where is compassion or justice in this?” 

Reading the parable again we noticed the slaves who were given five and two talents respectively must have also known the master was a harsh man, still, they took the risk to invest their talents. But the third slave who had only one talent is paralyzed by fear of losing the little he has. Rather than taking a risk and using his talent, he hides it. What does this have to say about the nature of risk aversion and how we humans respond to uncertainty? 

None of the three slaves know when the master will return nor what will be the outcome if they invest their talents. Even though they were all exposed to this uncertainty, the first two slaves take the risk and invest all that they were given. The result; not only do they double their talents, but their benefactor welcomes them to “enter into the joy of their master.” By contrast, the risk averse third slave tries to lower the uncertainty of his situation by at least not losing what he already has (rather like putting our money under a mattress). This time the master’s response is disturbing, taking away is single talent. Is the slave not simply being prudent? It seems the master really is a harsh and unreasonable man.

Grumbling and dissatisfied, we read the text for a third time. Someone notes, the first and second slaves must have recognized the gifts that they were given and responded in kind by giving everything back to the master. Even though the master had no idea how much the two slaves gained while he was away, they held nothing back for themselves.” And the light bulbs began going off in the minds and hearts of the participants. By giving everything to the master, the two slaves “entered into the masters joy,” what I would call, the unimpeded flow of generosity. 

This teaching tale begins with the master’s generosity. The first two slaves respond openhandedly. They fully receive, invest and return the gift. But the third slave fails to recognize the gift of the talent freely given to him and so he clings to the little he has, burying the talent and effectively stopping the flow of generosity. Instead of being welcomed into the masters joy the third slave experiences the natural consequence of failing to trust the master’s generosity and essentially casts himself into “the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The master knows all about generosity as he freely admits being accustomed to “reaping where (he) did not sow, and gathering where (he) did not scatter seed…” In other words, he knows he does not depend upon himself for his prosperity, or profit. It is pure gift. So he opens his hand and generously continues the flow of wealth to the slaves. 

The question before us is this. Do we choose to trust that the generosity extended to us will continue through us or do we cling to the little we have and impede the God given flow of generosity?

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Hymn Text for Sunday 8 November 2020

How Great Thou Art

A Christian hymn based on a Swedish traditional melody and a poem written by 

Carl Boberg (1859–1940) in Sweden, in1885.  

O Lord, my God      

When I in awesome wonder

Consider all

The worlds Thy hands 

     have made

I see the stars

I hear the rolling thunder

Thy power throughout

The universe displayed

Then sings my soul

My saviour God, to Thee

How great Thou art

How great Thou art

When through the woods

And forest glades I wander

And hear the birds sing 

     sweetly in the trees

When I look down

From lofty mountain grandeur

And see the brook

And feel the gentle breeze

Then sings my soul

My saviour God, to Thee

How great Thou art

How great Thou art

Then sings my soul

My saviour God, to Thee

How great Thou art

How great Thou art

It is well

With my soul 

It is well

It is well with my soul

When Christ shall come

With shout of acclamation

And take me home

What joy shall fill my heart 

Then I shall bow

In humble adoration

And then proclaim

My God, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul

My saviour God, to Thee

How great Thou art

How great Thou art

Then sings my soul

My saviour God, to Thee

How great Thou art

How great Thou art

How great Thou art

How great Thou art

Reflection        O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder

consider all the worlds your hands have made.

In spite of being stunned by all the stars

astounded by the rolling thunder

confounded by your power

throughout the universe displayed

I wrestle with you. 

I grapple, grunt and battle over everything from my preference to indulge my introvert self, guilt for being a single mom and not remarrying, worry about our church surviving this Covid crisis, fear about the future of our country, mourning for the misery of many I see and cannot mend.  And at the end of every dark night of battle, I rise again in the company of angels at the place of awesome wonder, awakened in this world of sunrises and thunder, morning doves and all the multiverse displayed, and my soul sings

How awesome is this place. How awesome this moment. 

(Genesis 28.14)

“And it is well with my soul, it is well,” until I turn on the radio and hear voices bound to send me to dust off my red cap or put on my blue shirt, add my tongue to the trouble and my temper to the tumult that is taring our country apart. And the dark night of wrestling begins again. “Oh God, are you not paying attention? Do you not see what we are doing to ourselves and to each other? Make the bad guys stop. Let the good guys prevail.”

Last week we remembered to wear our white robes as sure and certain signs of who and whose we are, people blessed and meant to be a blessing. This week we must strip down further and return to our bare naked selves; innocent, vulnerable and free as the day that we were born, free to be born again 

as through the woods and forest glades we wander 

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees…

And our souls sing,  How awesome is this place! How awesome this moment.

If we are truly followers of Jesus, we rise again every single morning, savor the beauty and grandeur of the world, handle the twists and tangles of creation, and choose over and over and over again to align our lives in God’s desire for our holiness.

Which means, if our candidate for president loses, we choose a holy way to grieve, respond and move on. If our candidate wins, we choose a holy way to celebrate, respond and move on. In either case, we honor our feelings, wake up in the morning in the company of angels and we all bow down in humble adoration

And then proclaim

My God, how great Thou art!

After a long, dark night of grappling, grunting and battling over everything from proper protocol in the face of Covid-19, the role of media information and disinformation, what is truth? who gets to decide? to -  who will be the next president of the United States, we, the people of God, rise again together at the place of awesome wonder, waking up in this world of sunrises and thunder, morning doves and all the multiverse displayed, Then our souls shall sing together

My saviour God, to Thee

How great Thou art

How great Thou art.

Gospel text for All Saints Day, Sunday 1 November 2020

Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Reflection        From his perch atop the mountain at first glance Jesus likely sees a motley crew of dusty peasants weeping, laughing, starving, napping, gnashing their teeth, being still. That is what he sees with his eyes. With his mind he recognizes Jews and Gentiles, tax collectors and soldiers, religious officials and lepers, friends and enemies and who knows what else. With his heart, yes, with the eyes of his heart, Jesus sees people in need of blessing. Regardless of their physical, emotional, social, political or religious condition, Jesus sees crowds of people in need of blessing.

And so Jesus begins his first sermon with “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” It has taken me years to arrive at what I believe Jesus means when he refers to the poor in spirit. I believe the poor in spirit are those of us who know that we are in need of blessing. Who among us does not need blessing? Yet, who among us  leaps up, waves our arms and shouts, “Over here. Look at me. I am poor in spirit. I need your blessing.” Honestly, I have never uttered those words, but I should.

Who among us does not need blessing? Who among us does not suffer anguish, grief and lament? Who among us does not submit, defer or yield? Who among us does not desire goodness, respect and justice? Who among us does not long for kindness, compassion, generosity and peace? Who among us does not feel misjudged or persecuted? Who among us does not need blessing?

Of course, that brings us to the other side of the equation. Who among us is not a source of blessing?   Who among us does not reach out to comfort those who suffer and grieve? Who among us does not ache for the oppressed and seek to dignify all people? Who among us does not act with kindness, compassion and generosity? Who among us is not meant to be a source of blessing?

Sunday we celebrate All Saints Day and just in case you are wondering, “Who are the saints?” the answer is, the saints are ordinary people, you and me, regular folk who follow Jesus’ example and use all three kinds of vision to perceive the need for blessing. We see our neighbor's physical condition with our eyes, we recognize our neighbor's social, political and religious situation with our minds, and we perceive our neighbor’s need for blessing with our hearts. 

When we open our eyes, our minds and our hearts to see by this threefold vision, we are transformed.  Like the great multitude of people from every tribe and nation in the visionary Revelation to John, we join the ranks of people who,  having come out of the ‘great ordeal’ replace our blue shirts and red hats with white robes, then ever so humbly fall to our knees, praising and worshipping God day and night. We are the company of saints wrapped in our white robes.

White is the liturgical color associated with purity, completeness and light. It is the color in which we wrap our holiest moments; new life at Christmas, baptism and the promise of renewed life at Easter, and the pall we drape on a casket at the completion of our life. As people of God we find our identity and mark the passage of our journey wrapped in white robes, the outward and visible sign of the interior light of Christ with us.

When we imitate Jesus’ threefold vision we see our neighbors physical and emotional condition, we recognize their social, political and religious situation and we perceive their need for blessing. And we do not stop there. As was Jesus, so are we, moved to offer blessing upon blessing to all the crowds of people because everyone needs to be blessed and we are all blessed to be a blessing. 

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Hebrew Testament text for Sunday 26 October 2020

 Leviticus 19:1-2,15-18

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

Reflection        Tuesday afternoon I watched as University of Arizona researcher Dante Lauretta’s audacious dream born in 2011 came true. Nine years, 1.16 billion dollars and the devoted collaboration of thousands of individuals kissed the asteroid Bennu with the Osiris Rex spacecraft 200 million miles away from Tucson, Arizona precisely on a spot the size of a couple of parking spaces. When the spacecraft touched down for a mere few moments and grabbed a sample of what might be the original grit of creation,  the ground crews eyes teared above their masked mouths as they pumped their arms and shouted celebration with a singular voice. “We did it. We did it!”  Sometimes this is exactly what we humans need to be set on fire and inspired to be more that we ever imagined; a dream, a big, audacious, adventurous, impossible dream.

Which makes me wonder if this is what God has in mind when compelling   Moses to deliver an even more audacious call to all of humanity, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” Please pause and chew on these words, swallow them, let them have their way with you. “You shall be holy.” There is no equivocation, You SHALL be holy. You MUST be holy. Now let me be clear, the injunction to holiness is not limited to a few special people called to holy orders or set aside for religious life. The you of “you shall be holy” refers to “all the congregation of Israel.” This second person point of view belongs to all the people being addressed, whoever hears these words. Today, this is you. YOU shall be holy. You MUST be holy.

We cannot escape it. We are created in the image and likeness of God. We are meant to be a holy people, people whose lives individually and collectively are conformed to God’s audacious call to to be holy. 

You may well argue, does not God make it patently clear that God is God and we are not? Surely our righteous ancestor Job, with whom neither the devil nor God could find fault, was quaking on his ash heap as God bellows out of the whirlwind to Job’s sick and suffering soul.

⁷ ‘Gird up your loins like a man;

   I will question you, and you declare to me. 

⁸ Will you even put me in the wrong?

   Will you condemn me that you may be justified? 

⁹ Have you an arm like God,

   and can you thunder with a voice like his? 

  ^…

‘Can you draw out Leviathan with a fish-hook,

   or press down its tongue with a cord?” (Job 40.7-9, 41.1)

Hearing that would be daunting but I say, acknowledging the distance between God and us is rather like reckoning the 200 million miles between the University of Arizona space lab and the asteroid Bennu. By daring to seek the unreachable, unspeakable fulfillment comes near. 

We are called to the audacious dream of holiness and just in case we get bogged down in details or derailed by arguments of what is just, lawful, merciful or true, our text from Leviticus graciously concludes with a succinct summary statement. “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”  In other words, to be holy as God is holy we are not to hate one another, not to hold grudges, but to act with mercy and love toward one another. 

We answer God’s call to live holy lives by treating the aged, the infirm and the poor with care and consideration. We speak truth and do not profit at the expense of others. We do not nurture resentment or seek retaliation. Rather, we show thoughtfulness, grant forgiveness and volunteer hospitality, even, and perhaps especially to those whom we believe occupy space 200 million miles away from us.

God compels Moses to deliver an audacious call to all of humanity, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” Although the dream of holiness may seem to be 200 millions miles beyond our reach, being made in the image and likeness of God,  nothing is  impossible for us when we direct our hearts and minds, our actions and resources to make God’s dream come true together. If we can kiss an asteroid 200 million miles away, surely we can be kind to our neighbors. 

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Gospel text for Sunday 18 October 2020

Matthew 22:15-22        The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

Reflection

Are you Republican or Democrat? I say, “Yes.”

Are you pro choice or pro life? I say, “Yes.”

Are you capitalist or environmentalist? I say, “Yes.”

I experience these as forced choice questions, questions designed to assign me to a particular category or group, questions aligned with a narrowly defined set of values or ideology, questions meant to make me smaller and separate me from you. I do not want to bite. 

Do you want drinkable water and breathable air or freedom from government over reach? What answer could we possibly have but, “Yes?”

Using forced choice questions to distract, divide and entrap people is nothing new. This is what we witness in our gospel text as the Jewish religious officials, the Pharisees, along with the men who profit by collecting taxes for the Romans, the Herodians, try to entrap Jesus with their question, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?”

The first thing to remember is, the Pharisees and the Herodians are opposing groups. The Pharisees enforce strict worship of God in prayer and study of the Jewish law. The Herodians support the monarchy of Herod who is the source of their livelihood. Together they are trying to force Jesus to choose sides. If Jesus protests against paying taxes to Rome, the Herodians will quickly accuse him of treason and inciting the people to rebel against Roman authority. If Jesus supports paying taxes to Rome he will be counseling the Jews to use idolatrous coins  that not only sport Caesar’s image but also the inscription, “Tiberius Caesar, Augustus, son of divine Augustus.” Jewish law definitively prohibits the use of such idolatrous objects. Furthermore, Jesus’ followers who are suffering beneath the burden of excessive taxes will feel betrayed. 

We have all been there, caught between a train and a platform. Are you for profitable business or are you for healthcare? Are you for free speech or for civil discourse? Are you for free enterprise or environmental regulation? Whenever we are faced with these forced choice questions our antennae need to rise and we must become wise, wise as Jesus, and refuse to be distracted, divided and entrapped. Refuse to bite.

Let us with wisdom look at a contemporary example of a forced choice question intended by each party to entrap and incriminate the opposition. Are you for environmentalism or capitalism? How do we begin to wisely engage this question? Wisdom begins by asking, what are the fundamental values and downsides of each? Please pardon this simplified description.

Capitalism affirms peoples rights to private ownership (many of us own our home and car). Capitalism maintains our freedom to use our resources for profit (invest our money), and privileges individual rights (to own property including guns and to have custody over our bodies). Overall, capitalism has led the U.S. to great economic success. 

Environmentalism values protection and conservation of natural resources (many of us are mindful of our use of power and water). Environmentalism privileges the common good (we care about our neighbors and our planet). Environmentalism has protected public lands and provided national parks and seashores available for all to enjoy. 

A downside of environmentalism is that action aimed for the common good can impinge on individual rights eg to do fracking on my privately owned land.  A downside of capitalism is private ownership of resources does not incentivize action aimed at the common good, eg manufacturing practices tend to privilege profit over the side effects of contaminants on the shared resources of earth and air. 

So let me ask again, Are you for capitalism or environmentalism? If we are honest with our selves what can we say but, “Yes?” What then shall we do?

As people of faith I believe we must refuse to be distracted, divided and entrapped. Distracted by the high emotion with which each group spins their story, divided by shrinking ourselves to fit into a singular category or group, entrapped by political ideologues, who, like the Pharisees and Herodians are bent on winning by getting us to shrink into their side. We must not bite.

As people of faith we affirm that all of creation is good, including the earth and all that dwells in and on and around her, so, we are environmentalists. As people of faith we affirm that from the beginning human beings are very good with the right to freedom and fullness of life, so, we are also capitalists. Therefore, the question is not, “Are you for capitalism or environmentalism?” The question is, “How do we embody our value for both the individual and the collective, for personal agency and the common good?” 

Is it fair to appropriate Jesus’ words and say, “Give therefore to the individual the things that are the individuals, and to collective the things that are the collectives?” 

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