Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 29, Year A

Walking the Walk

Readings: Exodus 33:12-23; Psalm 99; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22

We all struggle with the implications of what God intends for our lives. How do we live the Christian life? What does it mean for us to live out our faith? We know that it is never enough to simply talk the talk. We must walk the walk.

Moses knew that even when things did not go as planned, he needed to follow God's guidance. It is difficult to be in a position of leadership when people balk at your leadership style and go their own way. Life in the wilderness was not easy for the people of Israel. There were many distractions from the way of God. Their relationship to God was often on shaky ground. When things went wrong it was Moses whom they blamed.

That is the situation in today's Old Testament reading. The people have been so distracted by the difficult situation in which they find themselves that they have turned to other gods. They have made and worshipped a golden calf. Moses deals with the situation as God commands, but he finds himself in need of spiritual sustenance. He has become dispirited by the heavy responsibilities that God has laid on him. He needs affirmation and support to overcome his despondency.

"Show me your glory, I pray," he asks God. "I need more than your presence. I need a sign." God communicates to him in a real and tangible way, reassuring him of his presence, restoring his confidence.

There are times in our lives when we want to walk the walk. But life overtakes us. It becomes too much for us. At such times it seems as if God is far from us. We long for a sign of God's presence. And it happens, often in some intangible way. We get a glimpse of the glory God. It may be in a dream or in a remark made by a friend. It may be that sense of reassurance that all will be well. It may come to us in our prayer time or as we take a walk immersing ourselves in the beauty of God's creation.

The Thessalonians are people who are walking the walk. This fledgling congregation has been open to God's call through many trials and tribulations. They trust that God is among them in a new way. They are able to experience Christian joy even in the midst of suffering and persecution. They live a life of faithfulness to the Gospel. Paul commends them for "their work of faith, their labour of love and their steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ".

Could Paul speak that way about this community? Are we walking the walk? Are we faithful to our calling? What labours of love are done among us? What quality of hope do we possess? Does faith give us a basis for hope amidst the turmoil of our lives?

Jesus in the Gospel for today must walk not only the walk, but also the fine line between the sacred and the secular. Once again the Pharisees are out to trap him. "Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not?" What they are really saying is, "Where do your loyalties lie?" Is it permissible for the people of God to express allegiance to a pagan emperor? If Jesus approves of Roman taxation, then he is against militant nationalism that enjoys the popular support of his people. If he disapproves, he is guilty of treason against Rome.

We have all heard that it is a mistake to discuss religion or politics. Here he is asked to make a choice between the two. His non-answer cuts through to the heart of the matter. "Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's," he tells them. The secular must find its place within the sacred. We usually get that the wrong way around. We allow the secular world to encroach on the sacred. Jesus is saying that while we must pay our dues to the secular authorities, we can retain our integrity by also giving what is due to God. That is our loyalty, our worship, and our love.

Jesus walks the walk. He does not deny or ignore the existence of the secular world or the dues that must be paid to it. He points out to his followers that clearly we still live in this world. We have dues in the world. Willingly or unwillingly we must pay our taxes. We must live as responsible citizens in our country. We must be a part of the reason that it is a great country that deserves our loyalty and allegiance. But like Jesus, we must not lose sight of the one to whom we owe our ultimate allegiance. To find genuine meaning and purpose in our lives we must keep our minds on the eternal world. To toil and risk and sacrifice only to keep on good terms with the world around us is to misunderstand what our purpose is. It is to live in a wrong relationship, not only with God but also with God's creation.

The coin the Pharisees showed to Jesus had on it a portrait of Caesar marking it as belonging to Caesar. We, by virtue of our baptism, bear on our souls the imprint of God. We owe our lives and all that may include, to God. We must pay our dues to the world, but with integrity. We do not need to give in to the world's choices.

Yet with the secularism of our society Christians are constantly in the position of making choices that may bring us into conflict with society. In order to be on good terms with the secular world we give in to its demands. But when secularism conflicts with our Christian faith, we must be prepared like Moses to take action, like the Thessalonians to proclaim the Gospel and like Jesus to resist injustice.

How do we walk the walk in our personal lives? God calls us to live out our faith in every aspect of our lives. "Seven whole days, not one in seven …” That is a call to spend time in prayer and study of God's word. Our decisions about how we spend our money and how we plan our lives begin with prayer.

How do live out our lives in the workplace in faithfulness to God? We live in a secular age. Our faith often conflicts with the dictates of society. Every day we face issues that come into conflict with our faith. God calls us to make life-giving choices that may be unpopular. We may need to make decisions to live authentically to our faith. Our lives need to bear witness to the God we serve.

All of us like the individuals and communities in today’s readings struggle with the implications of God’s way for our lives. How do we open our minds and hearts to where God is leading us? How do we achieve that level of commitment to the gospel? What impact would our church have on the community if we committed every part of our lives to God? What is God calling us to give?

A much-loved king was in need of a heart transplant. There was a great concern throughout the kingdom. A crowd gathered outside the castle screaming their support. “Take my heart, King, take my heart!”

The king didn’t know what to do. Finally he called for quiet. “I’ll throw down a feather,” he said, “and whomever the feather lands on, I will take their heart for the transplant.”

He dropped the feather. The people watched it drift back and forth. They kept calling out, “Take my heart, King, take my heart!” But with one difference! As the feather came close to the crowd, they would lean their heads back and blow the feather back into the air. “Take my heart, king! (blow), take my heart! (blow).

How do we walk the walk in the church and in the community in which we live? "Can we make any difference?" we ask ourselves. It means giving voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. We need to be advocates for change. We live in a world where there are starving children and refugees, people who are poor and uneducated, people suffering from plagues like Ebola, environmental issues, war and famine. As long as those injustices exist in our world, our worship is not complete. We have not given to God what is God’s.

God is calling us to make a difference through our lives. Let us open our hearts and minds to God. Let us give to God what belongs to God. Let us give ourselves.