Who's is Who's?

In a recent Republican Presidential nominee debate, Michelle Bachmann had this to say regarding a tax question an audience member asked, “And after the debate, I talked to that young man, and I said I wish I could have answered that question, because I want to tell you what my answer is: I think you earned every dollar. You should get to keep every dollar that you earn. That's your money. That's not the government's money.” In other words, no taxes.

Taxes are a big part our society. We're taxed on just about anything from paychecks to inheritance; from food to clothes; from winnings in the lottery to winnings on Wheel of Fortune. So, it is a nice thought that we wouldn't have to pay any taxes of any kind and it seems every Republican Presidential candidate is trying to out do one another with who go can the lowest on our taxes. But did you know you do not have to pay your taxes? We have what you would call a volunteer tax system. A few years ago the son of a congressman was arrested for tax evasion. The judge showed little mercy, going as far to say, “Our tax system depends on voluntary compliance. Therefore we must send a signal to other tax cheaters.” True story. Every April 15, we render to Caesar what is Caesar's without complaint or reservations; despite what the yellow billboards on the side of the road say. But when it comes to rendering to God what is God's, that's a whole other story.

Before every offertory in every church across the country, 83% of the people who will say the offertory prayer will offer up their own stories, own words of wisdom as to why the congregation should tithe, followed by quoting Malachi 3:10; followed by an explanation that a tithe is 10% of your monthly/yearly income. The offering plates will pass and those who feel compelled will give the appropriate amount while some withhold for various reasons. We do not look for excuses to not pay our taxes. Sure, we look for tax breaks; but we know an 11 year jail sentence awaits us if we do not “voluntarily comply” with our tax system. However tithing is a volunteer compliance system in which no immediate repercussions take place. I mean, how many times have the finance chairperson showed up at your door demanding your yearly tithe?

Our passage this morning is speaking to something other than separation of church and state or why you should pay your taxes or why you should tithe. Our passage speaks to the life that is required when we choose to follow Christ. Are you familiar with the hymn, “Take My Life, and Let it Be”? I once heard a story about this hymn; one that I believe will help the “something other” I believe the passage is speaking about. The story goes like this:

Laurie liked to play hymns on the piano and sing. She always started and finished with her favorite, "Take My Life That I May Be." And while she sang, she dreamed about the future. "Take my life that I may be consecrated, Lord, to thee...." What would she do with her life? She'd be lost in hopes as she continued, "Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of your love...."

But there was one line she never quite liked. "Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold...." It seemed a little out of touch with reality, that "not a mite" part. After all, you had to live in the world, didn't you? And it takes money. She wondered about her financial responsibilities as a Christian.

When Laurie graduated from college with an elementary education major, she took a one-year position as a teacher in a little village in Mexico. She had heard about poverty in Mexico -- but nothing could have prepared her for this. The teachers' apartments were right next to the school, if you could call them apartments. The other teachers called them "huts with plumbing," but they were mansions compared to where her students lived.

When Laurie first walked through the door of her own "hut," tears stung her eyes. What was she doing here? What was she thinking? Many of her friends had already "gotten settled" into comfortable American schools, with adequate incomes and nice apartments. They wouldn't think of going without a curling iron for a whole year, much less a coffee maker! How was she going to survive, hundreds of miles from everyone she loved and everything she knew?

There was a timid knock at her door. Several school-age children crowded into the doorway to get a peek at the new teacher.

Within a few weeks, those knocks at the door became daily occurrences. Late afternoon and early evening, the children would come -- to visit, for help with schoolwork, and often just to be there. She didn't mind the extra time spent with them. She was already starting to love these kids, their families, and this little village.

Laurie's few possessions were like treasures to them. They held her unlit candles gently in their laps, memorized all the faces in her family portrait, and paged through her paperbacks as if they were able to read them. It was fun to see how her "stuff" delighted them.

Laurie surveyed her homey little apartment. She had packed light for the year, but now many of these "bare necessities" she had brought seemed unnecessary -- even extravagant. (And then there's that small mountain of boxes and bins stored in her parents' basement!).

She had given up a lot -- especially income -- to come here this year. (She began to wonder what on earth she would have done with all that income.) She asked God how to use her wealth in the middle of so much poverty. For the first time, it dawned on her that an understanding of "Take my silver and my gold ..." began with the heart.

There was one thing she never let the children see. At least once a week, late at night when she was all alone, she pulled it out of the back of her closet: her graduation dress, a gift from her parents. It was the nicest dress she'd ever owned, but it was so much more than that: it was the pride of graduation, and great college memories, and home, and her parents' love -- all in that one special dress. It somehow brought her family closer to her, and when she was lonely it reminded her how special she was to them.
One day, in early spring, Maria knocked on her door. Maria had never before come to Laurie's, although her younger brothers and sisters were there often. Maria was in her teens and worked at the clothing factory in the nearby town. Her income fed the entire family.

Maria's eyes sparkled. She was getting married, in just two months. Laurie hugged her and congratulated her. Then Maria, head bowed, quietly asked Laurie for help. She had brought over a well-worn old dress and a white shawl, and wondered if Laurie could help her sew something special from them for the wedding.

Laurie held up the old garments, and tried to think of something they could design from them. Back home, she'd packed up clothes to Salvation Army that were far nicer than these. She told Maria they'd try, and Maria should come back Saturday to work on it.

That night she felt particularly lonely. Her college roommate had gotten married the day after graduation, and here she was in Mexico alone, unattached, and no one waiting back home for her. So, of course, she reached into the back of her closet for her dress. She hugged it to herself and cried softly, so aware of her emptiness in the middle of her little "Mexican adventure."

As she gently placed it back into the closet, those nagging words popped into her head. "Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold...." She pulled the dress back out and eyed it carefully. Yes, it was the right shade. Yes, it was close to the right size. Yes, it could be temporarily hemmed. Yes, it would be a perfect dress for Maria to use on her wedding day.

Laurie thought of the Psalm that says, "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it...." It started to make sense to her that, if everything is God's, then what we have is "on loan" from God, to be gratefully received and generously used. What was "on loan" to her from God could be "on loan" from her to Maria.

Letting Maria use her prized possession as a wedding dress suddenly felt like an honor to Laurie. She couldn't wait for Saturday, and the surprise she had for Maria. "Not a mite would I withhold...." It was a matter of the heart. (Mary Sue Dehmlow Dreir)

Jesus' response to the Pharisees is not a justification for paying a high/low tax. It is not a valid reason for the separation of church and state. It is something more. We live simultaneously in God's realm and the human realm, and Jesus calls us to responsibility in both. Go ahead: pay your state sales tax, license your cars, and file an honest tax return. Give to the government whatever it takes to conduct its business. But remember: our things as well as ourselves belong to God, and are here for God's purposes to be accomplished.

That is the something other, the something more I am referring too. The Lord your God is the one to whom you must do homage, him alone you must serve. Jesus asks for a single-minded commitment to God and God alone. God wants all our heart, all of our mind, and all of our soul. Henri Nouwen writes, “It is this unconditional and unreserved love for God that leads to the care for one another, not as an activity that distracts us from God or competes with our attention to God, but as an expression of our love for God who reveals himself to us as the God of all people.” It is in giving everything that is God's to God we discover the ability to live life in faithfulness in the good times and bad times, in sickness and health, in wealth and poverty. It gives us the knowledge that true joy comes from giving to God everything that is God's and that includes ourselves.

It is then and only then we can say with complete joy:

Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee; Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love. Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for thee; take my voice and let me sing always, only for my king. Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold; take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise. Take my will, and make it thine, it shall be no longer mine; take my heart, it is thine own, it shall be thy royal throne.

A Gentleman Always Accepts the Invitation

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:1-14

I like weddings. I do. I think they have the opportunity to be one of the best days of anyone's life. Not just for the bride and groom but for all present: the new in-laws, the wedding party, the guests, the minister, the musician, everyone. My wedding was on a hot August night in 2003. Lacy and her mother had decided the wedding would be a classic formal wedding. The invitations we sent out included the words, “Formal Attire Required” or something to that effect. You may think it is rude to require guests to wear certain attire; but there is a time to suit down and a time to suited up, as Barney Stinson would say. A wedding at 7:00 pm is a time to suit up according to A Gentleman Gets Dressed Up.

Not only does a gentleman or a lady dress up for a wedding, they always say yes to the invitation. A gentleman/lady never turns down an invitation to a party, wedding, or banquet. Even if an excuse can be made, you are to never turn down an invitation unless you have already committed to a previous engagement. You are also to accept the first invitation you are given and not wait for a better offer. A gentleman/lady always accepts the invitation.

Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a king who gave a wedding banquet or feast for his son. All the who's who have been invited and when the feast is ready, the king sends his slaves out to tell them the party is ready. But the invited guests made light of the invitation; one went away to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. Enraged, the king sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he says to his slaves, “The wedding is ready, but those invited are not worthy. Go into the streets and invite everyone you find.”

The invited guests repeatedly refused the invitation to the wedding. They refused to come in for various reasons, some had work to do, some had businesses to run, others wanted to start a war. At one time they were worthy of the invitation to the wedding. Whether they were friends of the king or part of the high society that frequents the king's court does not matter. What matters is the point being made: those who were invited now find themselves unworthy because they refused the invitation; and the invitations have gone to others. Perhaps then, we could also say the church can be compared to a king who held a wedding banquet for his son.

The American church has spent a vast amount of money conjuring up programs, making numerous phone calls, sending out fliers, letters, emails, newsletters, building bigger church marques, all in the hopes that they will attract and gain members. Christian organizations and conventions spend an innate amount of time creating new specials that the church can spend ungodly amounts of money on in order to attract members. Yet, I bet if we were honest with one another, if the church was honest with itself, we would admit that these programs, fliers, events, letters, etc. are not really aimed at the lost or non-church folks. They are aimed at those who are inactive in their church membership.

Every church minister hears, “We think you should do this and this so we can have so and so back.” Or “So and so didn't like the previous minister, so hopefully they like you because we miss them.” Or “I stopped coming because so and so was a member and I didn't like them but I'm back now because they died.” True story. Every minister knows first hand when a church member talks about church membership, deep down they are talking about inactive members.

The church can be compared to a king who threw a wedding banquet for his son. How often have we organize an event and send out an invitation to every church member only to find the ones who come are the ones who we know and those we hoped to see have said, “Sorry, too busy” “Sundays are our only day together as a family” “We've got baseball” “It's hunting season”? For some reason the church continues to send them an invitation, only to have that invitation rejected or made light of; yet there remains a group of people who are desperately looking for a place to belong. How long will the church continue to worry about inactive members and ignore the ones who are here? How long will the church continue to invite the so and so's while ignoring the hurting and downtrodden? How long?

The Christian community is often more concerned about the people who aren't there then the ones who are. When I was a youth minister, students or parents would show for an event or Bible study and say, “No one's here. Where is everybody?” while 15 people sat in the room. I would laugh and sarcastically reply, “Well, we're here so does that make us no one? I mean are we not people?” Taken back they would reply, “I mean...you know what I mean.” Our mentality as the church is to think, “No one's here” instead of “Yay! You're here!” How often have you looked across the pew and thought, “I'm so glad who's here is here”? How often have you looked across the pew and asked, “Where is everyone?”

I think, in an odd way, that is the point Jesus is trying to make. The church leaders have continually rejected the invitation to the wedding. They have more important things to do then to go to a wedding. They thought they didn't need to respond to the invitation. They thought they would always be included, invited to the king's court. After all, they're important people. But the kingdom of heaven does not wait for those who continually reject the king's invitation. Eventually, their invitation will go to those who want to be invited.

The church can only wait for so long for the so and so's and who's who accept the invitation to come back until the food gets cold and the party guest leave. The wedding banquet goes on with or without us. The food is prepared and ready. The music is blaring and the people are dancing. The doors are open but the party won't wait forever for us before it starts. It will begin with us or without us. That is the kingdom of heaven. It is a place that will not wait until we're ready for change. It is a way of life that gives us limitless grace while giving us limitless demands. The kingdom of heaven is given to those who accept the invitation to be a part of it and live into it.

Imagine that you are throwing a party. Guests begin to arrive but you do not see your best friends. What do you do? Do you wait until they show up or do you start the party? It doesn't mean they can't join in later. It simply means the party will start without them because those who are there, those who accepted the invitation are worthy. The kingdom of heaven is not a kingdom that waits to get started. And that's the point Jesus is trying desperately to make with the chief priests and the church elders. “The kingdom of heaven will be brought forth whether you want to be a part of it or not.” The longer a church waits for prodigal members to return, the sooner the church will discover they have ceased to exist and find those who would have accepted the invitation are no longer interested.

A few years ago, I watched a movie called, Yes Man, starring Jim Carrey. Jim plays Carl Allen who is stuck in a rut with his negative attitude. He was a “no” man; always saying no to anything. He would say no when his friends wanted to hang. He would reject every invitation because he didn't want to go. Then one day he runs into an old colleague who invites to a self help seminar. Carl reluctantly goes to the seminar where he learns about the power of yes. Carl discovers that living in the affirmative, by saying yes to the invitations life gives him, amazing and transforming experiences.

After watching the movie I decided to do a life experiment and say yes to every opportunity life gave me except when those opportunities proved to be unhealthy for me, such as doing drugs or playing chicken on tractors with Kevin Bacon. Saying yes to the invitations God presented me led me to a better a life; a life that was full, a life that finally had meaning. It is that type of life I believe saying yes to the invitation to the opportunities God gives us is what brings about a better story. A story that reflects that of a wedding: celebration with music, food, and dancing.

I need to be clear. When I refer to living life to the full and the fullness the invitation offers us, I am speaking to something more than just the invitation to eternal life. I am speaking to living the life God is providing for us here and now. The church often concerns itself with the eternal and beyond. Asking the question, “What's heaven like?” or “How do we know?” We concern ourselves with raptures and end times because it's unknown. All our imaginations are left with are vivid images described in our scriptures. But I believe the invitation Christ refers to in this parable goes past the unknown and into the known. I believe the invitation to the banquet was an invitation for the elders and chief priests right then and there. The feast was ready after all.

The kingdom of heaven is often compared to a wedding and a banquet. A dinner held in honor of those married into the kingdom. I've been told that there will be a great feast, with dancing and drinking, (the Baptist will frown at the drinking) but the feast will be epic. The wedding party will be one to remember. However, I truly believe we do not have to wait until the final days or until our death to live into this story. The wedding banquet is ready, all we have to do is show up, turn the music up and let the sounds of the party bring all those who are looking for invitation in. In other words, let us not wait on the who's who and the so and so's before we start the party. Because the food will get cold and people won't wait around. Let's celebrate the wedding that is to come and the wedding that is already here.