Sermon

            A year ago the US Treasury Department unveiled a new series of dollar coins featuring the former US Presidents.  These coins bear the heads of all of the presidents from George Washington to George W. Bush and eventually to either Barack Obama or John McCain.  Four new dollar coins will be released each year for the next 10-11 years, kind of like the 50 State quarters that have been in circulations for the past 10 years. 

            One of the unique features about these coins is that not only they carry the images of the presidents on one side, they also carry image of the Statue of Liberty on the reverse side.  Along the edge of the coins, there’s an engagement of the famous phrase “In God We Trust” and the Latin phrase “E Pluribus Unum” which means “Out of Many, One”.  They are etched on the edge of the coins, instead of on the face of the coins. 

            Since 1864, the phrase “In God We Trust” has appeared in all of the US coins.  In 1956, the Congress declared “In God We Trust” as the national motto and all the paper money has also adopted that phrase since 1957.  But in this new Presidential coin series, you really have to pay close attention in order to find these tiny inscriptions on the side of the coins.  Some people think that this is a subtle sign of the time as our society has become more and more secular, and less and less religious and Godly.  This country’s deep-rooted religious heritage has been challenged repeated here in the 21^st century.  Sooner or later, the phrase “In God We Trust” may not appear on any US coin or paper money at all.  Or the court may declare the singing of “God Bless America” or the pledge of allegiance of “One Nation Under God...” is unconstitutional.  I certainly hope that this is not the beginning of the end of an era.

            In the gospel lesson that we read earlier in Matthew, Jesus was asked by a group of Pharisees whether it is right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?  Caesar was the Roman Emperor who ruled a vast majority of the western civilized world around the Mediterranean Sea, including Judea and the Galilee region where Jesus and the Jews lived at the time.  Here’s a map of the Roman Empire during the 1^st century.  Everyone must pay their taxes to the Emperor in Rome.  When the Pharisees asked Jesus the question about paying taxes to Caesar, Jesus asked the Pharisees to show him a coin.  He asked them, “whose head is on that coin?”  Jesus knew that this was a trap question that the Pharisees had been waiting for an opportunity to get Jesus.  If Jesus had answered “Yes” that we should pay taxes to Caesar, the Pharisees would have accused him of blasphemy by placing Caesar above God and by contributing his taxes to support a pagan government.  If Jesus had answered “No” in paying taxes to Caesar, the Pharisees would have accused him of rebellion against Caesar the Emperor.  It appeared that either way Jesus was in a “No-Win” situation.  Jesus was forced to call “Tail” when he was given a “Double-Headed” coin to flip. 

            The real challenge that is being put up by the Pharisee was not about whether they should pay their taxes or not.  I don’t think the Jews had a choice of NOT paying taxes to the Emperor or else risking to lose their lives.  Their real challenge that was posed by the Pharisees to Jesus was about one’s personal allegiance and loyalty.

            How often are our allegiance and loyalty in God being challenged in the secular world that we live in today?  Sometimes we don’t even know that we are being challenged and find ourselves vulnerable of fallen in the trap until it was too late and couldn’t find our way out.  We all are carrying double-headed coins in our pockets right now.  Every time we have to make an important decision in life, we are being challenged to flip our “double-headed” coins and we have to make a call.  Whose head do we call for?  Caesar’s or God’s?  Jesus responded to the Pharisees, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

            Our Old Testament passage in Exodus today reminds us that we believe in a God whose face cannot be seen by mortals.  God’s image cannot be engraved on a coin like Caesar’s but that does not mean that God’s presence cannot felt among us.  In fact, God’s hidden and faceless quality is what makes our Christian faith unique when compared to other forms of religions.  Other religions may have statutes made of gold or silver that define and shape the image of their gods, but this God (that is GOD with the big G) can be represented and found in all sizes and shapes, any imaginable forms and places.  Caesar’s face on the coins will wear off eventually over time, but God’s presence in our lives will never be worn off.

            During these uncertain economic times, many people are concerned and stressed over their investments, lifelong savings, and retirement plans.  They worry that their hard-earned money has been lost forever.  They want to liquidate their assets and turn them into cash, put them into Certificate of Deposits, saving bonds, or something that are tangible like gold or silver.  Some may even wildly consider putting their money under their mattresses to make sure that they don’t lose their values.  Many investors have lost their confidence and faith in this gloomy and troubled global economy.  They’ve flipped their coins and called for Caesar’s head instead of God’s. 

            Often times we too might also have lost our glimmer of faith and turned our trust into something other than God.  As we read in the Old Testament, throughout the history of the Israelites, they had repeatedly turned away from and rebelled against God, yet God remained faithful to them through those trying and difficult times.  God restored their confidence and reassured them that He will be gracious to whom He will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom He will show mercy.^[1]

            What’s so unique about our Christian faith is that it make our intangible God tangible.  Our loyalty and faith rest upon the solid rock that will last forever.  We may see glimpses of God’s glory and what God has installed for us for the future here on earth but our permanent residence and citizenship rest in heaven.  As Christians living in this secular world, we have an important role and responsibility in shaping our culture and upholding the ethical and moral values of our society.  We should not be afraid to call on God’s head when we’re asked to flip our coin.  How we live our everyday lives reflects our personal priorities and allegiance to God.  When we’re saying “NO” to the world, we’re in essence saying “YES” to God.

            However, our passage today challenges to think in an even deeper level.  Not everything is as simple and cut-and-dry as we think.  The Apostle Peter reminded us that we CAN fear God and honor the emperor at the same time.^[2]   Even the emperor must also fear God and claim his Lordship and be subject to God.  The emperor is not exempt from the law of God or think that he’s above the law either.

            As we are in the midst of our presidential election season, one of the commonly asked questions is, “Should Christians get involved with politic and vote on the election?  Or should we withhold paying our income taxes and social securities if we think our government is not doing its job in meeting our needs?”  Who do we ultimately answer to?  The Government or God? 

            I think our circumstances and decisions that we have to make today are not very different from those 2000 years ago under Caesar’s rule.  We all have our civil responsibilities and duties as citizens of this nation, AND we have our Christian responsibilities and duties as well as citizens of God’s Kingdom.  We carry a dual citizenship!  We are bounded not only by our civil laws and responsibilities but by those set aside by God as well.  Many of the Jews were upset that their taxes paid to Rome went to sponsor a pagan government.  They were even more upset when the tax collectors cheated on them by collecting more than what was required by the Roman government and pocketing the extra for themselves.  The Roman government could care less as long as they got their share of taxes from the people. 

            On top of that, they also have to pay for the temple taxes that they are required to pay as well.  This temple tax was collected from the parishioners to maintain the upkeeping and the operation of the temple.  Bear in mind that this is different from the tithe and the offering (1/10 of what we have) that God required each of us to give.  God requires us not only to give what we can financially in supporting the ministry of the church but to give ourselves wholeheartedly with our times and our skills through our services in faithful stewardship.

            What about our personal assets of time and gifts that we received from God.  As Christians, how we manage our finances and our times can be a powerful witness to the rest of the world?  Our time is the greatest assets that we have.  We cannot get them back if we’ve lost it.  When it comes to money, remember, there’s nothing wrong with having money but how we deal with our wealth and our human desires of acquiring more than we need may lead us to various forms of sins and temptations.  These temptations to sin can easily stray us from our relationship with God.

            God’s challenge to us today does not have a simple solution.  It’s not just a “head or tail, either/or, 50-50 chance” call.  We all have to make many tough choices in life.  When we are challenged to flip the double-headed coin, we must ask ourselves the question, “What is more important in life - our obedience to the Emperor or our obedience to God?”  This is a matter of stewardship and choosing our priorities and making the right ethical and moral choices in life.

            In a couple of weeks, many of us will be honoring our civil responsibilities by casting our vote for the next president of this country.  Even though the votes are in people’s hands, we have the confidence and trust that this election is in God’s hand.  We pray that God will ordain and bless whoever the new president will be to lead this country for the best interests of its people.

            As for our Christian responsibilities, in two weeks we will also be holding our own church elections of elders and deacons for the coming years during the 11/2 Congregational Meeting.  We will also be electing members of the Pastoral Nominating Committee for the Associate Pastor for the English Ministry at this church.  These are critical decisions in electing the best qualified candidates who would represent us in serving in this ministry.  Some of you may even be challenged to serve as church officers or to be a member on the committee.  These are all part of our Christian responsibilities that God has rendered to us. 

            As citizens of God’s Kingdom, we have our responsibilities to give to God what is God’s.  I would strongly encourage you all to get involved and seriously consider this invitation to serve and to take on a greater role of leadership and responsibilities in this ministry that God has entrusted you with, even if you’re not elected to be one of the officers or to be on the Pastoral Nominating Committee.  You can still take part in honoring and giving to God what is God’s. 

            Friends, we are constantly being asked to flip this double-headed coin.  Whose head do we call for, Caesar's or God's"?  At times it may land on "Caesar's"; and at times it may land on "God's".  But ultimately we must make the call.  We can’t simply let the coin drops.  I don’t know about you....but I like my chances every time I’ll call “head” on my double-headed coin!  Even in the remote possibility that it might land on its side, we still have the confidence that the coin will say "In God We Trust".  Thanks be to God, Amen.