As we wind ourselves through October and come nearly to the end of the Gospel of Matthew, the Pharisees, the leaders, the elders, the ones in charge of the religious life, the authorities, are trying to figure out again, who is this guy. What is he about? What does he want? I’m sure they are getting tons of questions from the Roman powers, from the donors. Everyone is asking the same question; who is this guy, Jesus and what is he talking about? 

 Us too right. Who is this guy, Jesus and what is he really saying? 

Answering that question is a lifetime of work, right there. We get snippets of his teaching; we listen to others tell us what they think. We study some and then we pray. And we work it out by living a life in the world with others. Okay, maybe that last part is trickier for sure these days. However, that is what we do. Or at least, it is what we used to do. 

Is there still truth in the words of Jesus? Give to the emperor what belongs to the emperor and give to God what belongs to God. Indeed. I guess that all depends on how much of your life do you see as belonging to God. Here is where the list making comes in. We can deal with the emperor's part later.  

Give to God what is of God. 

Sacramentally, one of the first things we do in church life is to dedicate our lives to God. In the rite of Baptism, we dedicate our lives to God. We recognize that connection and act on it. We acknowledge it. The connection exists between God and us even if we don’t acknowledge it. But it’s there. 

 

This is the main idea in stewardship. We take care of what belongs to God. Our very selves. And we find ways to offer it to God. 

Like most of words of Jesus it sounds easy enough, until we try it. Then we start deciding if that means gross or net, before or after taxes, the tangible stuff or the intangible bits, you get the picture. We can of course, negotiate all we want to. No harm in that at all. The conversation is great. And all our conversing encourages our deeper relationship with the source of our being. So, talk away, please! 

 

And hold this text close as we walk together in the weeks of, I notice, and I wonder, and I am called. Remembering it’s not about what belongs to the emperor, it’s about what belongs to God. Go on beloved, make a list. 

+Rev. Alison