Local time where you're at. ("Where you're at"?)

Tomorrow evening is the 5th of our midweek Lenten services. The topic for my homily tomorrow evening is the above text. Even if you have not been a church attender, you will probably be familiar with this passage.

The Pharisees tried to put Jesus into a no-win situation, they asked him if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. Remember, these men were not referring to Roman law, but to Jewish religious law. The idea was that no matter how he answered, Jesus would be in trouble. If Jesus were to respond that it was indeed lawful to pay the taxes, then the Jews who followed him would not be happy, and if he were to state that the payment of the tax was against the law, the Pharisees would have something to take to the Romans.

Our Lord, of course, is smarter than the average Pharisee, in fact he is also smarter than the average American Church leader.

Jesus’ response was simple brilliance. After being shown the Roman coin used to pay the tax, Jesus simply said that it was proper to give to Caesar(the state), what was his, but that the Jews should also give to God, what was rightfully his.

This effectively ended the Pharisees desire to discuss taxes with Jesus.

The question for us, however remains.

What are we to give the state, and what are we to give to God?

As simplistic as it may sound, those of us who are Christians, have the calling to be faithful citizens of our nation, to participate in civic affairs, to vote, to oppose that which is wrong, and in the end, to be law abiding folks. We also have the higher calling to be good faithful citizens of God’s Kingdom, to cheerfully and faithfully follow where he leads, and to do his will, proclaiming the gospel wherever we go.

May those of you who are Christians, follow faithfully in both paths. To those of you who do not know Christ, you remain in my prayers.

There is the question of what we are to do when the government mandates conduct which is contrary to the clear teachings of Scripture. That however, is a subject for another post.

(With a tip o’ da beanie to LC Terrible Troy in Rott chat.)

Just sayin’ – if, by the sheerest of coinky-dinks, I should just happen to have some pyromaniacal Denizens somewhere in the vicinity of Taunton, Somerset, UK, where a certain limp-wristed oxygen-waster just happens to run a Web-europissweasel of a business…

…well, you know…

A BOSS caused outrage by saying he would rather employ a paedophile than former servicemen or women.

Karl Winn, 60, said that “ex-drug dealers, convicts and child molesters” made better employees than war heroes, The Sun reported.

Forces Recruitment Services – which help find jobs for former British military personnel – had emailed Winn inviting him to consider taking on ex-servicemen and women at the Webeurope design company he runs in Taunton, Somerset.

Winn, a former social worker, replied: “Personally, I’d rather recruit ex-drug dealers, convicts and even child molesters rather than consider anybody who has been in the pay of the British Government.

Knock yerselves out, guys.