Identity | Proper 24, Time after Pentecost 21 | October 18, 2026

Jesus’ encounter with the religious leaders over paying taxes to Caesar reveals that what appears to be a question of money is really a deeper struggle over identity, belonging, and power. By declaring, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s,” Jesus reminds us that while we may owe earthly authorities certain obligations, our whole selves belong to God, in whose image we are created. The Kingdom of God is not about political power or reclaiming what we have lost, but about following Jesus and living in the freedom, grace, and forgiveness that come from knowing we are beloved children of God.

We have been following Jesus, as he feeds the multitudes, teaches, heals the sick.

We have listened to his Kingdom parables, which are increasingly pointed, as he challenges religious leaders,

calling their hypocrisy, a word we use as a shorthand for their unwillingness to learn,

for their sense that they know better,

for their sense that their authority to say what is right and wrong should not be challenged by Jesus, whom they see as an upstart.

His mass following is a threat to their authority as they seek to hold the people together under the shadow of Rome.

Those who oppose Jesus are real people like us, with complex lives,

not flat characters who serve only as foils, but people like us who want what is best for their community.

Jesus has just told the parable of the Wedding Banquet which exposes these religious leaders for rejecting the feast of God’s goodness, who reject the Kingdom of God.

We know where this is heading, and we find in our reading today these religious leaders seeking to use his Kingdom teachings against him.

“Tell us what you think” they ask, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Ceasar, or not?”

There is history here.

When Rome—”Caesar”—occupied Palestine, it instituted a Poll Tax, a Head Tax.

Each person, 12 to 65, was required to pay one denarius per year.

A denarius is a relative amount, equal to one day’s labor.

One day’s labor in taxes to Rome per year.

Sounds pretty good to me—I’d be glad to pay one day’s wages in taxes.

Not a big amount then or now, but it wasn’t the amount that was in conflict.

There are two types of conflict.

Resource based conflicts, and identity based conflicts.

Resource based conflicts are easy to solve, not so identity based conflicts.

The question of paying taxes to Ceasar seems like a resource based conflict, is posed as a resource based conflict, but is about identity.

You can tell you are dealing with an identity based conflict when it is not about what it about…

Not about a denarius, but the bile and grievance and resentment of paying taxes to Rome for land, their land, which had been occupied by force,

land that had belonged to their grandfathers and grandmothers going back to Abraham and Sarah.

The multitude who follow Jesus resent paying a denarius, and then as now there are those who feed on resentment to gather followers,

These religious leaders who pose the question of paying taxes are looking to divide Jesus from his followers, many of whom follow him believing that he will restore their identity as God’s chosen people not in the way Jesus identifies  as the kingdom of God, by giving their hearts to God,

but by overpowering Roman power, Roman rule, the power of Rome tax them for occupying the land that God had given to them and their ancestors.

Many of those who follow Jesus were nationalists who believed the Kingdom of God was going to be established by force, by violence if necessary.

Judas was likely one of these…

Remember the story of Pilate offering to set Jesus free or Barabbas free and the people shouting give us Barabbas?

Barabas was a nationalist hero in the Judean resistance against Rome.

These nationalist coalesced into a political movement called the Zealots, who rose up against Rome in 66-70AD.

When they became a threat, Rome wiped them out, and then destroyed the Temple.

This is what the Religious leaders were seeking to avoid, why they see Jesus’s Kingdom teaching as a threat.

We might call them realists; they understand the reality of their position, the position of the people, so when they try to trick Jesus they are doing what they believe is best for the people–they want to get rid of him before he brings the real, awesome power of Rome down upon them.

Jesus is aware of their malice when they pose this question:

“Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one, for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

Show me a coin, he says, and they bring him a denarius that all are required to pay, a small amount then as now.

“Whose head is this and whose title”

They answered, “Caesar’s.”

“Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”

Though they pose a question of resources, it is a question of identity.

We are created in the image of God, not of any emperor; we give the resources we are required to give to the kings of the world, but we own our identity, our whole being, our whole selves to God alone…

We can give the emperor his pittance, but we owe God all.

No one can own us, no one can divide us from Jesus, when we remember we belong to God alone, that the kingdom of God is real and true.

There is nothing new nor surprising when some seek to entice us into believing kingdom of God is about earthly power, is about political power, that what we have lost can be regained.

That is not what we are about, nor what the Kingdom of God in Christ is about, not about resources, not about the kind of power Caesar and Rome represent.

It is about following Jesus, about the power of our identity as children of God, each of us beloved, each of infinite worth to our eternal God.

It’s about freedom, grace, forgiveness,

It’s about giving the Caesars and Romes of our day the pittance they are due, and giving our whole being to God who love for us is who we are, for we belong to God through Christ, and none other, Thanks be to God.

Order & Condition | Proper 22, Time After Pentecost +19 | October 4, 2026

The Ten Commandments are not merely a list of rules for measuring righteousness or judging others, but are given within the context of God’s covenant and faithfulness in freeing his people from slavery. The commandments describe how God’s people are called to live together in love of God and neighbor, with the first commandments establishing our relationship with God as the foundation for all the rest. Through confession and Holy Communion, Christians continually receive God’s grace and forgiveness in Christ and are called to extend that same grace and forgiveness as they walk together in faith.

Okay, so I know it has been a minute since most of us have been been in Confirmation classes, but let’s start today with a pop quiz on the 10 commandments:

First question.

How many commandments are there in the Old Testament?

Trick question: there are 20.

10 in Exodus; 10 in Deuteronomy.

Enough tricks. Here is a straightforward question.

How many can you name?

Go ahead. Call them out.

1. You shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make or worship idols.
3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder (kill).
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness (lie) against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, wife, or possessions

Like most everything else these days, the 10 Commandments have been put to political use, some advocating they be posted in public spaces, in schools and state capitals in ways that distract us from what they are about

…what they meant to the Hebrews, 

…what they mean to us as we seek to live as best we can, 

with humility and grace, 

recognizing that we all fail to live up to them despite our best efforts 

which is part of what they are about, after all, not rules to measure our own righteousness nor that of others,  

…not to divide us one from another, 

but a covenant God makes with us

that we make with God and one another.

Two things to bear in mind:

Order and Condition.

Order: The Commandments are given in order, each depending on the other, the first more important, the last also important, but dependent on those that precede it.

The first four focus on our relationship with God, the last six on our relationship with one another, with our neighbors. 

What is most important to remember about order is what we know to be true: we are commanded first to love God and know that our relationship with God shapes our relationship with our neighbors.

Though order is essential to the 10 commandments, there is a primary condition upon which all depend, which give meaning lov of God and neighbor.  

Before the commandants are listed, we find these words:

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery…

Then the first: You shall have no other gods before me.  

The condition, giving meaning to all, is covenant…

This condition, this covenant, is not listed among the 10, yet without covenant the 10 have no meaning; 

…to leave out covenant is to break the first commandment, because it puts us above God, makes a god of our good intentions; 

the commandments are given to us because God has set us free from sin and death by God. 

To get to the heart of what covenant means challenges modern sensibilities, because it is based on an ancient practice out of step with our modern world.

Let’s start with a basic definition of the word itself.

Co means working or acting together,
as is cooperate, corporation, co-author.

The second part of the word derives from latin, veni,
meaning to go.

Covenant means to go together.

Covenant differs from a contract in that the terms are not defined, what is defined is going together when the destination is unknown.

When we buy a house, there is a contract, a mortgage, that defines specifically what is required of both parties.

Marriage is a covenant, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, to death do us part.

Baptism is a covenant also.

The ancient basis of covenant is to “cut a covenant,” which we sanitize by saying to make a covenant…

In the ancient world, parties would cut a covenant by cutting a large animal in half, a sheep or goat…

Then they would walk through the gore together, saying if either party breaks the covenant, then let it be with me as with the animal…

Then they would prepare a feast and eat together to seal their bond–though they may have been enemies before hand, covenant means they agree to go together. 

No matter what happens later, they are bound to honor the covenant they cut together, no matter what, to go together, come what may.

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery…

…and then the 10 commandments….

This is first, this condition, God’s action, God’s faithfulness, God honoring the covenant made with them by delivering them from slavery to freedom…

the commandments with follow are a covenant of how we are go go together with God and with one another.

The commandment themselves are meaningless by themselves alone, but rich with meaning as the ways we honor the freedom we have been given in commands to love God and neighbor.

We practice covenant each Sunday in worship, beginning with confession, our mutual recognition that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves, that we have sinned against God and one another, which is to say that by what we have done and left undone we have broken the commandments.

When we celebrate Holy Communion, we remember that God cut a covenant in Christ, we feast on grace and drink in forgiveness, and end with the promise to go in peace and serve the Lord.

What this means for us is not 10 commandments separated like some abstract list of dos and don’ts.

We are here to keep covenant with God, 

to receive grace and forgiveness 

and to give grace and forgiveness.

we walk together in faith because God in Christ was first faithful to us, thanks be to God.

Resentment | Proper 20A | Time after Pentecost | September 20, 2026

Jonah’s story and Jesus’ parable of the vineyard reveal how easily we become resentful when God’s mercy and grace disrupt our human expectations of justice, fairness, and who deserves reward or punishment. We want God to recognize our sacrifices and punish wrongdoing, yet God’s grace is freely given, unearned and unearnable, extending even to those we believe are undeserving. The cross reveals a Kingdom that overturns our moral order, calling us to let go of resentment and embrace the truth that “the first shall be last, and the last shall be first.”

unning away, doing all he can to escape his calling, Jonah finds himself deep in the belly of the whale, that leviathan that consumes the human soul

….depression, illusion, distraction …

The belly of the whale consumes us so that we are unable to choose mercy and grace, so that we come to think we know better than God, who is unknowable, who does not fit into our tidy moral universe, our human sense of moral order.

That the just will be rewarded in this life,
that the wicked will be punished. 

This is to be but human; we can’t help ourselves, nor escape our expectations that God will is our will,
though we pray it will be, that our desire is God’s desire,
though our hearts pull us away from God, despite our longing it be otherwise.

In the end, after what it would seem he would have learned, human that he is, 

Jonah is angry with God.

Look at all he has been through, all he has sacrificed.  

Sacrifices should be rewarded, shouldn’t they?

God should honor all that we give, should bless us for our sacrifices.

Jonah sits up on a hill, looking down at Ninevah,
angry that God has changed God’s mind, that God has decided not to execute judgement on the city but instead extends mercy to them…

for the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Which is good and a comfort, until it violates our sense of right and wrong, as with Jonah, as long as mercy and grace does not disrupt our moral universe, as with Jonah.

But Jesus disrupts our moral universe, enters human time to reveal the universe of God, the Kingdom of God, which does not conform to our expectations of God.

The last will be first, and the first will be last, Jesus says, though it leads to envy, to resentment when, like Jonah, we expect God to honor the sacrifices we have long made, the time we have given over the years, our labor in the vineyard of the Lord.

There is a moment in the parable of the vineyard when the landowner pays his workers.

You know the story, a group beginning at break of day, another group beginning at 9am and 3pm, and the last at  5pm.

Now if the landowner wanted to pay them all the same, cause no trouble, no disruption, then wouldn’t he call the first group first and pay them their pay: then, after they have left, then pay the second and third and then the last?

Yet this is what he does not do but rather pays the last group first and pays them the amount he promised to the first group.

What were the other groups of laborers thinking when the landowner paid the last group what he said he would pay the first group?

Excitement, I should think….

If the landowner paid the last group what he had promised the first group, then surely he would pay them more than they had expected to be paid.

That would be justice, no?

That would be what is right and fair, yes?

By the time the last group receives their pay, they are as angry as Jonah was.

Anger is rather a blunt word.

They are resentful, a form of anger…

resentment is the story we tell to justify our anger.

Their story, like Jonah’s story, is that they have been treated unfairly, that they have been violated…

what they have given has not been rewarded, has not benefited them according to their sense of right and wrong.

They have been wronged so they are resentful.

God’s mercy to the Ninevites, the landowners gracious giving to those who come late to work, is an injustice,
an outrage to the moral order of right and wrong.

Here is our story, what is handed down to us from of old, as with Jonah, and revealed for all time in Jesus Christ.

God’s mercy and justice does not conform to our sense of mercy and justice but disrupts our moral order, of right and wrong, of who deserves to be rewarded and who deserves to be punished.  

We are thankful, glad the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, 

Until mercy is shown and grace given to the undeserving…

Like those who pray for mercy merely to escape punishment as the Ninevites do. 

Like those who expect to be treated as our equals when they don’t show up, don’t roll up their sleeves and get to work in the field of the Lord.

There is an opportunity here, the gift of truth for which we are gathered.

For we want God to execute judgement when it is sorely needed, to punish the wicked, to reward the deserving.

Jonah, the parable of the vineyard, helps us see the cost of resentment, the challenge of unmerited grace, of unlimited mercy.

This opportunity is to see mercy and grace, the goodness of God is a gift freely given, generously given, unearned and unearnable, it cannot be lost, neither can it be gained. 

The universe of God, the kingdom of God, does not conform to our moral order, nor our sense of justice,

…but challenges us to see our Jonah like tendency, like the labors who begin at break of day, to expect God to reward our sacrifices, to recognize our hard work, our discipline

But this goodness, dear friends, this opportunity, is the cross which reveals God’s love for all not,
for just the deserving,
and because of the cross,

the first shall be last, and the last shall be first…

Thanks be to God. 

Harry Machtan: Funeral Homily, September 18, 2026

Harry’s Song

Since the 4th century, the church has sung of this moment…

The song of Simeon, 

…the moment old Simeon takes the Christchild into his arms and sings

Now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared for all peoples.

A song of blessing, a moment of deep meaning, of fulfillment.

Simeon lived by the words of Psalm 84, 

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord.

The honor standing at the door, of blessing those who enter….

Simeon’s gift, his blessing, is big-heartness, openness, wonder….

Welcome, we call it, a we see in those who do not cloak their hearts, who find deep meaning in blessing others, 

Who see Christ in all; who welcome all in Christ’s name.

Harry was our Simeon, the doorkeeper in this house of the Lord.

Generations of children were blessed by him, parent’s hearts warmed by his goodness.

To be greeted by Harry’s smile, to receive a bulletin from his hands, was to know the welcome God intends for all of us.

We might well imagine that his long career selling homes to families was also Simeon-like, a blessing.  

How he listened to their hopes and dreams, what they imagined for their families found welcome in Harry, they experienced what we knew and loved him for, that smile, that big-heartness that was such a gift to all of us.  

Some weeks ago, I asked Harry to add two ushers to collect our offerings; I suggested he invite children to help…

His eyes lit up, and with tenderness so essential to him, he helped our kids learn the honor of serving.

Harry made it a practice to be the last to receive Holy Communion, each time telling me who needed to receive communion from the pews.

That was Harry, looking out for others, making sure everyone was taken care of….

What we saw in him on Sundays in church; 
Harry lived Monday through Saturday in Baraboo.

That smile was always on his face, his heart was always open, the way he felt honored to greet and welcome at our doors was the same way he felt honored to greet and welcome people looking for homes.  

The Song of Simeon is the Song of Harry….

He lived it, we saw it, we experienced the openness and welcome God intends for all people when he handed us our bulletins and when he showed us our homes.

I like to think of Harry meeting St. Peter at the gates of Heaven.

St. Peter looking at him and seeing all the things that can be counted, number of bulletins he gave to us over the years, number of handshakes, number of offerings he collected, number of times he helped serve Holy Communion, number of families living in homes he found for them, number of sporting events and birthdays and family celebrations he brightened, number of dogs he loved…

And all that cannot be counted but was essential to Harry, that smile, that openness, that welcome.

St. Peter saying, “Well Harry, we need someone to stand at the gate and welcome newcomers, show them around a bit.

Old Simeon here will help you get started…

Harry’s eyes lighting up, that shining smile, taking his place next to Simeon where he now belongs, in heaven as on earth, blessing and welcoming all in Christ name for eternity.

JoAnn Tangney: Funeral Homily, September 17, 2026

Mark 5:24-34

Healing

When we hear the story of the healing of this woman we tend to focus on the end, the moment she is healed.

But there are twelve years of suffering before this moment.

And of these twelve years, we are told only that she has endured much under many physicians, that she has spent all she has and was no better but rather grew worse.

We know nothing about how she spent her time during those twelve years of suffering.

Whether she sat at home doing nothing, listless, inactive, succumbing to despair

Or whether she had a family, children to care for, a house to organize; whether she cooked meals for them, found any pleasure in twelve years of suffering.

JoAnn suffered for many years too, and perhaps her the way she lived her life helps us to see in new ways.

Suffering didn’t define JoAnn.  

Though it limited her, it did not stop her from enjoying life but rather sharpened in her a sense of fight and of focus.

She did what she loved and what brought her deep pleasure.

Cooking splendid meals from scratch, without measuring, drawing on what she had been given her, passed down to her from her foremothers.  

How to set a table and gather around it, how to savor life around the table, family gathered with all the foolishness and joy that goes along with it.  

Life on a farm is a family affair, and JoAnn tended to that life also, bottle feeding calves and mucking about in her barn boots rain and shine.

She loved being with people; suffering didn’t change this.

She loved meeting people, getting to know the regulars, sharing stories and the news of the day.

Yes, she suffered and for too long, but suffering did not define her; she would not let it be the story of who she was as a person, who she was for her family, who she was in this community.  

No, she found a way to thrive despite all of that, and her family will tell you that she was a lot more than the illness she suffered, 

that when the diagnosis was bad news, she did not withdraw but focused on the life she loved, the people she loved, the people who say she was strong and resilient and undaunted.

She too suffered much at the hands of physicians, and got better sometimes, but over time grew worse.

But though she grew worse, she chose the better, 

to thrive through giving to her family, to celebrate the grandkids she loved so well; they tell JoAnn’s story, of how strong she was, how much fun she was, how she found ways to make all their lives better right on through her own suffering.  

In the end, the story of the woman whose years of suffering end when she reaches out and touches Jesus is also JoAnn’s story.

For both, the end is a beginning.

The end of suffering is healing.

One woman reaches out and touches Jesus’s clothes, but there are many ways to reach out, many forms of touch–

And in all of them, in the end…there healing begins.

Food and laughter and good hard work, the ways now we, as JoAnn did in her life, reach out to one another, take care of one another, give our lives to loving no matter our own suffering.

…in all of this there is healing, and by faith we believe that in this end, in the end of JoAnn’s suffering, she is healed.

She begins a new life, and so do we.

Thanks be to God.