Christ or Caesar?

On the Mount of Transfiguration eternity broke into time, and Peter, James, and John saw in their present what we would call the future—they saw the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. Also, Moses and Elijah, who in the distant past had left this world, also experienced the Second Coming in what they would call their present.

Render unto Caesar his silver coin when he wants it back in the form of taxes. But never render your sacred soul unto Caesar. Your soul is reserved for bearing the divine image of Christ, not the beastly image of Caesar. Jesus Christ is the icon of God, and we are called to become icons of Christ.

When the multitude wanted to make him kingPut a crown upon his headWhy did he slip away to a quiet place instead?–Bob Dylan, “In the Garden”

Paul's great yearning is to know Christ. Of course, Paul knows Christ. He met him on the Damascus Road. He preached him for thirty years. But the holy yearning remains. To know Christ is to know the infinite God, and so the yearning is infinite.

What does the story of Absalom have to do with Jesus and the cross? In this sermon we explore the striking parallels between two sons of David who reveal two radically different ways of becoming king. Discover how humility, self-giving love, and obedience bring a kingdom unlike any kingdom of this world.

What happens when we receive God’s mercy but struggle to extend that same mercy to others? The story of Jonah shows how easily disappointment and bitterness can keep us stuck in our own perspective. But the mercy of God meets us in the belly of the whale and invites us to lay down our bitterness and become the embodiment of the mercy of God to others.

No Man Is an Island No man is an island,Entire of itself;Every man is a piece of the continent,A part of the main.Any man’s death diminishes me,Because I am involved in mankind.And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;It tolls for thee.–John Donne (1571–1631), English poet and priest

"Love alone is credible; nothing else can be believed, and nothing else ought to be believed." –Hans Urs von Balthasar

COEXIST (I Will Bless The Lord At All Times?)U2"Am I the best or the worst or the worst of the best?" she sangIce cream smile wide as a mile back then"Say a nice prayer, be a good girl, finger on my lips"When she returned her lipstick had learned how not to kissI can't fix her, can only love herCan't keep her pocket fullI can't keep her face in smilesSomeone's stolen what was beautifulI can't sing her home to me in rhymesBut I will bless the Lord at all timesBless the Lord at all timesI will bless the Lord at all timesI will blessI will bless the Lord at all timesI will bless the LordI will bless the Lord at all timesEvery night we hope and pray for a new day to riseEvery morning when the sun shows up it's still a surpriseAny child is every child in any mother's eyesI will bless the LordI will bless the Lord at all timesI will bless the Lord at all timesI will bless the LordI will bless the Lord at all timesThat child you hear has been crying for years in the wildernessA child without armour had no hatred to harbour, only lovelinessThe driver of the ambulance unpacks his shirt pressed and neatTo honour the hurt and the hungry he will later greetThere's not so much road left here and no road signsDrones hover without any consciousness over war crimesI will bless the Lord at all times?The tide is rising, all ships are sinkingNew poets must despise all old ways of thinkingWhoever made language must've been drinkingTwenty-six characters own all the ink and printingI got so many words in my head but I can't find the linesI will bless the Lord at all timesChanges, these changesWill rain on this paradeChanges, these changesI am not afraidNo one there to write it downBut when the prophet came aroundSaid "I've a stranger with meIn the fight none can compareBut food and shelter we shareBeloved community"Every night we hope and pray for a new day to riseEvery morning when the sun shows up, it's still a surpriseAny child is every child in any mother's eyesI will bless the LordI will bless the Lord at all timesI will bless the Lord at all timesI will bless the LordI will bless the Lord at all timesChanges, these changesWill rain on this paradeChanges, these changesI am not afraidThe pages that enrage usShe tears them from the book"Save us, save us" sings the girl of Guadalupe

Kansas CityThe New Basement TapesI listen to you time and time againWhile you tell me just what's rightAnd you tell me a thousand things a dayThen sleep somewhere's else in the nightI'm going back to Kansas CityAnd I love you dear, but just how longCan I keep singing the same old songAnd I love you dear, but just how longCan I keep singing the same old songI'm going back to Kansas CityAnd you called me to come, then I doThen you say you've made some mistakeYou invite me into your houseThen you say gotta to pay for what you breakGoing back to Kansas CityAnd I love you dear, but just how longCan I keep singing the same old songAnd I love you dear, but just how longCan I keep singing the same old songI'm going back to Kansas CityGypsy woman, you know every place I goEven a thousand miles away from homeAnd you don't care if I'm asleep or I'm awakeThis fickle heart just turned to stoneGoing back to Kansas CityAnd I love you dear, but just how longCan I keep singing the same old songAnd I love you dear, but just how longCan I keep singing the same old songI'm going back to Kansas CityAnd I love you dear, but just how longCan I keep singing the same old songAnd I love you dear, but just how longCan I keep singing the same old songI'm going back to Kansas City