Denarius

This is my second to last sermon preached at Living Waters as intern, with Reformation Sunday a week away, I wanted to mention the anniversary.

1st Lesson: Exodus 33:12-23
2nd Lesson: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Gospel: Matthew 22:15-22

Grace and Peace to you, from God our Loving Creator, Savior and Spirit, Amen

Moses and the Israelites had been wandering in the desert after escaping from Egypt. Time and time again, the Israelites complain about not having enough, whatever… and then Moses finds a way to fix their troubles. Moses feels like he fixes the troubles so much, that he might start to wonder where God fits into all of this. The Israelites start to wonder where God fits into all of this. For a while now, Moses seemed to be the one in charge. Moses seemed to the people that Moses had this thing figured out. And after a while… Moses felt kinda lonely. Wandering in the wilderness all that time, leading these people that wouldn’t stop complaining… Moses might have felt a little overwhelmed. Moses casually reminds God of God’s promise to shepherd God’s people. So he asks this God a question, and by wayward reply, God said that Moses doesn’t have anything to worry about. God’s got this. Not only does God got this, but God will remember the Israelites because they are God’s people, God has named them, and they are known by that name.

God knows the people by name, and tells Moses that there is nothing to worry about because God will watch over God’s people. In the narrative of Exodus, this happens right before God gives God’s people the ten commandments, where God lays down some important guidelines as to how God’s people should interact in the world. And for anyone who has watched New Wine’s X Project, you know that the ten commandments are all about respect - and showing respect to one another, as God’s people.

Fast forward to Jesus’ time, where in today’s Gospel, Jesus is still in the temple in Jerusalem. In the scope of our time in church, over the last few weeks, Jesus has been telling parables in the temple, after he came bursting in and flipping tables. Parable after parable, the Pharisees might have been tired of all the parables, so they asked Jesus a question. Trying to trap him, they ask if it’s lawful for the Jewish people, the descendants of the Israelites, to pay taxes to the Emperor. What would this teacher, this rabbi say? The first commandment is that people shouldn’t have any other gods before God, much less the Emperor. Why should the Jewish people pay taxes to another power other than God? Another power, by the way, that was also looked at as divine? So as the 5th graders learned last time in their lesson, the Pharisees were the leaders who thought they were the best at keeping all the laws, your run-of-the-mill holier-than-thou types. These folks were asking Jesus, a teacher of the law, a rabbi, if it was right for the Jewish people to pay taxes to another form of power.

Jesus, knowing better - takes the coin, looks at it and asks them right back - who’s head is on the coin? What power does this person have? The emperor? Then give to the emperor what is the emperor’s and give to God what is God’s. Give to the world what is the world’s, and give to God what is God’s.

Beaten at their own game, hoisted on their own petard, they walk away amazed.

Fast forward again to the apostle Paul, as he’s writing his first letter to the Thessalonians. He tells the early Christians there, that they too are God’s people. Paul writes, “For we know, [siblings] beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.” (1 Thess. 1:4-5)

That means that you and I, Christians baptized in the living waters of baptism, where we too were called and named beloved children of God, are God’s people. Jesus tells the Pharisees, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21b)

You are God’s beloved children. We are God’s beloved children. You are God’s things. All of us are God’s beloved things. Give to the world that which is the world’s, and give to God what is God’s.

In a week, we will remember the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. I even hear that Martin Luther himself will be here for the first service to tell us all about it. One of Martin Luther’s achievements, besides the 95 Theses and the “Here I stand, I can do no other”, and the translating of the bible and the printing of the bible in the people’s words and writing a whole bunch of other works… One of his achievements was developing the Small Catechism. Luther wanted people to know their faith, and to be able to teach their faith to each other. So, he developed the Small Catechism for people to teach their children in the home, the basics of the Christian faith. So, he included the ten commandments, the Apostle’s Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, explanations of the sacraments and confession, and other blessings and prayers.

Along with the Lord’s Prayer and Apostle’s Creed, Luther included explanations for each of the parts of the Lord’s Prayer and Creed. The words he asked to introduce the explanations, were “What is this?” or “What does this mean?”.

So too, Jesus asks the Pharisees, “What is this?” What does this mean for the emperor to be on a coin, and taxes are paid with these coins? What is this? What is this response that Jesus has, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”? (Matthew 22:21b)

The presence of God is a holy and important piece of our lives as Christians. Putting God in the proper place in our lives is a difficult endeavor, but we have the Holy Spirit to be our Advocate. We are God’s beloved people, and as Martin Luther affirms in the Small Catechism, after explaining the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer, “What is this? It is true that God’s name is holy in itself, but we ask in this prayer that it may also become holy in and among us. How does this come about? Whenever the word of God is taught clearly and purely and we, as God’s children, also live holy lives according to it.” (Small Catechism, the Lord’s Prayer)

All of us were created in God’s image, all that we have is from God, and all that we are, is of God. But what does the world demand of us? What is this? The Pharisees ask Jesus about paying taxes, and Jesus says use the emperor’s coins for paying the emperor. Use the rest of our identity, for God’s benefit.

So, we call that stewardship. We pay what we do for what the world demands of us, to pay for the roads, libraries, post offices, services, defense, education, and administration, and a whole bunch of other stuff… we pay the country and state with what the country and state provide for us, and we give to God that which is God’s. In our traditional offertory prayer, we say the words, “we offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us - ourselves, our time and our possessions, signs of your gracious love.” Remember those words? We use our time as stewards of God’s good gifts, to serve one another.

For instance, there's a link on the church's website where people have the opportunity to volunteer for spaces of the worship services where we need help. Things like ushering, communion help, and so on. As members of the body of Christ, coming together to worship God, forming community, expressing our faith - we form an identity as members of Living Waters Lutheran Church in Sauk Rapids, MN. We serve God and each other by giving of ourselves, that which is God’s. Ourselves, our time and our possessions. Coming together to worship takes a combined effort of many people, and as a community, we can take ownership of this community by contributing whatever we can, whether it is our time, or our talents, or our monetary offerings.

That’s one of the gifts of the Reformation - placing the power of the congregation in the hands of those who congregate, more than the ones in charge. We have power as a community to serve one another and God, by giving to God that which is God’s.

 But people may be hesitant to give of ourselves for the betterment of God and God’s children. We may be much like Moses in the desert, wandering around, being in charge of our own lives but wondering where God fits into all of this. Then God reminds us, and reminds us Christians through the sending of God’s son, Jesus the Christ - that God’s got this. God sent Jesus into the world to live among humanity, to teach, to love, to serve, to die, and to rise again. Through the unwinnable and unshakable Grace of God, we are saved from our sins, and called and named in our baptism to live in the freedom of that Grace. We are called to serve one another by giving to God and God’s children that which God has provided for us - ourselves, our time, and our possessions.

When the world demands so much of us, when we are called away to devote everything else to the world, we lose sight of God and God’s promise that God will always be with us. We become Moses wandering, and wondering where God is in all of this. When our song says peace, and the world says war, when our song says grace, and the world says law, when our song says hope, and the world says shame, or fear, or pain… We have God despite the world. When our song says God, and the world says more, we have God despite the world.

Give to the emperor, that which is the emperor’s. Give to God, that which is God’s.

Amen.

Seasons

This is my second to last sermon at Lutheran Church of Christ the Redeemer, preaching a special set of texts based on Luther's Priesthood of All Believers.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-14
1 Peter 2:1-5, 9-10

Grace and Peace to you from God our Loving Creator, Redeemer and Spirit. Amen

For everything, there is a season. Turn, Turn, Turn. (I started the last sermon with a song, I might as well keep up the pattern, right?) A time to be born, a time to die, A time to plant, a time to reap, A time to kill, a time to heal, A time to laugh, a time to weep… Turn, Turn, Turn...

The writer of Ecclesiastes had some thoughts to go through. These words from Ecclesiastes 3 were popular already, then further popularized by the Byrds. But the author of Ecclesiastes also wrote the words in the second verse of the book, “Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” The author was likely at a time in their life when reflection was always around them. All they had was time, and so they wrote these thoughts down. In the autumn of their life, both good and bad and the dichotomies between them, seemed apparent.

The author had thoughts, and wrote them down. They never directly identify themselves, but some scholars believe the book was written by King Solomon. But whoever it was, they had purpose in their life, and then maybe toward the end of their life, they saw that purpose slipping away.

We could read this text out of Ecclesiastes as a reflection of our own lives, a simple matter-of-fact way of looking at life. But then he clinches it up there in the last line of that thought. “I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done this, so that all should stand in awe before God. That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by.” (Ecclesiastes 3:14-15)

Whatever we do, whatever has been done, whatever will be done - has been done by God. That what we do in life, is done with God, always ever present with us.

Martin Luther, the man we remember and the reformation we recognize in our celebration over the weekend - saw this presence of God in how he saw our own ministry as God’s people. As baptized members of the body of Christ, by God’s authority, we are called by God to God’s people to serve one another, in whatever function that is. The reality that is known as the Priesthood of All Believers, is this idea that all of us are ministers of the same Gospel, that all of us have been called through our baptism, through the calling and naming in the waters of baptism - that we look upon each other as God looks upon us - as God’s beloved.

We are called and named through our baptism to serve one another throughout the seasons of our life. As the author of 1 Peter points out - “like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5)

And like actual stones, we are individual, we are unique. The seasons of life that form us as children of God are like the seasons of time forming and shaping rock. As much as time shapes us, and time shapes stones - so also does water. Water is one of the building blocks of life, the element that we are washed in and shaped by in our baptisms, as it washes and shapes stones. And when we come together, as shaped and washed living stones, and we form a community - so also we form a spiritual house, a dwelling place, a church. Individual and unique stones are formed together, gathered together to literally form a home, and as much as stones are required to build a building, individual members are formed together to become church, to fill one with the other.

The outside of this sanctuary is covered in stones, placed upon each other, to form walls that give structure. Our worshipping community, our church gives structure to each other, so that individual people, individual living stones don’t fall through the cracks.

Who are we as people? As a community? Like the living stones that we are, and the water that shapes us, we find ourselves in the land of water. The word, ‘Minneapolis’ is a combination of the Dakota word for water, and the Greek word for city, or collection of people. We are literally in the city of water. Minneapolis, or more precisely Fort Snelling is where the body of water our state hails its name from, the river of sky-tinted water - and the Mississippi, one of the longest rivers in the world. The two rivers were shaped by melting glaciers, with the Minnesota River pouring out of Big Stone Lake in western Minnesota, not too far from where I grew up. The glaciers themselves were giant frozen chunks of water, that carved their way through Minnesota, forming and shaping the landscape of the state we live in. And then they melted, formed a body of water known as Lake Agassiz, that over time shifted, but eventually drained into the bodies of water that contribute to the immense amount of lakes in this state.

Water shapes and forms us, and shaped and formed the land we live in. Water too, connects us. Again, water is an essential building block to life, so we as human beings are connected to every living creature on the planet through the water we need to survive. So also are we connected to every member of the body of Christ, through the waters of our baptism.

According to the idea of the Priesthood of All Believers, we are all ministers to each other, able to carry on the message of the Gospel, stewards of God’s grace, and called by God for a vocation in life. With this vocation, we are called and named through our baptism to go out into the world to make it a better place for us all, bestowing God’s Grace, Love and Mercy to the rest of the world, in the name of Christ, the One who sends us.

To everything, (turn, turn, turn…)  there is a season. (Turn, turn, turn.) A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together… “Like living stones” the epistle says, we are gathered together under the name of Christ, to minister to each other, through the waters of baptism that form and shape us. As Christians, we believe and proclaim that this Christ, the man who gathered people together, and taught and fed and healed and served them, and then was killed by them. Jesus the Christ, the savior of us all lives among us and gathered us living stones, and calls us all to live among each other - to in turn serve one another for the benefit of us all.

In this land of sky-tinted water, in the city of water, we can come together to help our neighbors in Puerto Rico, and in California and Texas and Florida, and even with the President of the Virgin Islands as our leader, we can hopefully come together to help heal from the damage of the many disasters they have faced. Because even if the President of the Virgin Islands doesn’t think we’re all connected under the same flag, maybe he can remember that through the waters of our baptism, we are all connected to each other as it is anyway.

… And a time to every purpose, under heaven.

Amen.

Authority

This is my third-to-last sermon at Lutheran Church of Christ the Redeemer, preached on 9/30 and 10/1/17.

Gospel: Matthew 21:23-32

Grace and Peace to you from God, our Creator, Savior and Spirit, Amen

“I fight authority, authority always wins… I fight authority, authority always wins… I’ve been doing it since I was a young kid, I’ve come out grinnin’... I fight authority and authority always wins” And so go the words to the 80’s song aptly named, “Authority Song” by John Mellencamp.

I was barely around in the 80’s, to the point that I was younger than Bridget is now, when the epic decade of the 90’s began. Yes, I’m that young. And to that point, I am as young as some of you were when your generation was fighting authority. It must be something about being in your 20s and 30s… 

I’ve been watching the Ken Burns and Lynn Novick documentary, The Vietnam War on PBS. Actually, it’s been on the PBS App with my Chromecast, but you know… I am a Millennial. Talk about generations fighting authority… A man once told me that if someone remembers the 60s - then they weren’t really living it.

It’s good to be watching it now, I never learned much about the war or much around the state of the world during that time period. It’s this time in our nation when those of us who weren’t around then can look at it and say… “what were we thinking?!” But then look at the current world around us and say again… “what are we thinking??!”

I’m pretty sure this documentary series has been in the making for many years, but I almost wonder at how serendipitous it is for the series to be shown in this climate. A president put into office in extraordinary circumstances, who listens to all the wrong voices and then begins to only listen to his own voice… Who disregards actual poll numbers, with a changing of the staff, who swears and says inappropriate things off the cuff… Aaaand, the comparisons between presidents can stop there. But the climate - political unrest, seemingly divided beyond any measure, chaos in the streets, protests everywhere, endless wars both foreign and domestic… Increased militarization, racial tension, even a fight for voting rights and continued conversation about modern segregation and modern slavery… You wanna talk about authority… what authority?

What authority did Jesus have? The chief priests of the temple were asking Jesus how he could do and say the things he did. Did they come from God? Or was John the Baptizer just full of himself? What gave Jesus the right to barge into their reality and start messing things up? Taking a stand against their injustice, whether intentionally or not. What gave Jesus the right? He should feel privileged enough just to stand in a temple, to be in Jerusalem - let alone preach in the streets… let alone question their own authority… Jesus could heal and feed people in his own time, in the private spaces of their homes. He didn’t have to do it in front of people. He didn’t have to inspire others to… Go and do likewise… What gave Jesus the right?

What gave Jesus the right -  to proclaim to the world that the way the Empire was doing things, how the authority of the land was actually no authority at all - and this would soon get him killed - that the only authority that anyone should observe is God’s authority.

This congregation held their own authority when you decided to call an openly lesbian pastor seven years before you’d actually be able to. When you decided to open your doors to the Togolese people, when you decided to donate your time and resources to community efforts to quell homelessness. When you decided to open your doors and hearts to a Transgender intern and their family, and many other openly queer leaders along the way… As a congregation, you fight against other authorities and hold your own authority. What gives you the right? What gives you the right to say that these out-of-the-ordinary realities are an integral part of this congregation’s vitality? On whose authority are you able to do this?

Whose authority? God’s authority. Lutheran Church of Christ the Redeemer is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You are part of the largest Lutheran denomination in the country. You celebrate the memory and teach the teachings of a law-school dropout, who nearly 500 years ago questioned the Pope’s authority. And with it began the revolution that propelled many reformers to re-form the Church, throughout those 500 years. So many bold and powerful leaders to stand up and say in a loud voice, we are part of God’s Church, and you are all Saved by Grace through Faith.

The Gospel of Matthew isn’t really the Gospel where Jesus steps over all the authority, for that Gospel you’ll have to wait until Mark starts in Advent. But Matthew says enough. Earlier this week, I was in Okoboji, Iowa for the Southwest Minnesota Synod’s Fall Theological Conference. Also known as a few days where most of the pastors of the ELCA’s southwestern Minnesota congregations - gather for fellowship, learning, and maybe even some rest. Our first speaker was Dr. Karoline Lewis of Luther Seminary - my preaching professor once upon a time. Dr. Lewis talked about the differences in the Gospels, why the Gospel of John was her favorite, and when a text comes up in the lectionary - you have the authority to preach it. The measure of a “good” sermon for her - isn’t necessarily on how it sounds to people - but how faithful it is to the text and God’s message. That even when some texts appear in the lectionary that might be hard to preach on - that we as preachers have the authority to preach on it.

That was a good reminder for me, because I fear that I may not have the authority to tell anyone to do anything… Or suggest or implore or… what authority do I have? Many people my age, my generation of Millennials - may talk about upending authority, may even get something accomplished on that front - but when it comes down to it… Some of us feel like we don’t have our own authority. Who are we to talk to someone like this? To stand in front of you and proclaim the Gospel? To stand at someone’s bedside or baptize a child or offer forgiveness or preside over communion or even officiate at weddings… The inability to imagine ourselves as people of authority… is something called “Imposter Syndrome” - and it’s real.

When I first started in ministry, I had no idea what I was doing. I had the possibility of having some type of authority, and I didn’t know how to wield it, or even if it was truly there. And I struggled with that for many years. I still struggle with it. Who am I to be doing this?

And then I go back to the thought of generations questioning authority, and maybe we all do at some point… Maybe we all ask ourselves, why am I doing this? And maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe we all need a little check-in, to give us a little humility. Maybe that’s our midwestern humility, the “Minnesota Nice-ness” of us.

Because in the end, we know that many decisions just aren’t up to us. Many realities, many questions in our head about what goes where, who goes where, why things happen the way they do, why one-in-a-million possibilities happen at the wrong time to the wrong people… Aren’t up to anybody. Maybe there are realities that even God has no control over.

Jesus was being questioned as to who gave Jesus the right to do the things he did, say the things he did… and he gave a parable that is one of those head-scratchers… but ultimately knowing that if anybody had authority, it was God.

So when a nation upends over who should protest the country and who can’t, and why they can’t and how they can’t and where they can’t… When the country looks for a moral authority and that authority isn’t the one in charge… When landscapes are destroyed and help is hard to come by… Where is the authority?

Perhaps when we feel distraught, upended in our own lives, we just need a retreat of our own, even if it’s in our minds. Prayer is good for that. Prayer is there to help calm our minds when all else is failing, when our own authority is in question… We have to remember, and hold on to the promise that God’s got this, that God is the authority, that we are all saved from our own doubts, pain and sorrow by the one who overcame death and darkness for the life and light for us all.

Because John Mellencamp might have been right - when you fight authority, God’s authority - always wins.

Amen