Oh, How We dislike paying Those Taxes

Pastors and CPAs have something in common. They both are under pressure in March and April. We might say that one is dealing with God and the other is dealing with Caesar. Both would like to spread the work out more evenly over the weeks and months. But events are events and deadlines are deadlines. Holy Week and Easter are the pinnacles of the Christian experience. Tax day is not only when the government gets paid; it is also the time accountants see checks roll in for services provided.

The Pharisees sought to trap Jesus by asking him if it was lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not. He deftly avoided the trap by asking them whose image was on a coin. He said they ought to give to Caesar what was Caesar’s and to God what was God’s. So, how does this play out in our churches and lifestyles these days?

Taxes are not a happy thought. People complain against even the possibility of taxation. It is a brave and perhaps foolish politician who attempts to speak in favor of a new or increased tax. The litmus test of a candidate is to be against taxes.

That having been said, I believe most Americans have lost touch with what they receive for the taxes they pay. There are parks, roads and airports. There is Medicare and Medicaid. There is defense and education. There are police and firefighters. There is my Golden Age Passport (Don’t miss getting one when you are 62). I could go on enumerating the many benefits we and our neighbors receive. You may still not be impressed, but I suggest we take a little pride in what government provides.

So, how about the money we give to God and his church? I believe there are many in our churches who look at giving as a necessary evil and mission support as taxation. “I don’t like when we have to talk about money”, say some folks. And I really believe that many see synod and churchwide as state and federal.

Two points I would make. It is up to us as churchleaders to persistently interpret what mission support is used for…missions. The Great Commission and the Great Commandment are our callings. When disaster happens, our church is there. Global missions, new mission developments and ecumenical relationships often don’t happen without benevolence giving.

And the second point is, as Christians, we have a need to give. A balanced life and a generous spirit are marks of a faithful believer. We are part of all three expressions of the church that need our support. The Lord loves a cheerful giver.

We live in the Eastertime and tax day has come. Let us give Caesar his just due, and with a more appreciative heart, let us repay God some of what is all his anyway.

Darrel Peterson