Holy Trinity Ankeny

Faith and politics, it has been said by some, should never go together. The truth is that being faithful will lead us into political waters. Jesus says: “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21) - a very political statement. Paul calls on the name of the “Lord Jesus Christ” in direct opposition to the claim that “Caesar is Lord” in I Thessalonians 1:1 - Another political statement. How do we allow Jesus Christ to be Lord of even our politics?

'Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice.' In a world marked by turmoil and trials, the call to find joy may seem daunting. It might even seem as an empty platitude, but the Apostle Paul knows there is reason to rejoice – as Jesus explains it in our Gospel reading for today.   Isaiah 25:1-9 | Philippians 4:1-9 | Matthew 22:1-14

Wild grapes are good for nothing. They are sour and inedible. You can’t make wine or jelly with them. Birds won’t even eat them. The prophet Isaiah declares that God planted God’s people to yield the grapes of justice, mercy, peace, and grace. Instead, they became wild grapes, producing nothing but violence, injustice, and cries for God’s help. We too receive God’s richest blessings but end up being wild grapes. What are we to do?  

Jesus comes to Jerusalem acting in ways that disrupt. The officials want to know who he thinks he is. He turns the question around on them. If they say they are faithful people of God, why do they not do the work he does? Knowing who we are determines how we live our lives.

We all have a keen sense of fairness. It is ingrained in us. We don’t like when people get more than us, especially if we do the same amount of work. Jonah and Jesus show us today the generosity of God, and if we’re honest with ourselves, we don’t always like the generosity of God. Jonah 3:10--4:11, Philippians 1:21-30, Matthew 20:1-16

Peter asks if forgiving someone seven times is sufficient. Since many of us find forgiving someone once a stretch, Peter was generous. Jesus, however, called for more. He says, “Seventy-seven times” or “Seven times seventy.” Given the symbolic nature of the number seven, the point is to forgive endlessly. Perhaps forgiveness is more than a duty or obligation. Just maybe forgiveness is the power of the resurrection raising dead relationships to new life.

There I am minding my own business, just trying to get through this thing called life, and I didn’t realize I was supposed to be offended – at least until someone told me that I should be offended.  Amidst all the offense, we realize that words matter and words have power. Today, Jesus tells us “for where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Those spoken words are powerful.

These are instructions from Jesus for all who wish to follow him. What does that look like? Putting to death all that keeps us from living as Christ in this world is also trusting in the new life Christ offers. Every day is full of countless crosses we must take up to become what God calls us to be.

Today Jesus asks his disciples a pointed question – "Who do you say that I am?" They have witnessed all the miracles and still wonder who this man they are following is. Jesus also asks us the same question. If we get the answer right, then we rightly know ourselves.

When Jesus encounters a Canaanite woman begging him to heal her daughter his response is, at best, curious. It seems offensive. He calls her a dog who is unworthy to eat at the table. To say this is out of character for Jesus seems obvious. But what if Jesus is not grumpy, but (as he is all the time in Matthew) in teaching mode? What if this story has a deep message that spoke to the disciples then and speaks to us today?