Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
Jesus said, "The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel: The Lord your God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:29-31
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8,9
We confess our sins against God and others.
Silence may be kept.
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.
May Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.
A Hymn of Praise
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
The Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Old Testament Exodus 33:12-23
Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have said to me, ‘Bring up this people’; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.”
The Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” Moses said, “Show me your glory, I pray.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The Lord’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.” And the Lord continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”
Psalm 99 Dominus regnavit
1 The Lord is King;
let the people tremble; *
he is enthroned upon the cherubim;
let the earth shake.
2 The Lord is great in Zion; *
he is high above all peoples.
3 Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *
he is the Holy One.
4 "O mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established equity; *
you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob."
5 Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
and fall down before his footstool; *
he is the Holy One.
6 Moses and Aaron among his priests,
and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *
they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *
they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.
8 O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *
you were a God who forgave them,
yet punished them for their evil deeds.
9 Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
and worship him upon his holy hill; *
for the Lord our God is the Holy One.
The Epistle 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 labor 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.
The Sermon Fr. Nelson Gaetz
Well, it’s that time of year again. The time when virtually every parish turns attention to money. The 2021 budget. The pledges that will support it. And right on cue we get Matthew 22 as the Gospel reading. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” We get all tangled up in the story and eventually most preachers get around to telling people this means making a pledge to the work of the parish. Bigger next year would be better. I have preached that sermon many times over the years.
There is some truth in it but the more I wrestle with the text the more I become convinced that this is a shadow of the power of the story.
You’ll indulge me in a little Bible history exploring some of the details to look for deeper meaning. Initially, the story exposes the growing conflict between Jesus and his “denomination” – The Pharisees. They challenge his authority as a Rabbi. No matter what he does, he is in trouble with someone. But in true Rabbinic fashion he turns the question back on them, and even uses a visual aid. That coin. Well, not just any coin, but a Roman tribute coin with a picture on it. A picture of the emperor Tiberius Caesar. The Greek text calls it an “icon.” That’s significant.
We in the Western church don’t have much experience with icons, but the Eastern church is deeply steeped in the tradition. Icons are images that draw us into a picture in such a way as to be able to “transport” us in time and space to heaven. That is, to an experience of God’s reign where things are as God intended and God rules all in all. Unlike art in the West, they are so prayerfully designed as to bring us into contract with God and all that means. I think the closest thing in the West are stained-glass windows. We are drawn into the picture and invited to look through (beyond) to God.
So why is that important? The tribute coin as an icon invites people to an encounter where the world is ordered by the rule of the emperor. He is a kind of god who requires obedience in exchange for an ordered world. The tax-paying is not nearly as important as the recognition of the emperor’s lordship. But Jesus subverts this false reality by reminding the Jews that they know a different reality. Over and over they are reminded that God is Lord. The only Lord and, unlike the emperor with his army, One who invites people to freely live under his rule as shown in the Torah.
And then through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus we are given a marvelous Icon to draw us into that reality.
So, while there is nothing wrong with inviting you to engage in generosity though church giving, it’s so much less than what the text offers. This story presents the living presence of Jesus as a window into God’s own self.
Thanks for listening. Good luck struggling to see beyond the text to God who longs to invade your life. Your entire life.
Amen.
THE NICENE CREED
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
O Lord, deliver Your people by Your power, and grant to us grace sufficient for all our needs and for the needs of all people.
Brief silence
Let us pray to the Lord for the renewal of our lives of prayer and devotion, interceding on behalf of all those in need. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Let us pray to the Lord to raise up faithful leaders who will witness to the Gospel in word and deed especially Michael and DeDe, our Bishops, Nelson, our Rector, and all bishops, priests and deacons and for the Lord to bless His Church and all church workers who serve us in His name. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Let us pray to the Lord to bless our nation with peace and harmony, and for the Lord to bless our president, governor, all legislators and judges, and those who protect and defend us against all the enemies of our land. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Let us pray to the Lord to heal the sick and give relief to the suffering, especially those we name in our hearts. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Let us pray to the Lord for our stewardship of His creation, for our faithful use of all His gifts, and for grateful hearts, that we may honor the Lord with our words, our financial resources and with all our works. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Let us pray to the Lord that we may remain steadfast until that day when we will be reunited with those who have gone before us with the sign of faith and now rest from their labors. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
All these good things and whatever else you know we need grant O Lord through your mercy and love through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
So now we pray with confidence to the Father the words our Lord Jesus taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by the Name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
The Closing Blessing
May God almighty bless and keep us, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
We go now in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Amen.
All Saints Sunday
Sunday, November 1st, is All Saints Sunday. In keeping with St. Mark’s tradition, we will be remembering “ALL” of the Saints in our lives. The great and Biblical ones and those closer to us, especially those who have died recently. Please email or call the office with the name of your loved one(s) by Tuesday, October 27.