First Thoughts: A trap is set for Jesus which He deftly steps out of. Should we pay taxes? Jesus says to give "to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's". I feel that politics today can be a trap for us Christians, with people waiting for us to say the wrong thing on social media or to back this cause or that cause. What are the boundaries for how we function as citizens of the "heavenly country" and citizens of the United States? Martin Luther gives us a lot of insights in his treatise, "On Secular Authority and To What Extent It Should Be Obeyed" (I found
an online version here, if you want to read it with me). Based on this Lutheran teaching and the words of Jesus, I'll lay out how I approach my dual citizenship. Afterward, I invite those hearing the sermon to interact with me on Facebook, Twitter (@revjagow) or by email and I'll gladly continue the discussion, this week.
This sermon may be viewed on our
live stream page until December 2020.
