aSacredRebel

Give what?

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. (Matthew 22:15-22, NRSV)

Have you ever been asked a question that there wasn’t a good answer for?

That is what those questioning Jesus ask Him here. Taxes are a hot button issue now and in Jesus’ day.

So they ask Him if they should pay taxes…

So He asks for a coin, a denarius. This coin would have been something like the picture here, on the one side with the profile of Tiberius Caesar and the inscription “Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus”. And Jesus asked those questioning Him, “whose head is this, and whose title?” So they said Caesar…

And Jesus’ response is a bit amazing, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

You see Jesus did not come to establish a political kingdom in opposition to Caesar. He came to help us understand how we are to live and what God is asking from us.

But if we actually break down Jesus’ answer it gets a little deep, really quick…

You see the coin had Caesar’s image and is easily identifiable as Caesar’s then, but what has God’s image on it?

If this is what shows us what is Caesar’s and what is God’s by their image on it, what has God’s image…

The word for head in our reading is actually the word image, and it is the same word used in a passage from the Hebrew Scriptures:

“Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; …. So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Gen 1:26-27)

And it is used again in Genesis 5:1: “This is the list of the descendants of Adam. When God created humankind, he made them in the likeness of God.”

And again in Genesis 9:6: “… for in his own image God made humankind.”

So what is stamped with the image of God?

Or what contains the image of God?

We are. All of us. Every last little minute part and tiniest thought belong to God because they were created in the image of God.

So we have to pay taxes, but we also have to give the whole of our lives to God.

A friend of mine, Brian Stoffregen, said it this way:

Some may give God their minds,
but have hearts far from God.
Some may give God their hearts,
but are unwilling to learn from God in the Word
Some may give God their muscles,
but are unwilling to bring their bodies to worship or education classes.
Many give God 1 or 2 hours a week,
but God wants all 168 hours a week.
Many give God 2% of their income, perhaps think about 10%
but God wants 100%.

We have to give the whole of our lives to God.

shadow

Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgments are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, O LORD. How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. O continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your salvation to the upright of heart! (Psalm 36:5-10, NRSV)

I love this picture and the imagery…

The woman is resting peacibly in the wing of her God. She has no concerns or worries that keep her from being at peace and resting.

That does not mean there are not concerns around her, but the shadow of His wind is a place we find rest and peace.

For His love is steadfast and He will provide, that is the promise we can rest upon!

testimony

And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, and all who fear him, small and great.” Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready; to her it has been granted to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your comrades who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:5-10, NRSV)

Ever wonder what all of eternity will be like…

Well if we see here in the vision from Revelation a picture of heaven, it will be eternal praise of God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We will sing out hallelujah!

Be dressed in white and sing with all of the heavenly hosts.

Much like at communion, where we join in the hymn of the church on earth and all of the hosts of heaven. We praise the name of Jesus and join the unending hymn!

We will worship God for all of eternity, that much is 100% for sure!

And all of our lives will and do play a testimony to the love He has given us.

So what does your life speak now?

Subpoenaed Sermons

A Great post by a wonderful bishop…

And yes do we not want the world to be pouring over our proclimations of the Word!

MichaelRinehart.com

So yesterday I was contacted by folks here in Texas and also from other places in the country about a news story that claimed Houston city attorneys had subpoenaed some pastors’ sermons. As it turns out, the story is true.

I don’t have access to the lawsuit or the subpoena, so what follows is based on what we know at this point. I’ll update this post as things unfold.

Here’s what you need to know.

1. Houston passed an equal rights ordinance. (We are the only major city without one.)

2. While many churches supported the ordinance, some churches opposed it, and petitioned to have it revoked.

3. The city determined the petitioners did not have enough signatures.

4. These churches filed a lawsuit.

5. As part of pretrial discovery last month, pro bono attorneys for the city subpoenaed the parties connected with the effort to get the ballot initiative…

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wonderful things

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-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged 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 forever. 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. (Isaiah 25:1-8, NRSV)

The Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces. And take the disgrace of His people away…

The Lord has done great things for us, and brought us from lowly to exalted.

He has captured our hearts and we love Him, for what it will get us, but because of all He has given us.

He is our refuge and our strong foundation.

He is our conqueror and defender.

He is the one we can trust and find shelter in.

He is our God!

A feast

On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, opposite the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne inside the palace opposite the entrance to the palace. As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won his favor and he held out to her the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the top of the scepter. The king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” Then Esther said, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet that I have prepared for the king.” Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther desires.” So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared. While they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” Then Esther said, “This is my petition and request: If I have won the king’s favor, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet that I will prepare for them, and then I will do as the king has said.” So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. On the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have won your favor, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me—that is my petition—and the lives of my people—that is my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace; but no enemy can compensate for this damage to the king.” Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has presumed to do this?” Esther said, “A foe and enemy, this wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen. The king rose from the feast in wrath and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that the king had determined to destroy him. When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman had thrown himself on the couch where Esther was reclining; and the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the words left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Look, the very gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, stands at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the anger of the king abated. (Esther 5:1-8, 7:1-10, NRSV)

Have you ever had to tell someone something that you were not sure how they would take it?

Did you ever have to tell a friend that someone they thought was looking out for their interests were really only trying to get their way?

It is hard when we have to do things we are not sure of the outcome.

But Esther shows us that standing up for the truth while never easy is the right thing to do.

So stand up for what is true, and hold fast to what God has told you to do, knowing that He will always be with you!

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN

King Belshazzar made a great festival for a thousand of his lords, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar commanded that they bring in the vessels of gold and silver that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. So they brought in the vessels of gold and silver that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the wall of the royal palace, next to the lampstand. The king was watching the hand as it wrote. Then the king’s face turned pale, and his thoughts terrified him. His limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the diviners; and the king said to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and tell me its interpretation shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around his neck, and rank third in the kingdom.” Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king the interpretation. Then King Belshazzar became greatly terrified and his face turned pale, and his lords were perplexed. The queen, when she heard the discussion of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall. The queen said, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts terrify you or your face grow pale. There is a man in your kingdom who is endowed with a spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father he was found to have enlightenment, understanding, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and diviners, because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.” Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king said to Daniel, “So you are Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? I have heard of you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that enlightenment, understanding, and excellent wisdom are found in you. Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and tell me its interpretation, but they were not able to give the interpretation of the matter. But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you are able to read the writing and tell me its interpretation, you shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around your neck, and rank third in the kingdom.” Then Daniel answered in the presence of the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, or give your rewards to someone else! Nevertheless I will read the writing to the king and let him know the interpretation. O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar kingship, greatness, glory, and majesty. And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. He killed those he wanted to kill, kept alive those he wanted to keep alive, honored those he wanted to honor, and degraded those he wanted to degrade. But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he acted proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and his glory was stripped from him. He was driven from human society, and his mind was made like that of an animal. His dwelling was with the wild asses, he was fed grass like oxen, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven, until he learned that the Most High God has sovereignty over the kingdom of mortals, and sets over it whomever he will. And you, Belshazzar his son, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this! You have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven! The vessels of his temple have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them. You have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know; but the God in whose power is your very breath, and to whom belong all your ways, you have not honored. “So from his presence the hand was sent and this writing was inscribed. And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed in purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made concerning him that he should rank third in the kingdom. That very night Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old. (Daniel 5, NRSV)

Daniel read the words because the were in Hebrew.

And he refused the purple robe and gifts Belshazzar wanted to give him. Daniel said to the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, or give your rewards to someone else!”

He looked to God and trusted only in Him. That was the issue with King Belshazzar. He trusted in himself and his father. And he used everything else around him…

So are your days numbered and brought to an end?

Have you been wieghed, and if so are you found wanting?

Will your life be divided?

Invited…

One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, “Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” Then Jesus said to him, “Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.’ Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.’ Another said, ‘I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.’ So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ And the slave said, ‘Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ Then the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.’” (Luke 14:15-24, NRSV)

Is it a good thing to be invited?

I guess that depends on who invited, and if you think you are too important or have somethign better to do…

You see we are all invited. We have all been invited to the banquet feast of all feasts! But what will happen when it is time for that banquet? Will we be found dealing with our new oxen, our new land, or will we be more infatuated with something else that consumes us to see the invitation?

God will have His banquet filled with people, but will it be those who think they should be, or those whom they think shouldn’t be?

When the invitaiton comes we need to drop everything and follow. He is calling us to the life we can’t possibly imagine. So be ready when He calls, and ready to go to the banquet.

what to wear…

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, mistreated 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.” (Matthew 22:1-14, NRSV)

Here we go again… The Good News of our Lord!!!

Wow.

The king invited people to the banquet and they wouldn’t come, so he went back out and invited them again, and they still refused, so he burned down the town! And while the buildings smoldered around them they had a feast, with the common people from the streets.

So there is still a feast with those common people. The king is very open and inviting…

But then we see the one who is not dressed appropriately…

Now hold just a minute, we should say. Didn’t you just pull this person in from the street and now you are giving him grief because of what he is wearing? Really?

Yes because it was the custom in those days for the king, or the host of the banquet to provide the proper clothing for the guests.

Genesis 45:22 talks about Joseph supplying clothing for his brothers as they come to Egypt. Esther 6:8-9 also speaks of this…

So if the king is providing clothes than this person has no excuse to not be dressed properly, unless of course they are thinking they do not need the kings clothes, and are fine just the way they are…

And Ezekiel 16:10-13 talks about God clothing unworthy people in beautiful garments…

So if we refuse the garments of God, are we saying we are beautiful on our own? We do not need God?

You see many are called, actually we could easily say all are called, but only those who admit they need God, and need His love and forgiveness and His presence, and His clothing are chosen. Not for what we have done, but our acknowledgement of what He has done for us.

A Terrifying Thought