Duty to God

Gospel
Mt 22:15-21

The Pharisees went off
and plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech. 
They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying,
"Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man
and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion,
for you do not regard a person's status.
Tell us, then, what is your opinion:
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?" 
Knowing their malice, Jesus said,
"Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? 
Show me the coin that pays the census tax." 
Then they handed him the Roman coin. 
He said to them, "Whose image is this and whose inscription?" 
They replied, "Caesar's."
At that he said to them,
"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God."

Sermon at St Martin

In recent weeks the news has been dominated by the global economic crisis. There has been much talk of taxes and taxpayers. Our two archbishops have weighed in on the evils of capitalism. I guess that today many clergy will use this passage as a peg on which to hang their political views dressed up as biblical interpretation but I want to focus our minds on "Give to God what belongs to God".

The Church of England Revised Catechism asks 'What is my duty to God?' and gives a four point reply:

1. to worship Him as the only true God, to love, trust, and obey him, and by witness of my word and deeds to bring others to serve Him.

2. to allow no created thing to take his place, but to use my time, my gifts, and my possessions as one must give an account to Him.

3. to reverence Him in thought, word and deed.

4. to keep the Lord's Day for worship, prayer, and rest from work.

"Give to God what belongs to God".

The Metghodist Covenant Service puts it like this:

'Lord God, Holy Father, since you have called us through Christ we take upon ourselves withjoy this yoke of obedience and, for love of you, engage ourselves to seek and do your perfect will. We are no longer our own but yours.'

Jesus speaks of 'love' rather than 'obedience' when he speaks about 'duty to God'. He says "You shall love God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength". A Russian saint said 'Christ has loved me for nothing and I must love him for nothing too'. An Indian saint said 'I have no desire for wealth, position, or honour. Nor do I desire even heaven. But I do need him who has made my heart heaven'. A French saint is described as 'with unlimited passion did she love God. She was transported by love and knew the real rapture of love'.

Of course, we are all citizens of earth and we must willingly and readily shoulder the duties of our citizenship but, even more, w eare citizens of heaven and our duty to God must always have priority. As St Thomas More said, on his way to martyrdom 'I am the king's servant, but God's first'.

This morning we baptise a new member into Cjhrist's Church and it should help us all to recall the basic commitments of our Christian vocation.

We need the grace of word and sacrament regularly to live out our duty to God and our duty to neighbour through all the years of our lives between baptism and death. 

We must "give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God".