Twentieth Sunday of Pentecost
**Please note this service is based on the format of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada. Unless otherwise indicated, all prayers come from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW). Hymns and other prayers have been sourced to give appropriate credit.
**NRSV translation used for the readings, unless otherwise stated.
**This is for personal use at home as the church is unable to gather in our houses of worship but together we can worship in our own homes.
Introduction to the Day
In today’s gospel reading, when the Pharisees try to trap Jesus, he tells them to give the emperor what belongs to him and to God what belongs to God. To gather for worship reminds us that our ultimate allegiance is to God rather than to any earthly authority. Created in the image of God, we offer our entire selves in the service of God and for the sake of the world.
Confession and Forgiveness
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
who forgives all our sin,
whose mercy endures forever.
Amen.
Collect for Purity
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name.
Amen.
Song of Confession - words and music by Gord Johnson, used with permission from st benedict's table
In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the God, and of the ☩ Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Gathering Song – Be Thou My Vision (ELW #793)
Greeting
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
Canticle of Praise
Prayer of the Day
Let us pray.
Sovereign God, raise your throne in our hearts. Created by you, let us live in your image; created for you, let us act for your glory; redeemed by you, let us give you what is yours, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
A reading from the Book of Exodus 33:12-23
Moses successfully interceded with God to accompany Israel to the Promised Land after their sin with the golden calf. In response to a request to display the divine glory, God recites a sentence that appears frequently in the Hebrew Scriptures: “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.” Moses is not allowed to see God’s face, but only God’s back.
Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have said to me, ‘Bring up this people’; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.”
The Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” Moses said, “Show me your glory, I pray.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The Lord’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.” And the Lord continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 99
A reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians 1:1-10
Most likely this letter is the first written by Paul. Paul gives pastoral encouragement and reassurances to new Christians living in an antagonistic environment. Their commitment of faith, love, and hope makes them a model for other new Christian communities.
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters 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. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew 22:15-22
Glory to you, O Lord.
After Jesus begins teaching in the temple, religious leaders try to trap him with questions. First they ask if God’s people should pay taxes to an earthly tyrant like Caesar.
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.
The gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable and pleasing in your sight O Lord, for you are our rock and our redeemer. Amen.
“It’s a trap!” This famous line from the third Star Wars movie could be the catch phrase of any Gospel reading that has Jesus being questioned by anyone in authority, or who thinks they have authority.
Today’s Gospel reading is no different. This Sunday’s text finds the Pharisees and Herodians setting a trap for Jesus, hoping he will answer their questions improperly and either lose favor with the public, or get in trouble with the Roman authorities.
We are at the point in Matthew’s story about Jesus where things are getting pretty tense. Jesus has entered Jerusalem and been greeted by adoring crowds. Riding this wave of popular acclaim, he immediately enters the Temple and overthrows the tables of the money-changers, challenging both the political and religious powers that be. Confronted by the religious leaders regarding the authority behind his actions, Jesus tells several provocative, even threatening parables calling into question their own authority and, indeed, standing before God.
Jesus is surrounded by an alliance of religious and political leaders who are trying to trap him with his own words. It's nothing new for Jesus; Pharisees have been testing him throughout his ministry. But now, after Jesus has entered Jerusalem to the acclamation of the crowds as King and Messiah, the stakes have been raised. He's no longer just a local nuisance; he's a threat to the religious and political order.
The two groups involved in today’s story are the Herodians and the Pharisees. Herodians derived their power from the Roman occupiers, while the Pharisees aligned more closely with the occupied and oppressed commoners. They declare a temporary truce in order to work together to trap this upstart rabbi. No one would have expected the Pharisees and the Herodians to come together on the issue of taxation!
The Pharisees want to arrest Jesus, but are afraid of his popular support. So the disciples of the Pharisees and supporters of the Herodian dynasty try a new gambit, one that is sure to either undermine Jesus' popularity with the crowds or make it clear that he is a traitor to Rome. Either outcome will help them accomplish their goal.
“Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
The tax that they are referring was the “poll tax”, a tax that was payable directly to Caesar. This tax was one denarius - about one day’s wage.
Of all the taxes of the day, this “poll tax” was most problematic for the Jews. Of all the taxes that people were being charged, the “poll tax” was uniquely required in Roman currency – with coins that bore the image of Caesar.
As one commentator put it “The coin was particularly objectionable to the pious Jews because it bore the ‘graven image’ of Caesar, and an inscription describing him as ‘son of a god’”. So in effect contravening the first two of the Ten Commandments.1
In contrast, for everyday commerce, special copper coins were used, without these features.
Back to our story.
After asking if any of his questioners has a coin of the Empire – the only coin that could be used to pay the tax in question – they quickly procure one. Jesus asks whose image is on it, and they answer “The Emperor’s.”
There’s more going on here than meets the eye, as along with that image is an engraved confession of Caesar’s divinity, which means that any Jew holding the coin is breaking the first two of the commandments. All of which leads to Jesus’ closing line, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
And with this one sentence, Jesus does not simply evade their trap or confound their plans, but issues a challenge to his hearers that reverberates through the ages into our sanctuaries.
The trap set by the Pharisees and Herodians is twofold: they not only hope to get him in trouble with the Roman authorities, but also get him in trouble with the people.
As I mentioned before, for many religious people, possessing and using Caesar’s coin was blasphemy against God's law, particularly the commandments against graven images and idolatry. As well, for those with nationalistic aspirations, the tax was a constant reminder that they were a subject people.
So if Jesus stated that paying taxes to the emperor was lawful, many in the supportive crowds likely would desert him. On the other hand, the members of Herod's royal family and other leaders had come to terms with the Roman rulers and supported the tax. If Jesus declared it was not lawful, the authorities would arrest him as a traitor and political rebel.
There was no safe response. "Just answer the question, Jesus, yes or no." His opponents are sure that whatever he answers, the problem of Jesus is about to be solved.
All attempts to discredit Jesus as a religious leader have failed, so now the leaders attempt to ensnare Jesus and cause him to commit an offense against the Roman government. Whether he sides with the religious or the government, either way he loses. But not so fast: it is Jesus we’re talking about here.
Have you ever tried to ensnare Jesus, knowingly or otherwise? We probably commit the act of divine entrapment more than we realize: “Jesus, if you love me, do this for me.” We teach our kids to pray that God’s will be done. But sometimes we may want to add on, “…and may Your will be my will.”
But we’re also taught that when we keep God the main thing, our hearts are turned toward God and thus we live in harmony with God’s will.
By calling attention to the different obligations we have, Jesus is reminding us of the differences that exist for us as citizens of the state and citizens of heaven. Jesus carefully suggests that we owe the state exactly what is demanded of us, in this case, the coin with Caesar’s head on it.
By contrasting that with his exhortation to give unto God what is God’s, Jesus is exposing the irony of the Pharisees’ and Herodians' religious activities; they are more concerned with their own power than they are with honoring God.
The question I bring to you today is how do we deal with this text in a contemporary world where, for some of us, our duties to God and country might seem to be at odds with one another?
How do we, as Christians, learn to interact with the governing authorities and yet maintain our identity and honour our callings as Christians? For some, this may be easy. Their government and their conscience may line up pretty closely. Others may find this more and more difficult as government continues to be at odds with their conscience.
Given our current global political climate, there are many churches and Christians who have taken an active role in calling and working for justice in our world. Congregations need to examine their callings as citizens and decide how they are called to be working towards God’s justice and good news in society.
While it might be difficult to realize, we have people of good conscience on both sides of the same issue. The key is to find a way to proclaim the good news of God’s love for us while also calling people to think about what God’s good news and justice might look like in the world.
Essential to this endeavor is being open to listening for that call while realizing that others might hear it differently than we do. The question is: can we trust that God is at work even in those who believe differently than we do? I hope that we can give unto God what is God’s.
The Hebrew text has been following Exodus for the last few weeks. But how about we substitute today’s Exodus reading for Genesis 1:26 “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.”
We were made in the image and likeness of God, and because we bear God’s likeness we are to act like God. Not mind you, like gods, those who lord their authority over others for self-gain, but rather like God – the One who creates and sustains and nurtures and redeems and saves…no matter what the cost. We are called to serve as God’s agents, God’s partners, and God’s co-workers, exercising dominion over creation not as an act of power but rather as an act of stewardship and extending to the abundant life God wishes for all.
Despite the fact that Jesus’ opponents carry a coin with a graven image and confession of Caesar’s divinity, Jesus accuses them of neither blasphemy nor disloyalty. Rather, he calls them hypocrites, those who have quite literally taken to wearing another, and false, likeness. So perhaps the charge against those trying to entrap or discount Jesus then or now is best understood as amnesia, for they have forgotten who they are, in whose likeness they were made.
Jesus says “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
A friend of mine made a lengthy post on Facebook the other day that ended with this: “We should pay our full share of taxes. We should participate in the workings of our governments. But we are also to demonstrate a different way of being. The message we have for our world is that Jesus shows us the way of Love.”
Christians of good faith can disagree on the best way to live into and further God’s kingdom on earth. When we name the issues of the day, we also recognize the complexity of those issues, we hold up the values we see Jesus live, we make space for the variety of voices and contributions of our people, we look for God’s work beyond our community and the places we normally expect God to be, and we call each other back to God’s word and promise and charge that we are made in God’s own image and likeness and are therefore called to live in a way that others may detect the family resemblance.
Jesus not only models the life of giving everything to God, he makes it possible for us to do the same.
By the dwelling of the Spirit within us, we have the power to live as Jesus did, to walk in God's way. Like Jesus, we can trust in God's love and care and give freely to God ourselves, our time, and our possessions for use in the world that God loves and cares for.
No one claims that this life is easy. It requires difficult, thoughtful, and sometimes painful decisions and choices. But we, made in God's image, even as we dutifully give to Caesar what is Caesar's, are called into a life that thankfully first gives to God what is God's. Amen.
[1]France, RT. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007.
Hymn of the Day – Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us With Your Love (ELW #708)
Creed
Prayers of Intercession
With confidence in God’s grace and mercy, let us pray for the church, the world, and all those in need.
Silence
Gracious God, you call us by name and invite us to share your good news. Send your Holy Spirit among preachers, missionaries, and evangelists. We give thanks for the witness of your servant Luke, the evangelist, whom the church commemorates today. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
God of praise, the heavens and all creation declare your salvation. From the rising of the sun to its setting, may the whole universe show forth your goodness. Raise up devoted stewards of all that you have made. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
God of all, may your word of justice sound forth in every place. Restore divided nations and communities with reconciling truth. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
God of light, we pray for those living with pain, illness, isolation, grief, anger, or doubt. Join their voices in a new song, assuring them that you call them each by name. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
God of truth, you show no partiality. May your spirit guide the work of justices, magistrates, court officials, and all vocations of the law, that your promise of restoration may be known. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Here other intercessions may be offered.
Living God, as you raised Jesus from the dead, so raise up those who have died in you. We give thanks for their witness, confident of your rescuing welcome for all. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Listen as we call on you, O God, and enfold in your loving arms all for whom we pray, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Peace
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
Offertory Hymn – Come Just As You Are
Prayer over the Gifts
**Although not physically at our church buildings to share our offering together I would encourage you to set your offering of money aside so that it can be dropped off or placed in the church once services resume, to mail your offering to the church, or to make donations online. Please remember ministry is still taking place.
Let us pray.
Holy God, gracious and merciful, you bring forth food from the earth and nourish your whole creation. Turn our hearts toward those who hunger in any way, that all may know your care; and prepare us now to feast on the bread of life, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Great Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,
that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God,
through our Savior Jesus Christ;
who on this day overcame death and the grave,
and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life.
And so, with all the choirs of angels,
with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven,
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
You are indeed holy, almighty and merciful God.
You are most holy,
and great is the majesty of your glory.
You so loved the world that you gave your only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not perish
but have eternal life.
We give you thanks for his coming into the world
to fulfill for us your holy will
and to accomplish all things for our salvation.
In the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
For as often as we eat of this bread and drink from this cup,
we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Remembering, therefore, his salutary command,
his life-giving passion and death, his glorious resurrection and ascension,
and the promise of his coming again,
we give thanks to you, O Lord God Almighty,
not as we ought but as we are able;
we ask you mercifully to accept our praise and thanksgiving
and with your Word and Holy Spirit to bless us, your servants,
and these your own gifts of bread and wine,
so that we and all who share in the body and blood of Christ
may be filled with heavenly blessing and grace,
and, receiving the forgiveness of sin,
may be formed to live as your holy people
and be given our inheritance with all your saints.
To you, God, Son, and Holy Spirit,
be all honor and glory in your holy church, now and forever.
Amen.
Lord’s Prayer
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
We, being many, are one body, for we all share in the one bread.
This is the table of Christ. It is made ready for those who love him, and for those who want to love him more. Come, whether you have much faith or little, have tried to follow, or are afraid that you have failed. Come. Because it is Christ's will that those who want to meet him, might meet him here. These are the gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks be the God.
The body of Christ, given for you.
Amen.
The blood of Christ, shed for you.
Amen.
Prayer After Communion
Let us pray.
Gracious God, in this meal you have drawn us to your heart, and nourished us at your table with food and drink, the body and blood of Christ. Now send us forth to be your people in the world, and to proclaim your truth this day and evermore, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Blessing
Almighty God, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever.
Amen.
Sending Song – Alle, Alle, Alleluia
Dismissal
Go forth to love and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
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