Summary of the Law as Messianic Living

20 Pentecost, Cycle A Proper 25, October 26, 2014

Deuteronomy 34: 1-12 Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 Matthew 22:34-46

Lectionary Link

   We live under the conditions of a general and powerful freedom in our world and because of this we can with Charles Dickens always say, “it is the best of times and it is worst of time.”  Our faith life has to do with learning to adjust to being in the right or wrong place at the right or wrong time in a right or wrong condition of being.  The conditions of the present create the moment of faith; if things are good in our pursuit of health, well-being and the pursuit of happiness then we want to bottle the formula to extend and perpetuate those conditions which seem to be conducive to our happiness.  If the current life presents us with great obstacles to our health, well-being and pursuit of happiness, we have to deal with the disappointment, the delayed gratification, the disgust toward what we think is causing our crisis and in some cases the fear of sheer cruelty.

  The best of times and the worst of times creates the conditions for us to idealize the past or to wishfully create a rescuing future in order to deal with or survive the present or simply to preserve what we think works for our current well-being.

  Faith could be all about coping with the freedom of life in the now.  The Holy Scriptures are a record of the coping power of faith and the creation of stories and narratives to give us evidence of what was used to inspire salvation as the event of having faith to cope with the diversity of conditions which freedom brings to us in life.

  We might think that those biblical people were those who spun myth to deal with their pain or their success.  They looked back to the great man Moses and a time when the law and living was pure and simple and informal and obvious.  They idealized their King David to be a hero, God’s chosen instrument in a Golden Age for God’s people.  When Jesus came the times had been so bad for so many of the Jewish people, they took more comfort in idealizing a better future with a better hero person.  When one needs a rescue one looks for a hero; one looks for a superhero.  You and I can judge how bad we feel about the problems in our world today by the incredible proliferation of mythical superheroes of every sort.  They are high tech transformer or old fashioned guys wearing blue, red and yellow spandex under their street clothes or have a bat cave to go to make a change in their persona.  The biblical people had their superhero, the messiah.  They had the messianic expectations to help them get through their worst of times.

  We today, are just as human as biblical people.  We idealize the past; oh if we could get back to just the basic American Constitution, in all of the Jeffersonian and Madisonian purity.  Now there are so many laws and regulations; would that it were all simpler.  And wasn’t life better when Ike was president, or Reagan, or Clinton.  Each person from one’s own socio-economic situation idealizes a certain past to help survive the situation now.  Each person is vulnerable and may take comfort in superheroes to idealize a personal way to a better future.

  We are still mythical thinkers today as much as the biblical people were in their own time and it does no good to be dismissive about biblical motifs while we are superiorly blind to our own.

  Jesus came to people in the best of times and the worst of times.  He came to some who wanted legal purity.  If only we could get back to living by all of the 613 commandments in the Torah, we could have a better life.  And isn’t it a shame that so many people don’t know the 613 commandments and are willing to dismiss living by them.  So Jesus, if you are dismissing the 613 commandments, which commandments would you keep as being necessary to your life?

  So here Jesus was like a chief steward on the Titanic which is going down and his crew is wanting to know if they should set up the shuffleboard game and on which side of the deck should they put the deck chairs.  And Jesus, like a chief steward is thinking, “Guys, we only need to attend to the life boats right now, because this ship is going down. It time to think about basic salvation.”  And in the sinking ship of life in the present time salvation is basic: Love God with all of the heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself.

  Moses is gone, David is gone and the Romans possess the land.  Don’t confuse the people with legal details of your nostalgia for a different world.  Get to the basics of accessible moral thinking.  Give every man, woman and child accessible criteria for them to judge the actions and thoughts of their lives:  Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

  Jesus made ethics and morals accessible to everyone.  He gave people the basic judging criteria of life.  We clergy like to add lots of other rules on top of the basic because our jobs depend on it.  We would like for you to think that the eleventh commandment is: Thou shalt get your pledge card in on time.”

  The time of Jesus was like our time; it had enough of the worst of times about it to create the need for a superhero, an imminent savior and rescuer.  If we ever needed to be saved it is now.  Apocalyptic thinking is “quick fix” thinking.  Life is so bad for the good guys that God needs to stop all of this right away.  The Flood Story was apocalyptic thinking.  The people of the world were so evil and bad that God had to destroy everyone except Noah and his family and start over.  What is true about this is not that such a story could be verified; what is true is the apocalyptic impulse.

  People respond to loss and crises with the apocalyptic impulse as they express the need for an interventionist superhero in different ways.  In our world we can find ISIL and Boka Haram and Taliban as apocalyptic violence cults with the simple solution to kill everyone who differs from them.  Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot and a host of others have subscribed to apocalyptic violence as a way to usher in the peace of their controlling realm.  The Caesar was declared the “Savior of the World” who brought about what was called the “Pax Romana” or the Roman Peace, peace as the result of killing out all opponents to the type of order that the Caesar imposed.

  Jesus is presented as one who had to live within an environment which included much speculation about a Messianic superhero.  People of all sorts had many different opinion about the superhero.  The superhero motif is our creation to survive now by hoping for the intervention of a better tomorrow in the form of a personal power that shows us that we are cared for.

   What the record of history shows is that Jesus was not received as the messiah for those who continued in the synagogue and who excommunicated the followers of Jesus.  What the record of history shows is that non-Jewish people took over a completely unfamiliar notion, the notion of the messiah from the Jewish story and adopted it as the winning motif within the Roman Empire.  This is one of the most baffling ironies of human history.

  And I think this elevation of Jesus as a superhero messiah to people who did not even originate the notion of the messiah happened because Jesus was a suffering servant messiah.  Jesus was a hidden messiah.  Jesus was the one who was saying, if you want to know the messiah and the impact and the success of the messiah just, love God and love your neighbor as yourself, and do it one moment at a time.  And suddenly you will find that messianic takes over one’s life.

  Today we are deluged with so many laws and regulations we can let ourselves be divided by countless requirements and loyalties.  Today, there is incredible public stalemate to accomplish common good.  There is violence abroad in our world at home and in places far away.  And Hollywood catering to our fear has generated hundreds of superheroes to provide us with a catharsis for the need of a “quick fix” to our world.

  But what is the Gospel?  The fix is not quick.  The fix is the kind and quiet and private application of this: Love God with all your heart; love your neighbor as yourself.  If we abide in this principle we will find the messiah and the messianic within our lives.  Amen.

Sunday School, October 26, 2014 20 Pentecost Cycle A, Proper 25

Sunday School

Gathering Song: "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God"  in preparation for All Saints' Sunday

Sunday School Themes

The Summary of the Law.  You can talk about all of the laws in the Hebrew Scriptures supposed 613 commandments.  That a lot of rules to learn.  You can mention the 10 Commandments and how much easier it is to remember 10 commandment instead of 613.

Today there are many rules, at school, in traffic, at home, everywhere we have rules.  So, if we cannot remember all of the rules, how can we know the right thing to do or say?

Jesus said that if we do and say things and love God and love our neighbor as  our self, then we can know that we are doing the right thing.

The Summary or short version of the Law helps us to how to think as people who love God and our neighbors.

You can also show how the Short Version of the Law is like what is called the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

And you can perform the play on the Golden Rule and the Short version of the Law

Puppet Show: October 26, 2014  C p. 25

 Officer George, Lucas, Miriam

Officer George:  Hello Lucas and Miriam.  How are you today?

Lucas:  We’re fine Officer George, unless you are here to arrest us.

Officer George:  Well, no I’m not here to arrest you.  Have you been doing anything that bad?

Miriam: Well, not that bad but I still confess my sins at church.  Why are you here today?

Officer George:  As you know I am an officer of the law and I like to teach boys and girls about the law and about following rules.

Lucas: Officer George, we’re too young to drive so we don’t need to know the driving rules yet.  What kind of rules are you talking about.

Officer George:  Today, I am talking about a very important rule, it is called the Golden Rule.  Do you know what the Golden Rule is?

Miriam: Does it mean that whoever has the most Gold is the one who gets to make the rules?

Officer George:  That’s funny Miriam, but no, that is not the Golden Rule.

Lucas:  What is the Golden Rule then?

Officer George:  The Golden Rule is: Do unto others what you would have them do to you.

Miriam:  So if I don’t want to be teased by my brother, I should not tease him?

Officer George:  Yes, you need to treat other people the way in which you want to be treated.

Lucas: Did Jesus teach the Golden Rule.

Officer George:  Yes, he did and he also said the Golden Rule in another way.  He said that it was important to love our neighbor as ourself. 

Miriam: So if I want to be love, I should be loving to other people?

Officer George:  Yes, you should because that is the best way for people to live together in respect and peace.

Lucas:  Well, I like the Golden Rule and I like the rule about loving our neighbor as ourselves.  Sometimes it is hard to do especially when my neighbor is not always nice to me.  How do I love my neighbor when he is not nice to me?

Officer George:  Well, by loving your neighbor when he is not nice to you, you can teach him an important lesson.  He can watch you and learn from your kindness.  But it is hard sometimes to love people who do not treat us nice.

Miriam:  That is why we need another commandment.  We need to love God first and know that God loves us too.

Officer George:  You are right Miriam.  To know God’s love for us means that we can learn to love people even when they don’t treat us kindly.

Lucas: Yes, if we treat them kindly maybe they will see that kindness is better for everyone.

Officer George:  Well, I have got to go.  I don’t have to write any tickets for you, Miriam and Lucas, because I think that you know the Golden Rule.  So will you share the Golden Rule with everyone?

Miriam:  Yes, we will Officer George.  And we’ll share the Golden Rule with our friends here today.

Lucas: Boys and girls, can you remember to love your neighbor as your self?    Good.  I think that you will be very popular.

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

October 26, 2014: The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands, Seek Ye First, The King of Glory

Liturgist:      Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

People:         And Blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever.  Amen.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.

And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.

Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: He’s Got the Whole World  (Christian Children’s Songbook,  # 90)

1.      He’s got the whole world in his hands, he’s got the whole wide world in his hands, he got the whole world in his hands, he’s got the whole world in his hands.

2.      He’s got the little tiny baby in his hands….

3.      He’s got the boys and the girls in his hands..

4.      He’s got the moms and the dads in his hands…

5.      He’s got the cats and the dogs in his hands..

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Litany of Praise: Alleluia (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia

O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia

O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians

As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 90

Show your servants your works * and your splendor to their children.

May the graciousness of the LORD our God be upon us; * prosper the work of our hands; prosper our handiwork.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:

For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!

For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!

For work and for play. Thanks be to God!

For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!

For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!

For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.

   Thanks be to God!

Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "`You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: "What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." He said to them, "How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, `The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet"'? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?" No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions. 

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.

Since God is so great and we are so small,

We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.

We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.

We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.

And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve us forever.  Amen.

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy. (chanted)

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.

For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.

For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.

For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.

For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.

For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Liturgist:         The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

People:            And also with you.

Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering.

Offertory Music: Hosanna, (Renew #  71)

1   Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!  Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!  Lord we lift up your name with hearts full of praise; be exalted, oh Lord my God! Hosanna in the highest.

2 Glory, Glory, Glory to the King of Kings!  Glory, Glory, Glory to the King of Kings!  Lord we lift up your name with hearts full of praise; be exalted, oh Lord my God!  Glory to the King of King.

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of heaven.”

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

Baptism is a celebration of our birth into the family of God.

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(Children may gather around the altar)

The Celebrant now praises God for the salvation of the world through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;

You have made us in your image

And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:

Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.

And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph

And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.

Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat

 the bread and drink the wine, we can  know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as  

 this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

The Prayer continues with these words

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so that we may love God and our neighbor.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in our future.

Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ.  May we forever live with praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory

 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,

(Children rejoin their parents and take up their instruments)

Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.

Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:        Alleluia.  Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Hymn: Seek Ye First  (Blue Hymnal  # 711)

1. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness.  And all these things will be added unto you, Allelu, alleluia.

Refrain: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, allelu, alleluia.

2. Knock and the door shall be open upon you.  Seek and ye shall find.  Ask and it shall be given unto you, Allelu, alleluia. Refrain

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;

We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.

And His Presence has been known to us.

We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers

    and sisters in Christ.

Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the

     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,

As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: The King of Glory Comes, (Renew! # 267)

Refrain:  The King of Glory comes the nation rejoices.  Open the gates before him lift up your voices.

1.      Who is the King of glory; how shall we call him?  He is Emmanuel, the promised of ages.  Refrain

2.      In all of Galilee, in city or village, he goes among his people curing their illness.  Refrain

3.      Sing then of David’s son, our Savior and brother; in all of Galilee was never another.  Refrain

Dismissal:   

Liturgist:    Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.

People:      Thanks be to God! 

Numismatic Lesson on Being Icons of God

19 Pentecost, Cycle A, Proper 24, October 19, 2014

Exodus 33:12-23  Psalm 99

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10  Matthew 22:15-22

Lectionary Link

We would readily admit that Jesus of Nazareth was very charismatic.  But today we must note that he was very numismatic.  He took a sudden interest in coins to teach a very important lesson.  We all know how to create a public stir.  Just bring up the issue of taxes at a party and the fur will fly.  Some of the religious opponents of Jesus apparently wanted to audit Jesus.  They want him to go on the record to oppose paying taxes to Caesar.  If they could trick Jesus into encouraging the non-payment of taxes then certainly the local representatives of the Caesar would take notice and take Jesus out of circulation.  And eventually we are told that Jesus died because he was understood to be a competitor to the Emperor.

Jesus as a wisdom teacher and clever debater, knew how to argue very contextually but also present profound theological insights.  Jesus was not going allow himself to be painted into the corner by his opponents; he was not going to be forced into a conclusion based upon the forced logic of his interlocutors.

Jesus was knowledgeable about the numismatic practice of his time.  Historians and archaeologists are thrilled about the coins of the ancient world because the coin provided a durable record of the ancient societies.  Lots of things break down with erosion and corrosion but coins have endured to provide a reliable record.  Coins were stamped with the face of the king or ruler of the time and place.  Sometimes a coin was re-minted with a succeeding emperor super-imposed upon the image of a previous emperor.  Each emperor had an identifiable image on a coin.  The emperor's image on a coin was proof of the control of the emperor in a certain geographical area but it also was the evidence that the emperor could collect taxes for his own personal wealth, for standing armies and for public work projects.

Jesus turned a numismatic question into the most basic theological question of the book of Genesis, with a question:  Show me a coin.  Whose image is on this coin?  The Caesar's.  Then give to the Caesar the things which bear his image, but give to God the things which bear the image of God.  And what are we told in the book of Genesis bears the image of God?  Yes creation bears the image of God but most specifically, Adam and Eve.  In the image or ikon of God, they were created.

And so Jesus was saying, "Let Caesar have his coins, but the Caesar really belongs to God because the Caesar is a man who bears the image of God."

Jesus was saying, You can argue about coin and money; I am concerned about the very souls of men and women.  Men and women belong to God and the entire point of life is to come to acknowledge the divine ownership of our lives.

We may say about our children, "he favors his daddy or she has her mom's eyes" and so by looking at biological parents and children we can do some match making because children bear the images of their parents.  And so someone can look at a child and say, "he's your child or she's your child."

Jesus was looking at every person, including the emperor and saying, "You are God's children....now start acting that way."  Jesus introduced the Fatherhood of God with his life and he did not do this to proclaim himself as an exclusive son of God;  he did it so that we might recover the theology of the Genesis story, namely, we have always already been sons and daughters of God because we bear upon ourselves the divine image.

This discussion of Jesus regarding coins and taxes can help us to end all of our discussions about taxes and time, talent, and treasure which we give to our governments and to our charitable organizations and to our parish church.

If we are arguing about whether we have to pay taxes or whether we should give our time, talent and treasure to God or if we are worrying about how much of our time, talent and treasure then we are missing the point of Jesus.

The point is that we and all that we have belongs to God and it is not ours to give.  It is only ours to be stewards of in how we choose to honor God and help the fellowship of the people of our community.

Jesus is saying point blank: Don't argue the ownership issue.  Even as great as the emperor is, he does not own his own life even though he may act as though he does.  Apparent ownership can only be faked for the number of days which is given for us to live and so it is better to think about making our lives, our time, our talent, our treasure, objectively immortal by adding excellence and quality of life to our community while we live and as a truly enduring legacy after we have left.

Stewardship is the way in which we live the values of our lives.  And the main stewardship question is: Do we live our lives as though we belong to God?

For Christians, the sign of the cross has become a way of acknowledging the ownership of God upon our lives.  Jesus Christ was the divine presence to us in human form.  Jesus belonged so much to God his Father, he himself had the image and likeness of God in its clearest human manifestation.  Jesus was given to us as God's special son, so that we might come to know ourselves as God's sons and daughters.

And so at baptism we celebrate our membership in God's family.  We have the cross branded upon our foreheads using the royal anointing oil of chrism as we are invested as crown princesses and crown princes of God.  "You are sealed with the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ's own forever."

How do we live the reality of our ownership by God through Jesus Christ?  We try to make the sign of the cross over all of the things of our lives as we intentionally recognize the ownership of all things by God.  In our intentional recognition of the ownership of all things by God, we also accept all things as wonderful gifts of God for us to use for our necessities, enjoyment and for the care of as many people as we can.

This wonderful Gospel encounter with the numismatic Jesus is a reminder to us about the basic stewardship issue of life:  To whom do we belong?  And if we acknowledge that we belong to God, what kind of moral and ethical expressions do we perform in how we use our time, talent and treasure.

May God bring us to insight about the divine image which we bear on our lives.  And may we learn to please our heavenly parent always and to follow our first brother Jesus in learning to please God and to practice love and justice with all in our lives.  Amen