[Propertalk] FW: Sermon Resources for October 16 - Part 2

[Joe Parrish]

Resources for Proper 24 

Matthew 22: 15-22 - " What Is Caesar’s and What Is God's?"

Matthew 22: 15-22 - "Get the Monkey off Your Back" by Leonard Sweet

 

Matthew 22 the sermon title “What Is Caesar’s and What Is God's?”] 

A young lady was soaking up the sun's rays on a Florida beach when a little
boy in his swimming trunks, carrying a towel, came up to her and asked her,
"Do you believe in God?" She was surprised by the question but she replied,
"Why, yes, I do." Then he asked her: "Do you go to church every Sunday?"
Again, her answer was "Yes!" He then asked: "Do you read your Bible and pray
everyday?" Again she said, "Yes!" By now her curiosity was very much
aroused. The little lad sighed with relief and said, "Will you hold my
quarter while I go in swimming?"

The little boy was straightforward and honest in his questions because he
wanted to entrust to the lady something valuable. The Pharisees are not
being honest. They have no intent in entrusting Jesus with anything. They
are not looking for the answer to a question. They don't want someone to
hold their quarter. They are looking for a way to get rid of this trouble
making Nazarene named Jesus.

The Pharisees were so angry it blinded them. Think for a moment about the
ironies here: We know, because we live on this side of the resurrection,
that Jesus was God. They thought he was demonic, an agent of Satan. We know
that Jesus is the King of kings. They thought he wanted to be the King of
Israel. We know that he was the Son of God. They thought he was simply
Joseph and Mary's son. We know that Jesus has influenced the world for 2000
years. They thought his influence would end at the cross.

It's a fascinating story. We look at the Pharisees and we shake our heads.
How could they have been so wrong when the truth was standing right in front
of them? I believe they were upset because Jesus held them accountable and
exposed their hypocrisy. "Teacher, we know that you are sincere," they say
to him, "and teach the way of God." Not for a moment did they believe in
Jesus' sincerity. It was a set up. It was a way of putting him at ease
before they stabbed him in the back. Tell us then, they continue, what do
you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor?

I suppose we ought to be grateful to the Pharisees. In their question, which
Jesus says was motivated by malice, they prompt one of the greatest of
Jesus' teachings. It may not seem like much on the face of it, but the
implications of this teaching have echoed through the centuries and they
have shaped western societies. Jesus said, Render to Caesar the things that
are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." Let us ask three
questions this morning and find out why this little teaching has had such a
great influence.

1. What Is Caesar’s?

2. What Is God’s?

3. Which Will You Choose?

The rest of this sermon following the outline above can be obtained by
joining
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http://www.sermons.com/signup

Click here:
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_______________________

 

Matthew 22:15-22 the sermon titled "Get the Monkey off Your Back" by Leonard
Sweet] 

W. H. Auden once described life as a very grand opera played by a tenth-rate
touring company. 

This seems never more true than after a tragedy, when people are asked “How
do you feel?” What comes out of our mouths next? 

“What a senseless murder.” Well, is there such a thing as a sensible murder?


Or “She didn’t deserve this! She didn’t deserve to die.” Well, does anyone
ever? Does anyone deserve to die? 

Or someone was “at the wrong place at the wrong time.” Well, no, they were
at the right place at the right time. It’s not the victim who is in the
wrong. It’s the shooter or the criminal who is in the wrong — doing the
wrong thing at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The clumsy prose and clichéd phrases that pour from our mouths in the wake
of tragedy or disaster is also evident when we hear about some horrible
massacre, some vicious crime, some raging genocide. What do we say? “How
inhuman!” And what do we call those who murder and maim? We call them
“animals.” We brand their behavior “brutish.” 

Talk about calcified clichés. Glance anywhere in human history. The vicious,
vindictive vendetta is an all-to human trait, endlessly repeated across the
globe, by all peoples, all cultures, all religions.

What this cliché of “inhuman” does reveal, however, is our very human
conviction that we are called to be something more. 

That there is a distinguishing “something” that separates human life from
all other life. 

That there is a higher standard we are called to and capable of, beyond that
of mere genetic and cultural survival. 

That there is something more we are urged to imitate and emulate. 

That there are the actions and attitudes demanded of a being who has been
created in the image of God:

“God created humankind (“adam”) in his image. In the image of God he created
them, male and female.” (Genesis 1:27)

That image, that first incarnation, is the true face of humanity, of genuine
humanness. It is when we fail and fall short of reflecting that divine image
that we become something less than human


For the rest of Leonard Sweet’s sermon click here:
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