Greenfield Presbyterian Church
For the last two years I have moderated the Session of Greenfield Presbyterian Church. They worshiped at 4:30 on Sunday afternoons, so I was able to serve as pulpit supply for them, while also serving as the Interim Pastor of the First United Presbyterian Church of Houston, PA (from September 2015 through August 2016) and Rehoboth Presbyterian Church in Belle Vernon (beginning in October 2016). On Sunday, October 22nd, Greenfield Presbyterian held its final service of worship; the congregation has been dissolved. It was a bittersweet day.
Isaiah 45:1-7; Matthew 22:15-22
Sermon
Good afternoon. This is a bittersweet day. Today we
finish a chapter in the life of this faith community. And while we are about to
close the books on this congregation, we haven’t come to the end of the book,
but rather, we are all turning a page. Our faith journeys will continue, but
our paths will no longer intersect at this place every week or every month. So,
we must acknowledge our collective sense of loss at this place called
Greenfield Presbyterian Church.
The woodwork in this church is absolutely gorgeous.
I
would also like to say thank you. Thank you for inviting me into your
pulpit—and your session meetings—for these last two years. I want to offer a
special thanks to Jenn for asking me to cover the pulpit for her in August of
2015. I had no idea it would turn into such a deep relationship. Of course,
deep relationships are built around shared work and around a common table, and
I think we all owe Jenn Frayer-Griggs a debt of gratitude for trying something different.
The
first time I preached here was in 2013, when I was in seminary. Like many
seminary students, I had this desire to show everyone how brilliant I am. Or
maybe that’s because I’m an only child. It’s probably a both/and situation. As
this congregation moved from the sanctuary to the table, and as the sermon
became more of a discussion, I learned how brilliant all of you are.
In
that exchange, I found a place where I could let my guard down a little bit. I
found a place where I could say what I was really thinking, and I knew I would
be safe. I drive a lot. As I get older, I find that I get more tired from the
driving—especially the drive to and from Belle Vernon. But I never, ever said
to myself, “I wish I didn’t have to drive to Greenfield today.” You fed me.
Literally and spiritually. You fed me. Thank you!
Most Sundays, we gathered around a single table in this room to worship and share a meal.
I
had trouble picking out a title for this sermon. “Render unto Caesar” was my
working title, because, honestly, I still hear the King James Version in the
back of my head: “Render therefore unto Caesar.” But something about that title
rang hollow for me. It sounded a little too much like every other sermon that’s been preached on this story. Also, I
preached a stewardship sermon at Rehoboth this morning. “Render unto Caesar”
might be a good title for a stewardship sermon, but a stewardship sermon really
doesn’t fit for you folks.
I
could have used a song title. “In My Life” would have been an obvious choice.
Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page” also would have worked. “Closing Time,” by
Semisonic, might have been a little harsh, though the lyrics are appropriate:
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
One of the
commentaries I read suggested, “It’s a trap!” I’m guessing that I don’t have to
explain that reference to any of you. And it would be a fitting title, because
Matthew tells us that the Pharisees were trying to entrap Jesus. The other
title that leapt to mind was “Strange Bedfellows,” because the Pharisees are
joined by the Herodians in their attempt to entrap Jesus.
The Pharisees and the Herodians shouldn’t have any business working together on anything. The Pharisees were a sect within Judaism who believed that worship and Jewish life had become corrupted by the influence of the Roman Empire. The Pharisees wanted to purify the religious practices of the Jewish people. The Herodians were the descendants of King Herod and those who supported the kings from Herod’s line. Even though Herod and his descendants had the title “king,” the Roman Emperor was really in charge. The Herodians were allowed to keep some measure of power, but only as long as all the taxes flowed back to Rome.
So, in essence, the Pharisees believed that Judaism had been corrupted by the Herodians, who facilitated Roman rule. Under no circumstances should the Pharisees collaborate with the Herodians. The Pharisees, as they are portrayed in the Gospel of Matthew, are all about righteousness under the Law of Moses. The Herodians are all about maintaining what little power they wield. And yet, the Pharisees and the Herodians are conspiring to entrap Jesus. They have a common enemy in Jesus, who is truly righteous.
The Herodians and the Pharisees ask Jesus whether it’s lawful to pay taxes to Rome. This is the trap. The people of Judea hate these taxes. If Jesus says the taxes are unlawful and the people shouldn’t pay them, then he’s taking a public position against the Roman Empire; the Roman authorities can use this against him. If Jesus says that the people have to pay the tax, then Jesus will lose standing with the crowds of people who come to hear him speak. That’s the real goal for the Herodians and Pharisees, to discredit Jesus.[1] It’s worth noting that this exchange takes place in the temple.
Jacques Joseph Tissot, The Tribute Money
When the Herodians and the Pharisees challenge Jesus on the question of paying taxes to Rome, Jesus asks them to produce the coin that is used to pay the tax. This coin was probably a denarius, a Roman coin that bore the image of the emperor—in this case, Tiberius. That coin would have carried an inscription that identified Tiberius as the son of Augustus Caesar, who was worshiped as a God; it would have said something like, “Tiberius Caesar, son of god.” The person who pulled that coin out of his purse would have been guilty of idolatry, because he brought an image of a false god into the temple.[2] Jesus is calling out the hypocrisy of his adversaries. He is also calling out their divided loyalties.
Last Sunday I preached about idolatry; it’s one
of our biggest problems in our society, and it’s even a problem here in church.
One of the idols that we unwittingly worship in church is our past. Most
congregations are in love with the way things used to be. What’s more, they
have memories of so many important moments in their lives, as they were lived
in the church: weddings, baptisms, funerals; Christmases and Easters and all
those pot-luck dinners.
Again, with the gorgeous woodwork!
That
ends up producing another idol, the church building. Many congregations love
their buildings more than they love their pastors and they’ll do anything they
can to hold on to their buildings. They’ll cut the pastor’s terms of call to
three-quarter time or half-time. They’ll get rid of the music director and the
secretary. Cut the pastor’s terms of call to 19 hours a week so that they don’t
have to pay benefits. They’ll let go of the custodian. And then the organist.
They’ll go to pulpit supply. And then, eventually, the remaining members will
get too old and too tired, and they turn out the lights, lock the doors, and
hand the keys over to presbytery.
You
folks didn’t do that. Not all of it, anyhow.
You inherited a congregation that had walked pretty far down that path, but then something happened. You tried different things. You began to develop a sense of mission in this place. You tried. You were faithful stewards—to the end. You sold the building to a group that will continue to be a presence in Greenfield. You used your assets to support worthy missions. And you decided to invest your human capital with a new congregation, a community where you will help to shape the vision and the mission. Well done, you good and faithful servants!
The stained glass window at the rear of the sanctuary
This morning’s Gospel lesson is about righteousness. It is a reminder that everything in the world belongs to God. David Lose, a scholar and a Lutheran pastor, says about this story:
I think Jesus invites us—actually, demands of us—that we be thinking regularly and relentlessly about how all of our decisions—what we buy, who we vote for, how we spend our time—should be shaped by the confession that, indeed, the whole world is God's and everything in it—including us![3]
That is the grace in this story. Jesus calls us to a place of self-examination; Jesus calls us to put all of our practices under the microscope.
The stained glass windows on the side of the sanctuary
In the two years that I’ve
walked with you, I’ve watched you go through a process of intense
self-examination. In all of the congregations I’ve served, I’ve talked a lot
about the need for change. And over the last few months, you’ve lived that
change. I’m really proud of you.
Most of you have
transferred your memberships to Sixth Church, though a bit of your heart will
certainly remain in this place. Remember, as you go to your new congregation,
that first and foremost, you belong to God. Everything thing you have, every
joy and every blessing, belongs to God. So, give therefore, of your whole
being, unto God. Continue to practice that same process of self-examination at
Sixth or any other congregation you might go to. Continue to examine the
mission of your next congregation and how you will support that message. And
remember, always, that you belong to God. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Benediction
Now, beloved, as you depart from this place, remember that we are called to be the Church, the body of Christ in the world today. We are called to go forth and be instruments of God’s love and peace and love and reconciliation. Do not return evil for evil to any person, but know that we are all loved by God, and that we are called to reflect that love to everyone we meet. Go forth and be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, let all God’s children say, Amen!
[1] Erick J. Thompson, “Commentary on Matthew 22:15-22,” retrieved from: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3450
[2] David Lose, “God, Caesar, and the Power of a Good Question,” retrieved from: http://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=1589
[3] Lose.
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