Reflection with readings below
Today’s reading from Isaiah sounds like the fulfilling of the scenario posited by the Song of the Vineyard which we heard a couple of week’s ago. Isaiah is describing what he sees as God enabling a foreign power to come in and defeat the nation of God’s people – either a punishment or as the inevitable consequence of the failure of God’s people to follow and be faithful to the ways of God. The last lines – ‘I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things.’ – are nevertheless a reminder that God is always wanting to re-establish well being. The word ‘weal’ has the meaning of wellbeing, welfare and prosperity – and often is used to refer to the wellbeing of the common good. Hopefully this reading reassures us that whatever humans do to harm each other and the planet – and the woe that they cause – God still desires and seeks our ‘weal’, wellbeing.
The Psalmist too reasserts that God’s gospel is that of salvation – the healing and restoration of the planet, its inhabitants. Their thriving reflects the glory of God – so the Psalmist then urges us to praise and worship God just as the trees, the fields and the seas already do. The natural environment naturally follows God’s will but humans need constantly to be called back to that wisdom. Humans seem all to ready to follow the ways of idols – be that free-market economics, racism, global domination, or just simple greed.
As Christians we are called to reflect the image of God, adhering to the wisdom and way of God. We are in this called to love our neighbours – both neat and far, human and creaturely- so that in the healing and flourishing of Earth, God is glorified.
A recent Green Christian workshop on ethical purchasing laid out the rational for us as Christians to think -and research factually – about where the things we buy and the services we use, have come from, who has laboured to make and deliver them? Have they been fairly paid? Has care been given for their safety? How nature has been handled – has nature been cherished or trashed? Has consideration been given to the sustainability of any extractive processes? Has consideration been given to any pollutants that might be released or waste discarded? Who has profited most from the purchase? Have taxes been appropriately paid?
This thought process is clearly one in which we are checking that are actions are compatible with loving our neighbours, and are in line with God’s wisdom.
Is this what is at the heart of today’s gospel story? The Pharisees and the Herodian see money as just money albeit money that may bear a graven image on one side. But Jesus understands that money is more than just coin. It has something that has a back story: how has it been earnt? Does it represent the fruit of exploitation or fair trade? What does it represent – just or sharp practices? Who will it benefit? The one who needs it or the one who already has more than enough?
The question of money, of where it comes from, of who uses it, and of how it is used, is just as valid today. The Green Christian talk was given by the campaign charity Just Money. One of the main focuses is on challenging us to think about our money and in particular the banks we use. Does our bank use our money (and all banks do use the money that passes through their coffers both to make more money and to enable other businesses to function and expand) to enable good businesses to flourish or do they enable to continued trading of business that cause harm? Do, for example, the banks we use enable renewable energy projects or do they fund the continued expansion of the fossil fuel industry? Do they, for example, protect and enhance biodiversity or do they fund business that continued to deforest the Earth? Do they, for example enable social housing projects or energy hungry dat centres?
Are our lives a ‘work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ’? Do we need to review where our money comes from, how it is used and why effects it has on our neighbour?
Isaiah 45:1-7
Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped
to subdue nations before him
and strip kings of their robes,
to open doors before him–
and the gates shall not be closed:
I will go before you and level the mountains,
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron,
I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches hidden in secret places,
so that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
besides me there is no god.
I arm you, though you do not know me,
so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is no one besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I form light and create darkness,
I make weal and create woe;
I the Lord do all these things.
Psalm 96:1-13
1 Sing to the Lord a new song; *
sing to the Lord, all the whole earth.
2 Sing to the Lord and bless his Name; *
proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations *
and his wonders among all peoples.
4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; *
he is more to be feared than all gods.
5 As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols; *
but it is the Lord who made the heavens.
6 Oh, the majesty and magnificence of his presence! *
Oh, the power and the splendour of his sanctuary!
7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples; *
ascribe to the Lord honour and power.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the honour due his Name; *
bring offerings and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; *
let the whole earth tremble before him.
10 Tell it out among the nations: “The Lord is King! *
he has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea thunder and all that is in it; *
let the field be joyful and all that is therein.
12 Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy
before the Lord when he comes, *
when he comes to judge the earth.
13 He will judge the world with righteousness *
and the peoples with his truth.
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead– Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.
The Gospel
Matthew 22:15-22
The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
