Render Unto Caesar - 10.18.20 Deacon Ari Wolfe

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost   The Collect:  Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Old Testament:  Exodus 33:12-23 [Alternate: Isaiah 45:1-7] 12 Moses said to the Lord, 'See, you have said to me, "Bring up this people"; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, "I know you by name, and you have also found favour in my sight." 13Now if I have found favour in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favour in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.' 14He said, 'My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.' 15And he said to him, 'If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. 16For how shall it be known that I have found favour in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.' 17 The Lord said to Moses, 'I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favour in my sight, and I know you by name.' 18Moses said, 'Show me your glory, I pray.' 19And he said, 'I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, "The Lord"; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20But', he said, 'you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.' 21And the Lord continued, 'See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; 22and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; 23then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.' Alternate: 1Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,    whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him    and strip kings of their robes, to open doors before him—    and the gates shall not be closed: 2 I will go before you    and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze    and cut through the bars of iron, 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness    and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord,    the God of Israel, who call you by your name. 4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,    and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name,    I surname you, though you do not know me. 5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;    besides me there is no god.    I arm you, though you do not know me, 6 so that they may know, from the rising of the sun    and from the west, that there is no one besides me;    I am the Lord, and there is no other. 7 I form light and create darkness,    I make weal and create woe;    I the Lord do all these things. Psalm:  Psalm 99 [Alternate: Psalm 96:1-9, (10-13)] 1 The Lord is King;   let the people tremble; *        he is enthroned upon the cherubim;        let the earth shake. 2 The Lord is great in Zion; *        he is high above all peoples. 3 Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *        he is the Holy One. 4 "O mighty King, lover of justice,   you have established equity; *        you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob." 5 Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God   and fall down before his footstool; *        he is the Holy One. 6 Moses and Aaron among his priests,   and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *        they called upon the Lord, and he answered them. 7 He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *        they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them. 8 O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *        you were a God who forgave them,        yet punished them for their evil deeds. 9 Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God   and worship him upon his holy hill; *        for the Lord our God is the Holy One. Alternate: 1 Sing to the Lord a new song; *        sing to the Lord, all the whole earth. 2 Sing to the Lord and bless his Name; *        proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations *        and his wonders among all peoples. 4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; *        he is more to be feared than all gods. 5 As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols; *        but it is the Lord who made the heavens. 6 Oh, the majesty and magnificence of his presence! *        Oh, the power and the splendor of his sanctuary! 7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples; *        ascribe to the Lord honor and power. 8 Ascribe to the Lord the honor due his Name; *        bring offerings and come into his courts. 9 Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; *        let the whole earth tremble before him. 10 [Tell it out among the nations: "The Lord is King! *        he has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved;        he will judge the peoples with equity." 11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;    let the sea thunder and all that is in it; *        let the field be joyful and all that is therein. 12 Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy    before the Lord when he comes, *        when he comes to judge the earth. 13 He will judge the world with righteousness *        and the peoples with his truth.] Epistle:  1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 1Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. 2 We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of people we proved to be among you for your sake. 6And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, 7so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place where your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. 9For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming. Gospel:  Matthew 22:15-22 15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 16So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, '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. 17Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?' 18But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, 'Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19Show me the coin used for the tax.' And they brought him a denarius. 20Then he said to them, 'Whose head is this, and whose title?' 21They answered, 'The emperor's.' Then he said to them, 'Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's.' 22When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.