(Slide 1) Today is our last Sunday to hear and think about the Six Pillars of Character counts with our kids present. And kids I am glad to have had you present these past six weeks and I also hope that you have learned some helpful things about these six character qualities.
Today our discussion is about citizenship. It is also Valentine’s Day when we are reminded about the value and importance of love. I think that there is a link with the two that I will attempt to make here in a few minutes.
Our text this morning is a very interesting one. It is another one of those moments in which the religious leaders attempt to trick Jesus into saying something that they can use against Him in order to arrest Him and show Him to be a trouble maker and not the Messiah.
It is Matthew 22:15-22:
“Then the Pharisees met together to think of a way to trap Jesus into saying something for which they could accuse him. They decided to send some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to ask him this question: “Teacher, we know how honest you are. You teach about the way of God regardless of the consequences. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to the Roman government or not?”
But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Whom are you trying to fool with your trick questions? Here, show me the Roman coin used for the tax.” When they handed him the coin, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
“Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to him. But everything that belongs to God must be given to God.” His reply amazed them, and they went away.”
Kids and teens, someone once said that the only thing they were certain of was death and taxes. Taxes are one of those issues that adults mutter and groan about just about forever but are one of the realities of life.
(Slide 2) And this story we just read is about two things: taxes and loyalty. Loyalty is a part of citizenship, a very vital part of citizenship.
How many here this morning are US citizens? I think all of us are and we are because… we were born here. But some of our family members, do you know, were not born in this country and may be not that long ago!
My father’s mother became a US citizen because she was born in America in the early 1890’s despite the fact that her mother and father were not born in the America. They had come to America, with my great-grandmother pregnant with my grandmother, from Wales which is part of the United Kingdom, or England as we commonly call it. My great-grandfather was a Welsh coal miner whose sight began to fail him and he returned to Wales for treatment and died there. My great-grandmother died here in America.
Citizenship is a big deal and to be a citizen is to be a responsible person.
(Slide 3) Here is what Character Counts! offers as a way to practice good citizenship. I am going to be commenting on some of these this morning: Do your share to make your school and community better • Cooperate • Get involved in community affairs • Stay informed; vote • Be a good neighbor • Obey laws and rules • Respect authority • Protect the environment
(Source: www.charactercounts.org/pillars)
Now when Jesus came to earth, He was not concerned with politics and some people though He should be because by the time Jesus came to earth, Israel was no longer a free country. It was under Roman occupation which at that time was the greatest empire in the western world.
This did not make many people happy. They wanted their freedom from Rome and they were hoping that the Messiah would come and set up a new political kingdom and thus, a new nation of Israel. But it would not happen with Jesus.
Does anyone know what the phrase “they mix like oil and water” means? Oil and water separate after a time because they are two different forms of fluid.
Many people over the years have said that politics and religion do not mix and you should never discuss them. But, there are times when a person needs to think out loud about religion and politics because they both deal with our values and beliefs about what is fair, what is kind, what is the responsible thing to do, how one is respectful and able to disagree at the same time, and how to be trustworthy; all things we have thought about the past six weeks.
Having this kind of discussion is part of being a good citizen because good citizens think about the kind of community they want, what is right and fair, and how to honor and respect the other citizens in the community, even when they disagree.
I think that Jesus, in our Bible story for today, does not reject being a good citizen. Instead, I think that He puts citizenship in perspective. He said, “Give to Caesar what belongs to him. But everything that belongs to God must be given to God.”
This means that He wants us to see it from His perspective because as His followers we are not just citizens of earth we are in the process of becoming citizens of His kingdom (something that He talked a lot about).
And… one day… citizens of heaven.
When it comes to citizenship the age of 18 is very important and why is that?
Because it is the age at which the right to vote is given to you.
(It is also possible to be elected to an office at age 18 as well! There is a town up in Michigan, Hillsdale and they elected a mayor there back in 2005 I believe, who was 17 or 18)
Voting is a very, very important way of being a good citizen and I encourage you to vote when you are eligible to do so.
But what about now? How do you exercise good citizenship as a child and a teenager?
(Slide 4) Let me emphasis these three things from the Character Counts! listing: Do your share to make your school and community better, Cooperate, and Respect authority
What can you do to make your school and community better? (Ask for feedback from the kids/teens)
Getting involved in student government, being in the band, being in sports, joining a club helps you make a difference in your school and your community. I also suggest that when you are old enough, consider applying for membership in something like the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council. You will learn a lot about your community and making it a better place to live.
Cooperation is very important in good citizenship. To cooperate does not mean you agree 100% with someone or like what they do. But cooperation in the classroom, at home, and in the community is a very vital skill to develop.
Respecting authority is the same way. There are people with whom I disagree about the role of government and numerous other things. But, I also respect them because they are in authority. I might have even not voted for them, but I still respect them.
I remember in college that I got to interview my congressman who later became one of the US Senators in that state. I asked him a question that I meant to ask him another way. He answered it in the right way but I was mad at him because I wanted to him to answer it the way I intended the question. I do not recall voting for him but I respected him and I corresponded with him on a few things that I thought were important later on and grew to respect him more.
And think about this… maybe one day one of you will run for office!
(Slide 5) As I move toward finishing this morning, I am making a change of direction to conclude with a look at marriage and why it is important both from a faith perspective and a citizenship perspective.
Let’s first turn to Genesis 2:18-24 which says this:
“And the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him.” So the Lord God formed from the soil every kind of animal and bird. He brought them to Adam to see what he would call them, and Adam chose a name for each one. He gave names to all the livestock, birds, and wild animals. But still there was no companion suitable for him. So the Lord God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. He took one of Adam’s ribs and closed up the place from which he had taken it. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib and brought her to Adam.
“At last!” Adam exclaimed. “She is part of my own flesh and bone! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken out of a man.” This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.
Marriage is part of God’s purpose for the human race from the very beginning. So it is more than a ceremony or an event (and that is important and wonderful).
God did not want men to be alone and so He created, as we have just read, woman. And all jokes aside over the years about men and women, God created men for women and women for men so that they would have companionship in life.
Now there are other passages in the Bible about marriage and in some of them there is a big huge “don’t” alongside the “do.” Let’s go to Malachi 2:14-16 which says this:
You cry out, “Why has the Lord abandoned us?” I’ll tell you why! Because the Lord witnessed the vows you and your wife made to each other on your wedding day when you were young. But you have been disloyal to her, though she remained your faithful companion, the wife of your marriage vows. Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard yourself; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. “For I hate divorce!” says the Lord, the God of Israel. “It is as cruel as putting on a victim’s bloodstained coat,” says the Lord Almighty. “So guard yourself; always remain loyal to your wife.”
That’s very intense language! But the reason for strong language is that marriage matters to God because, among other things, it is evidence of one’s commitments and character. It is also evidence of one’s commitment to God and His ways which include a life-long partnership with one woman to one man and one man to one woman.
In 2007, The Pew Research Center did a follow up survey to one done in 1990 regarding what makes a marriage work and here is what they found:
(Slide 6)
In 1990 95% of those surveyed said that faithfulness was the most important ingredient in making a marriage work. In 2007 that dropped slightly with 93% indicating faithfulness. Hum….
(Source: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/pubs/542/modern-marriage)
Faithfulness is a character issue. To be faithful is to be loyal and committed to someone or something day in and day out; year in and year out.
God thinks that faithfulness in marriage is an important thing and I think that when we are faithful in marriage we will be faithful in our community. Some of the finest people I have known have been faithful to their spouses and they have faithful to their other commitments as well.
On this Valentine’s Day, I would have us remember that faithfulness is an important value in marriage as well as in our community. It is a key character quality.
(Slide 7) Finally, I ask this question, “Does our character matter to God?”
“A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by the kind of fruit it produces. Figs never grow on thorn bushes or grapes on bramble bushes. A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you say.” Luke 6:43-45 (NLT)
Yes it does…
What kind of character are you developing? It matters now and in the years to come.
Kids and teens, let me suggest the following lists of “fruit” that you aim for in your lives from this point forward and ask God, through His Holy Spirit, to help you develop these fruits, these qualities in your life. They will make your life much richer and better than anything else will.
(Slide 8) But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
This brings me back to our main text and Jesus’ words everything that belongs to God must be given to God. What belongs to God: our ultimately loyalty, our faith and trust, and… our character. Be a character… for the rest of your life that honors God, your family, your work, and your community. Amen.
