Becoming Together Through Generosity: Sharing In the Work of God’s Vision for a Healed World

Luke 20:20-26

So they watched Jesus and sent spies who pretended to be honest, in order to trap him by what he said, so as to hand him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor. So they asked him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and you show deference to no one, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ But he perceived their craftiness and said to them, ‘Show me a denarius. Whose head and whose title does it bear?’ They said, ‘The emperor’s.’ He said to them, ‘Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they were not able in the presence of the people to trap him by what he said; and being amazed by his answer, they became silent.

Dear beloved of God, grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus who is the Christ.  Amen.

A few months ago, one of our young adults was home from college and was participating in worship at home with his parents.  At one point during worship he leaned over to his parents and said, “it’s quite the shame that my trusted pastor has become a televangelist.”

He was kidding of course.  At least I think he was… I hope he was.

This morning is the culmination of our annual and capital campaign.  Over the last few weeks we’ve been sharing with you, in written form and video vignettes and sermon nuggets and zoom calls and backyard gatherings, what we hope to be able to accomplish in the coming year through our annual campaign and in the next three years through our capital campaign.

Today I’m going to ask you, each of you, to share your commitments with us.  Many of you have already: $750,000 has already been pledged to our capital campaign that has a goal of $2,000,000.  Over $500,000 has already been committed to our annual appeal.  This is incredible.  If you haven’t yet communicated your intent.  You can fill it out online through Realm, you can mail in your pledge or commitment forms in the mail, you can send me an email.  Today’s the day!

Call now, operators are standing by!

Maybe I have become a televangelist.  But today’s reading from Luke’s gospel is kind of ripe for an ask isn’t it?

Jesus is being tested by religious folks.  They’re trying to trap him, so they can arrest him and bring him before either the religious or the political authorities.  Is it lawful to pay taxes?  If Jesus says no.  Boom, he’s an insurrectionist, fomenting trouble in the empire.  If he says yes, he’s a stooge of the state and no man of God.  

Jesus artfully dodges the trap they set for him.  Give to the emperor what belongs to the emperor.  Give to God what belongs to God.

So then the task for us today seems relatively straight forward.  Figure out what belongs to who, and divide accordingly.  Here’s how much I owe in taxes.  Here are my other expenses.  Here’s what I can give away.  Here’s my fun money.

What we need to make sense of this biblical story is a spreadsheet, right?

If it were only that easy.

For just a second I want to fasten your attention on the coin.  As these spies and tricksters come to spring a trap on Jesus he says, “Show me a denarius. Whose head and whose title does it bear?”  The denarius is a coin, worth the equivalent of a full day’s wage.  The Roman emperor, in this instance Tiberius, had his head imprinted on each of the coins along with the inscription that likely read something like, “Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of the Divine Augustus.”

Essentially the coin read, Tiberius, son of God.

And Jesus doesn’t just ask them, whose head is on the coin, he says, “Whose image is on the coin, whose likeness is on that piece of metal.”

Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

Jesus says, Caesar wants this coin, give it to him.  Jesus says, Caesar has laid claim to this piece of metal, he’s imprinted his image on it, fine, so be it.  Let him have it.  God is after something bigger.  God has imprinted God’s image on something else, someone else.

God has laid claim to you.  To all of you.  You bear the image and the likeness of the creator of the universe not some petty political tyrant.  If the emperor wants to say the coins belong to me, fine.  God says this world is mine, including each and every single one of you.

You belong to the eternal and unending love and life of God, you belong to the church of Jesus Christ. Not because of anything you’ve done. Not because you fall into a particular income bracket. You belong because you bear the image of God, you belong because you bear the imprint of the cross of Jesus Christ, you belong because you’ve been called and gathered and enlightened by the work of the Holy Spirit. You belong to God.

All of this is given to you freely and irrevocably without condition.  And if that wasn’t enough, here’s where it gets a little scary.  We are given the power and authority to function as God’s agents in this world, to steward and care for the planet, our homes, and one another as God would care for us.

Jesus said, “Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

This life that’s been given to you, the people and places and planet that have been entrusted to you, are to be used in service of God and God’s purposes.  It’s so simple and straightforward, and so incredibly difficult.

I wish Jesus gave us a spreadsheet.  I wish he said this percentage here, this percentage here, keep this, play with that, build with this.  But he doesn’t.  Instead he invites us to wrestle with God’s claim on our lives.  What will we do with it?  How will we live into it?  

I know that I can’t do it alone.  I need this church, this community. I need the support you provide one another, the support you give to me to help figure this life out.  I believe we are becoming the people that God intends us to be together.  It’s why I give to this work.  I believe and I trust that together we are making a difference in this world.  It’s why I give to this work.

I am renewed in my hope for the future, for this planet, for its people, for the places we call home because of what we get to do together.  That’s why I give to Bethlehem.

Listen, I don’t give all of what is God’s back to God.   I’m afraid.  I’m prideful.  I want what I perceive to be mine.  But what we do together, helps me to embrace more of God’s claim on me.  Hearing and seeing stories of your generosity helps me to remember more of who I am and whose I am.  Being a part of this church, right now, in this season helps me to continue to have hope, hope in the future.  Because I trust that God is not done with us yet.  I want to be a part of that future.  I want to give to help that future come into existence.

Will you join me?  Will you trust that God can and is doing something new through us in this moment?  Will you place your hope in God’s ability to move us through this moment into a future where more people can know and experience the gracious claim of love God has placed on their lives?  Will join me in committing to giving something more today than you have before in the hope and confidence that we bear God’s image in this world, an image of generosity and love and life?

Let us pray for strength and courage to  give to God what is already and forever will be God’s and trust that God can and will do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine in Jesus’ holy name.  Amen.