Dear Friends,

In our gospel reading for this Sunday, the religious authorities approach Jesus to ask him a question that on the surface sounds sincere: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” But it is not a question for which they truly seek an answer. In truth they are trying to set a trap, hoping to ensnare Jesus, whatever his response. Flattery paves the way. “Teacher, we know you are sincere, and teach the way of God truthfully, and do not regard people with partiality.” Ironically, they actually have named the truth of who Jesus is, sincere and honest and impartial. It is because of these very characteristics that Jesus is able easily to discern their falsity.

As I have thought about this passage, especially in light of the continued election debates and the rhetorical questions and traps that flow from both sides of the political divide, I’ve wondered about the tendency we all have from time to time to speak without sincerity. To pretend to know—or pretend to want to know—what we really do not. When we do this, we lead ourselves astray, something I’ve learned the hard way. We betray the truth.

This leads me to the question that I would like each of us to ask ourselves, especially as we approach this year’s elections: What is true, what is false, within me? In what ways am I sincere, and how do I fool myself and others? Are you and I impartial in our dealings, or do we lean toward flattery and praise? Do we tend to over-correct by refusing all compliments, disowning the unique ways we express God’s creative life among us? Do we withhold blessing from ourselves and each other?

A community of faith, when it is grounded in the sincerity of Jesus, can be a healing place for questions like these. As I’ve considered what I have valued most about St. John’s during this season of Stewardship, it is that we are this kind of community. We can be, and I’ve used this term before, a “school of love” for learning to speak our truth in its fullness and complexity - how we are, yes, both true and false, sometimes impartial and sometimes not. We can be a space in the world safe enough to acknowledge that we are in process, not finished. That we are still becoming more truly who we are.

Which makes me wonder if those who came to Jesus hiding behind masks of wisdom and righteousness had not only the wrong question; but the wrong vision of community.

With gratitude for ours,

Amelie+