I AM... The Champion!

Matthew 22:15-22

The Question about Paying Taxes

 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him 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

As humans we take things and put our stamp on them. We take things and make them our own by our image or perhaps by our signature. We take things and claim them as our accomplishment. We win trophies and get certificates and claim credit for our mental, physical or maybe even shear work ethic and claim it as our own accomplishment.

When I think of what Jesus said in this passage about giving to the emperor the things that are the emperor's and the things that are God's to God; I can't help but to realize that none of it belongs to the emperor or to myself or to anyone else. We fool ourselves into thinking that what we have done is a result of how great we are. Win the race... was it due to God or to me? Get rich... was it due to my hard work or a result of what skills God has given me. Win the championship game... should I point skyward and then take the cheers for myself?

In this passage of Scripture, I hear God's call to clarify to myself that what I do and say and act, in the end, has no justification for God's loving act of sending Jesus into this world to save me and all people from sin, death and the devil. I cannot take, or even stake claim, through my own efforts, for a righteous judgment of God through my actions.

All I have is a gift from God... I owe it all to God to respond in love and joy to the gift God has chosen to give to me in Jesus. It's not because I won the game, the race, the job or anything else that makes me deserving of this love from God.

I'll give what I need to give to society in order to maintain order, but I owe all I have to God.

And that's great, if you ask me! Thanks be to God!

Prayer

Lord, I see your face all over everything in this creation of your's. I see your face alone... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen

Stop!

Philippians 4:1-9

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
Exhortations

 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Reflection

What rich words are used in this passage. What depth of meaning and human compassion is present also in these words of encouragement and direction. Even the address... "my beloved," contains the passion of  Jesus. Here we are told to keep it up, to keep on keeping on.

In this passage Paul cheers on those Christians that are struggling. Paul lays out many truths and ways that we can deal with our wrestling both with God, with one another and with the devil. If we pause and see the joy God has surrounded and wrapped around our struggles in life we can feel how close God is with us and even beside us or even wrestling with us. God's love is present. If we stop and give thanksgiving for all that God gives to us. Stop... really stop and think about it. Forget the struggle for a moment and give thanks to God. If we but stop and look around at friends, family and those God has placed in our lives and give thanks for presence of God and of people. When we stop we see God.

Stop and wait and see. Stop and wait and taste. The meal is here. The water feels so good in the forgiveness of baptism. The sweet taste of the fruit of the wine and the joy in the actions of God in the blood of Jesus bring about resurrection and joy and everlasting like.

We don't win the fight and win the prize. The prize has been set before us through the grace of God in Christ Jesus. And as we wait... we rejoice... we see... we know of  the presence of God in all of our life journey.

Prayer

Lord, as I wrestle in this life you have given me. As I wrestle with the sins I commit. Stop me and let me realize your presence, your joy, your resurrection, your body, your blood, your encouragement; that I may rejoice in love towards you and those you give to me each day. Lead me today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen

What a Feast!

Isaiah 25:1-9

Praise for Deliverance from Oppression

O Lord, you are my God;
   I will exalt you, I will praise your name;
for you have done wonderful things,
   plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
For you have made the city a heap,
   the fortified city a ruin;
the palace of aliens is a city no more,
   it will never be rebuilt.
Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
   cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
For you have been a refuge to the poor,
   a refuge to the needy in their distress,
   a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.
When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm,
   the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place,
you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds;
   the song of the ruthless was stilled.


On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
   a feast of rich food, a feast of well-matured wines,
   of rich food filled with marrow, of well-matured wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain
   the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
   the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death for ever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
   and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
   for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
   Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
   This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
   let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Reflection

Protection and salvation... through the storms of life we received protection, relief and salvation.

But before the protection and the relief and the salvation... doesn't this imply that we will struggle, wrestle, deny and possibly turn our backs? God permits us to see our sin. God permits us to smell the stench of our sin. God wrestles with us and touches us and we feel the pain in our flesh. Yet God also heals us and protects us and saves us.

Yes, God leads us to the feast of life... everlasting life in and through Jesus after the cross and into the light of the resurrection.

In knowing this truth we respond in love towards God and in love towards one another. We respond in action and in prayer. We gladly jump right back into that baptismal waters to daily seek forgiveness and grace and new life to live each day in God.

Wait on it... believe and trust in God and wait on it. The feast is coming...

Prayer

Lord, I look forward to that great feast to come with all the saints. I look forward to Sunday and I look forward to the feast of your Kingdom come... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen

Who's in and Who's out?

Matthew 22:1-14

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, “Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.” But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, maltreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, “The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.” Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

 ‘But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?” And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.’

Reflection

So when I put myself into the shoes of one of the slaves that went into the streets to gather all whom they found, both good and bad, to come to the wedding feast; I have to wonder, why does the king toss one of these people out of the banquet? I kind of get it, that when the king invited guests that made up excuses not to come, that he was mad; but when the king decided to invite all the people, why didn't he stipulate only the good?

Perhaps it wasn't my duty as a slave to decide the good from the bad. Perhaps I was sent to call and offer an invitation to any and all of the people in the streets. Perhaps the duty to decide good from bad was not my decision to make, rather it was the decision of the king to make.

When I bring these thoughts home to my own life, here and now, I seem to make the connection, that I am to invite all people to the kingdom of God and to hear God's Word. I am to invite friends, enemies, people of all races, nations and religions. Perhaps God has sent me to invite and not to decide who gets an invitation and who doesn't. It seems so simple, yet in my sinfulness and rush to judge people, becomes so hard.

Perhaps I have sinned in my invitation to God's Word. Perhaps? No... I have sinned! I have sinned by what I have done and by what I haven't done. I must return to the simple message that God gives to me... just go invite! God will deal with the rest.

I see in this passage that it's not my works or my judgment or my righteousness that determines the good from the bad. I can only come to righteousness through the grace of what God has done through Jesus on my behalf. I can only come to the banquet when God places on me, the robe of Jesus life giving death and resurrection. I can't come on my own good works because I... myself... my sinful self... cannot save myself... only through Jesus can I have life eternal.

It's not my place to judge. It's not my call to determine the good from the bad. My place is to listen and do what God has called me to do in the world in which God has placed me today. And that's more that enough for a lifetime.

Prayer

Lord, forgive my judgmental attitude towards others. Help me to hear your call and respond in deed to what you have graciously given to me... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen

Think About the Son

Matthew 21:33-46

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

 ‘Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’

 Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:
“The stone that the builders rejected
   has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
   and it is amazing in our eyes”?
Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.’

 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

Reflection

What about the son? The son was sent to these evil people. The son was killed!

Somehow this sounds so familiar. I don't think of myself as one who would kill but in some way I am guilty. How many times have I killed Jesus? How many times have I rejected him in public and hid my devotion to Jesus? How many times have I failed to love God and to love my neighbor? It's a common sin.

God gives us everything. Everything we have is from God. And we live in this vineyard that God has given to each one of us. We live and love and laugh and suffer and sin. But we still live by the gracious nature of God. God has given us everlasting life through the very Son he sent to us in our vineyard and we killed him.

We have another chance that God gives to us as well. We can choose to turn from this death we have inflicted upon God's Son and accept the gift of life through Jesus. And just as the thief on the cross we can live in paradise with the Son.

This is God's world. Our life belongs to God not to us and our selfish desires to rule and overpower those God has given to us.

Prayer
Lord, heal me from my selfish desires to own my life, my land, my will, my way and my people. Give me a humble heart that I may give all of this up and do your will and follow your call in my life... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen