Twice a week I head over to a Nursing and Assisted Living Home to do a Bible Study. We have been working our way through the Gospel of Mark, and we recently got to Mark 12:13-17, where Jesus is asked about paying taxes to Caesar. We all pondered that story for awhile, especially verse 17….
Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” (NIV Translation)
As I prepared to move on, a wheelchair bound octogenarian said something profound. She said that everything belongs to God, because God had the grace to make us in the first place. It was great to receive that witness from someone who has a multitude of valid reasons to be bitter and pessimistic.
As the season of Lent approaches, All Saints Episcopal Church is focusing on renewal. One of our offerings, which I will lead, is a book discussion based on the idea of a “practical” Christianity. How can one truly center their lives on the Gospel? Sunday morning worship is a great discipline, but someone wise once told me it’s a little like a huddle in football. You get together, take a breather, get on the same page, and head back out there to really play the game. Worship happens on Sunday morning. Ministry happens during the rest of the week.
How does the Gospel inform what food we buy? Or how we buy our clothes? Or who we make time for in our schedules? There is no cookie-cutter, one size fits all answer to these questions. But if we center ourselves on God, and try to build our house on the rock of Christ instead of sand (Matthew 7:24-27), then the Spirit will guide us.
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