Pay the piper
Opening Prayer
Here I am Lord,
Listening
Speak to me
within my heart and soul.
I am listening.
Matthew 22:21
‘give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his’
Reflection
How much do you give to God?
I only ask because I know that all of us have a busy life, a really busy life.
My life is so full of priorities that when I am advised to list them from 1 to 10 they are all a one, I don’t even have time to think about the 2’s, 3’s and 4’s. Can’t imagine what a 10 would be – washing my hair?
And then what am I supposed to do? Except dash from one to the other and spend the last minutes before sleep trying to plan a tomorrow that will get it all done. Trying to keep everyone happy. Trying to live in this world. Trying to give Ceasar what is his.
And where is God?
Sitting at home like a maiden aunt who is always forgotten in the Christmas visits, looking at photos of us and reading old letters. Of course we make time to visit on Sundays and maybe when He can do us a fovour but otherwise….And we tell ourselves that that’s ok really because God doesn’t really need us to give Him anything. He’s got everything He needs.
Except He hasn’t. He longs for those visits, letters phone calls. He longs for us to give Him what is really his – which is us. He’s just too polite to say, to ask, to intrude.
So what do we do while we are giving to Caesar? Well, how about getting a fold up chair and taking God with us. To work, to the shops, to the demands of our everyday life. Letting God sit with us, read the map in the car, hold the screwdriver, sing to the baby, not answer the phone, lie down on the pillow next to us, include Him in the minutiae of our lives. Give God all of the day, give Him all that we are; all that we do.
Then we can have no guilt about what we are giving Caesar because we will be giving it through God and to God.
After all, in the end- it all, we all, belong to God.
Contemplation
Spending Time
So often we get into a habit of having God time and world time. We think having that hour on a Sunday is a good idea – we set it aside – so we won’t forget. We give God one hour in the 168 He gives us and we think that that’s fine.
Because it is better than nothing.
Of course it is better than nothing – but we have to say it isn’t enough. What sort of job would it be if we worked just one hour, what sort of mother, father, friend, partner – if we decided the cost of that relationship was an hour a week?
God is not hard to get hold of; we just have to remember to bring Him along. Even if He has to sit in the background or in the car in between other things.
Our lives demand a lot from us; paying Caesar is a full time job!
God does not demand because He has us anyway and maybe the simple realisation of that should mean that we are able to fold into him now and again. To treat him like the friend who ‘really doesn’t mind’.
Caesar judges what we give him; there is a worldly value; but God doesn’t – give Him everything – it’s all good.
Closing Prayer
May the blessing of the Sacred Three
The Father who gave us the Word
The Son who is the Word
The Spirit who opens the Word within us
Be with us today and evermore.
Amen
Here I am Lord,
Listening
Speak to me
within my heart and soul.
I am listening.
Matthew 22:21
‘give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his’
Reflection
How much do you give to God?
I only ask because I know that all of us have a busy life, a really busy life.
My life is so full of priorities that when I am advised to list them from 1 to 10 they are all a one, I don’t even have time to think about the 2’s, 3’s and 4’s. Can’t imagine what a 10 would be – washing my hair?
And then what am I supposed to do? Except dash from one to the other and spend the last minutes before sleep trying to plan a tomorrow that will get it all done. Trying to keep everyone happy. Trying to live in this world. Trying to give Ceasar what is his.
And where is God?
Sitting at home like a maiden aunt who is always forgotten in the Christmas visits, looking at photos of us and reading old letters. Of course we make time to visit on Sundays and maybe when He can do us a fovour but otherwise….And we tell ourselves that that’s ok really because God doesn’t really need us to give Him anything. He’s got everything He needs.
Except He hasn’t. He longs for those visits, letters phone calls. He longs for us to give Him what is really his – which is us. He’s just too polite to say, to ask, to intrude.
So what do we do while we are giving to Caesar? Well, how about getting a fold up chair and taking God with us. To work, to the shops, to the demands of our everyday life. Letting God sit with us, read the map in the car, hold the screwdriver, sing to the baby, not answer the phone, lie down on the pillow next to us, include Him in the minutiae of our lives. Give God all of the day, give Him all that we are; all that we do.
Then we can have no guilt about what we are giving Caesar because we will be giving it through God and to God.
After all, in the end- it all, we all, belong to God.
Contemplation
Spending Time
So often we get into a habit of having God time and world time. We think having that hour on a Sunday is a good idea – we set it aside – so we won’t forget. We give God one hour in the 168 He gives us and we think that that’s fine.
Because it is better than nothing.
Of course it is better than nothing – but we have to say it isn’t enough. What sort of job would it be if we worked just one hour, what sort of mother, father, friend, partner – if we decided the cost of that relationship was an hour a week?
God is not hard to get hold of; we just have to remember to bring Him along. Even if He has to sit in the background or in the car in between other things.
Our lives demand a lot from us; paying Caesar is a full time job!
God does not demand because He has us anyway and maybe the simple realisation of that should mean that we are able to fold into him now and again. To treat him like the friend who ‘really doesn’t mind’.
Caesar judges what we give him; there is a worldly value; but God doesn’t – give Him everything – it’s all good.
Closing Prayer
May the blessing of the Sacred Three
The Father who gave us the Word
The Son who is the Word
The Spirit who opens the Word within us
Be with us today and evermore.
Amen
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