Perspectives: See anything different?

 

The Image of God: Part 4

How can the Church live into being the reflection of the image of God in the world?

Jürgen Moltmann, in his book Theology of Hope, describes three roles the church can assume in society that will dim our ability to reflect God’s image.  

First, the Church can become the place where faith is only personal. Our society often thinks of faith as something we don’t talk about – our churches can become the place where faith is an inner matter. Faith is never explored in the social reality – faith is separated from the world. John Wesley would have something to say about this – for him, faith is a matter of both inward and social holiness. It’s hard to love God with all of our heart if our heart is only focused on ourselves. 

Second, the Church can become only the mediator of fellowship. When I was studying to become a Certified Lay Minister, I was exploring the role of the church, so I asked my Facebook friends to tell me what the church means to them.  Lots of people responded that the church was family – it was where they came to be renewed – it was the place where they belonged. None of that is wrong – that is part of what the church is, but if our community is only us – only the people who gather here in this room, then we are isolated, and we are not anticipating the coming of the Kingdom of God. It’s hard to love our neighbors if we are excluding them.

Third, the church can become faith as an institution – it can become the authority in all questions of meaning. If that happens, then we stop struggling with the questions – we just accept the answers the church provides. It’s hard to love the Lord with all of our mind if we aren’t using it.

Moltmann says we as the Church should instead “be living within the horizon of expectation of the coming of the kingdom of God.”  The church is called to be a revolutionary force in the world. We are called to reflect God’s image so much that we transform the world. (Note: The information about Moltmann is from Feasting on the Word, Year A, Volume 4)

We can get behind that as United Methodists, right? Transforming the world is literally our mission. 

We can’t change the world if we are only focused on ourselves, isolated from society, excluding others, or relegating our responsibilities to an institution.  

In our churches and in our lives, we are called to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.  It’s not an either or question, but it is also not an equally balanced answer.  Yes, give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, but we have a much higher role in the world. We are God’s image in the world, and we can’t let Caesar – or whatever is Caesar in our world today – define what that means. There is one God – and we are God’s people, made in God’s image and inscribed on God’s hands. 

How can you live into being God’s image in the world? How can you love God and our neighbors so much that God is seen in what you do? How can the church become the revolutionary force in the world that transforms the world – that anticipates the coming and the presence of the Kingdom of God. 

Go from this place into the world and live into the image in which you were created. Be God’s image.

The Image of God: Part 3

In 2005, over 20 years ago, I was asked to preach at my church for Laity Sunday. It was really the first time I had ever preached, and I was nervous. I was so nervous that I wouldn’t call it preaching – I said I was “giving a talk.”  The sermon scripture was the same Gospel passage we read today, and the title of my sermon was “God wants you.” In my mind it referred to the posters of Uncle Sam during World War II, where Uncle Sam is pointing out to the people, saying, “I want you…” 

At the time, my church posted sermon titles and preacher names on a sign outside the church for the people driving down Fifth Avenue in Huntington to see, I assume with the idea that sermon titles and/or preacher names would draw people into worship (I doubt that works, but there you go). I was driving down Fifth Avenue one day that week and saw the sermon title: God wants you, Kim Matthews.

Isaiah 49:15-16 says this:

Can a woman forget her nursing child
or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
Even these might forget,
yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;

We are created in the image of God, and God has inscribed us on the palms of God’s hands.  If I can see the coin in Jesus’s hand marked with the pompous statement that a man is god, then how much more can I imagine the hand of God, marked with love of us.

Jesus is in Jerusalem.  He has said he must suffer at the hands of the elders and chief priests and be killed. Imagine for a moment the crucifixion marks on the palms of his hands, marked by the divine love God has for us.

What belongs to God? We do. What are the things we should give to God?

In this same chapter of Matthew, in the third conflict story, Jesus tells a Pharisee, a lawyer, in answer to the question “What is the greatest commandment.”

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

What belongs to God? What should we give to God? All that we are: our heart, our soul, our mind, and loving our neighbors as ourselves.

It’s not a simple answer Jesus gives – it’s a complicated, messy, and difficult answer, but it is one that defines the church.

Very often the truth is that we want to only love the people we want to love and we want to ignore everyone else – to not even think about them. We want to devote ourselves – our soul, so to speak – only to our own interests and priorities. But who is made in the image of God? Who is inscribed on the palms of God? I am. You are. But not only us – everyone is. In another story, a lawyer – what is it with lawyers? – asks Jesus “Who is my neighbor?”

Who is our neighbor? Everyone who is created in the image of God. Everyone who is inscribed on the palms of God. Everyone. 

Even the person we never think about. Even the person we would ignore when we walk down the street. Even the person we are afraid of or who we are angry with.  

Jesus doesn’t provide a simple answer. It’s a complicated, messy, and difficult – for us – answer.

I’ve said twice now that Jesus’s answer is one that defines the church. What does his answer mean for the body of Christ?

Perspectives: Street Art

 It's street art - from Pittsburgh, obviously.

The Image of God: Part 2

The passage from Matthew 22 occurs when Jesus has already traveled to Jerusalem.  He has warned his disciples that he must suffer at the hands of the elders and chief priests, be killed, and be raised.  You remember that passage – Peter objects, and Jesus says, “get behind me, Satan.” 

This scripture from Matthew is the first of three conflict stories, all in chapter 22. In these stories, various groups of leaders challenge Jesus.  In our passage today, we find the Herodians and the Pharisees approaching him with a question. Herodians are supporters of the Roman Empire (including Herod Antipas – who had been named King of the Jews by Rome). They supported paying taxes to Rome. The Pharisees, who were committed to Jewish laws, opposed paying taxes to Caesar mainly because of the special coin that had to be used – the coin carried the image of the “divine Caesar” – they saw the use of the coin as a violation of both the first (you shall have no other gods before me) and second (no worship of idols) commandments.  These two groups shared nothing in common except a desire to see Jesus gone. So together, they come up with a plan to trick him.

They ask Jesus, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”  I imagine, like me, they are hoping for a simple answer.  The Herodians hope he will oppose paying taxes – imagine the trouble Jesus would be in – he could then be accused of treason or sedition.  The Pharisees hope he will approve paying taxes – Jesus could then be viewed as a Roman sympathizer, who promotes breaking the Jewish law. 

But Jesus doesn’t provide a simple answer. He asks for the coin and says, “Whose head is this and whose title?” 21 They answered, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”

If I close my eyes and imagine the scene, I can see Jesus, holding the silver denarius that was used to pay the tax. On one side is the image of the emperor, with an inscription declaring divinity of Tiberius. He’s holding a coin that declared a man to be divine – a coin with the image of a god (with a little g). I’m struck by the arrogant pomposity of the coin – here is Jesus, who is God, holding a coin with words declaring that a mere man is god. I wonder what Jesus thought. 

His response “give to Caeser what belongs to Caeser” accomplishes two things: Jesus recognizes that we have obligations as members of society – sorry, but yes, you should pay taxes. But beyond that, Jesus reduces this coin to something inconsequential when he says, give “to God the things that are God’s.”

If we think about this coin that declared Tiberius was god, we can consider the question – what are the things that are God’s (big G). What has the image of God on it? 

Genesis 1:27 tells us, “So God created humans in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them”

You and I are made in the image of God. God’s image is seen on us. What belongs to God? We do.

The Image of God: Part 1

I hate tax season. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t hate paying taxes, although it’s not my favorite thing to do. I think we all need to contribute to society, and sometimes that means sending money – we need to provide the people around us (and ourselves) with educations, health care, food, roads to drive on, security, and clean water coming out of the tap. So, OK, we pay taxes.  

What I hate about tax season is calculating the amount of tax owed. Steve and I complete IRS Form 1040 for five people.  I almost always start with my mother’s taxes – she’s 88, and while she used to do her own tax forms, she now asks me to do it, and she always wants it completed in February. If not earlier. And I tell you, calculating the taxes due on social security payment is mathematical acrobatics (and I like math).  

Usually next is our own taxes. We struggle to find the paperwork we need to enter the numbers into the tax software and then we watch as the amount we owe climbs with each calculation. 

Then we Zoom with our sons, and we do their 1040s. And some years that is done on April 14, even though I tell them their tax deadline is St. Patrick’s Day (doesn’t work). One awful April 15, I was up all night trying to submit our younger son’s form – our tax software submission system was having a glitch.

Anyway, I hate tax season. I wish, in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus had told the people gathered around him that Christians shouldn’t pay taxes! But that’s not what he said – the reality is much more complicated than that, and I think it even defines our relationship with God and our neighbors. 

But I jump ahead. 

Let’s start by looking at the scripture itself.

Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him 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 Caesar 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, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed, and they left him and went away.  Matthew 22:15-22 

Perspectives: Bikes

I'm not sure why this caught my attention - I think it is the idea that there are so many different sized bikes. Not one size fits all - as in life.

Futureholders

Roman Krznaric, in his book The Good Ancestor, writes:

Just as companies have shareholders, societies have futureholders: future citizens whose interests and welfare should be considered in the decisions that will affect their lives.  Some you have already met - your children or other young people you know - while most are yet to be born.

I think this is true, and I think that considering the interests of futureholders is difficult. Just the definition he provides - those "whose interests and welfare should be considered in the decisions that will affect their lives" - illustrates why it is difficult. It is an unselfish and non-self-centered way to think. Maybe too often we pretend our own interests align with the interests and concerns of futureholders so that we don't have to deal with the conflict between what we want and what is good for the future.

We can ignore the interests of our grandchildren when we fail to act to preserve the environment by reducing carbon emmisions, but what I'm talking about has a more pervasive subtext. Do we ever mask the needs of the future generations by "pasting" our own interests over theirs, and fooling ourselves that we are then considering their interests? Maybe, for example, when we tout "progress" we are saying it is important for future generations (and maybe it is, or maybe it isn't), but what we are really doing to placing our own needs and wants over those of the futureholders. 

Krznaric goes on to say that we need to expand "our ethical imaginations forward in time." We have difficulty doing that even in the present, but expanding it to the future - for generations we can't even imagine yet - is particularly challenging.

Book Review: Genesis: A Beginner's Guide to the Beginning

Information about the book

Genesis: A Beginner's Guide to the Beginning by Amy-Jill Levine.  Published by Abingdon Press, Nashville, 2026.  (Amazon / Cokesbury).

Summary

From Amazon: Genesis: A Beginner’s Guide to the Beginning invites readers into the foundational stories of the Old Testament with clarity, depth, and imagination. Amy-Jill Levine presents Genesis as a living text, one that continues to shape faith, identity, and our understanding of what it means to be human. These familiar stories are often heard in fragments; here, they are explored with care, curiosity, and theological insight.

With her signature blend of historical context and engaging storytelling, Levine opens up the book of beginnings, attending to its beauty, tensions, and enduring questions. She invites readers to linger with stories of creation and responsibility, rivalry and loss, judgment and mercy, promise and perseverance, revealing how these ancient narratives still speak with power today.

The book purchase includes access to 6 video sessions of 10-12 minutes each and access to other leader resources.

Impressions

This book examines key stories from Genesis, including The Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel, Noah's Ark, the Near Sacrifice of Isaac, Jacob's Stairway, and Joseph's story. (I think she needs to write a volume 2 with more stories!). 

Levine is a professor of New Testament and Jewish studies at Vanderbilt University. I'm not sure how many books of hers I have read - looking at my bookshelf, I see five, but there may be more. I can't recommend this book (or the others I have read) enough. They are inspiring, educational, and enlightening. Any of them are excellent for personal study or group work. 

Posts about book

Levine Genesis

 

Perspectives: Hiding Kitty

 

Self-glorification as Legacy

I'm currently reading The Good Ancestor by Roman Krznaric.  This book was referenced several times by the keynote speaker at a recent Stewardship Conference I attended, so I picked it up. 

The chapter called "Legacy Mindset" begins with the thesis that people want to be remembered.  Krznaric says that there are two ways (in general) that people choose to express their legacy.  Read this quote about the first way:

"Some pursue an egocentric form of legacy, hoping to be remembered and glorified for their personal achievements.  That was the approach of Alexander the Great, who had statues of himself built throughout his empire, including the sacred Greek site of Olympia. The legacy he sought was to be venerated in perpetuity for his heroic actions and brilliant conquests, and to be memorialised like a god -- unsurprising for someone who claimed to be a direct descendant of Zeus. Today's corporate oligarchs who use their philanthropic largess to have buildings, football stadiums, and museum wings named after themselves have similar ambitions."

First, I think dividing people's motivations into two catagories is oversimplified to say the least, and I would never propose that everyone whose philanthropic actions result in a naming opportuity are completely motivated by glorification.  That said, I read this and wondered if this kind of legacy-seeking, when motivated not by service but by self-glorification is a way in which we tend to worship a god other than God - a god we make of ourselves.

That came to mind as I watch the currently elected president work pretty desperately to place his name on multiple buildings, actions, and new construction. Do we see how this self-glorification is not Christian (or anything but self-worship)? I think it is an attitude we would normally not condone.

How do you or I do this ourselves? What can we do to change it?

 

Serve and Guard

Chapter One of Amy-Jill Levine's book, Genesis, was full of interesting and eye opening information. I'm going to focus this post on one aspect of the chapter, but the whole exploration of the Creation stories is rich.

Take a look at Genesis 2:15:  "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it."  Levine focuses on the word "till."  To me, to till is to dig in the ground, clear out the weeds and rocks, and plant seeds. I'm not a gardener or a farmer, but that's my impression.  Levine says, "The term translated 'til' in in Hebrew eved, a term that appear over one thousand times; it connotes not so much technical gardening...but 'serving'; its noun form gives us both 'servant' and 'slave' as well as 'worker' and, amazingly, the Hebrew term for 'worship."

What does it mean to think that God put people in the garden to till it? If tilling is serving, then what does it mean to serve the earth? It's not just taking advantage of the benefits of soil to grow food, but it means that we are tasked with caring for the earth itself - providing what it needs - serving it.

She goes on to say, "The connection between the land and the connotations of 'work,' 'service,' and 'worship' shared by the same Hebrew root is supported by the Hebrew term in 2:15 for 'keep,' shamar, which conveys 'guard or 'protect."

How does it change our understanding of being in the Garden (and in the world) to till and keep it if it connotes serve and guard?

 

Perspectives: Gone Fishing

 

The Story of God

If we are going to tell the story about God, what story are we going to tell?

This is a line from a sermon given by our pastor, Rev. Sarah Wilmoth.  If we are going to tell the story of God, what story are we going to tell?

There are options, right? Our story can be of the god we make in our minds - a god that favors us, blesses us, and judges others. A god that makes us comfortable and rewards our seemingly attentive use of the word "Christian" to describe ourselves. We might tell of a god that rewards us with riches as a transaction for attending worship, or giving of our gifts. Maybe we tell of a god that judges others harshly but provides us with grace.

If we are going to tell the story about God, what story are we going to tell?

Or maybe, we tell the story of God. The God that has entered our lives to change them. A God that created everyone in God's own image so that all are blessed and sacred. Maybe we tell the story of a God that forgave us and continues to forgive us, even though we sin - a God that offers all of us grace. Maybe we tell the story of a God that loves you and loves me, and loves even those we would, in our sin, despise. Maybe we tell the story of a God that saves us from self-contempt and the contempt of others.  Maybe our story is one of love and not hate, grace and not judgement, belovedness and not rejection.

If we are going to tell the story of God, what story are we going to tell?