"...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.’ When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away. " (Matthew 22:21-22)

Prime Timers is a Christian Education group at St. Martin's for Episcopalians aged fifty and above. We follow a course of study based on the Revised Common Lectionary, the three year cycle of Bible readings used throughout the Anglican Communion and by many Protestant denominations worldwide. Next week's readings are right here, at the bottom of the page! You are invited to join us in the Parlor near the church offices, Sunday after the 9:00am service, 10:15am to 11:00.

The Adoration of the Golden Calf, by Nicolas Poussin, 1634, oil on canvas at the National Gallery, London.

Prime Timer Good News!

A Prime Timer tradition is hearing what others are up to, and charging a dollar for the privilege! We donate the money we collect to charities supported by the church. George gave thanks for the rain we are finally getting, and Marty seconded the notion!

The Great Invitation

This week the Prime Timers explored more of the Book of Exodus and another parable from Jesus. Jesus tells about a King whose wedding invitation is treated very unkindly, ignored even killing the slaves who brought the message. We understand the rage of the King when he has the ingrates put to death and even when he burns their city! Then the King goes and invites people off the street, even providing wedding robes so the people can be properly dresses. When someone refuses the robe, the King has him sent out into the darkness.

The message here is that Jesus invites all to his table, but once there much wil be expected! (Mt. 22:14) "...many are called, but few are chosen." How many times are we like the unrobed guest, or even the first invited guests? How many times are we so self-absorbed that we trample on the efforts of others?

George is reading C. S. Lewis's book "Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life". This is Lewis' story of his journey from atheism to belief in God. This led to the class mentioning their own favorite C.S. Lewis book, while George was amazed at some of the references in Surprised. This guy was very well read!

Our reading from Exodus is the story of the Golden Calf. Once again the Israelites are falling out of faith while Moses is up on the mountain communing with God. This time Aaron has them collect all their gold, which he molds into a figure of a calf. The people worship this image and have a feast, God tells Moses what is up and prepares a cruel fate for the people, but Moses intervenes and asks forgiveness. And God changes his mind!

Once again it is fairly easy to imagine ourselves as the people in the story. Maybe we are not worshipping graven images, but maybe it is a new car or a fishing boat or a new piece of jewelry that for a while becomes our new god. Rev. Wilson describes it a losing focus, we get in trouble when we lose our focus on Jesus. Many are called, few are chosen...

The Rev. Donald S. Armentrout is Professor of Ecclesiastical History at The School of Theology at the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee. He has written:
“In this story Jesus illustrates that God’s call is never a casual matter. As members of Christ’s Church, it is easy to feel confident that we have not rejected God’s call. Yet Jesus’ story does not end with the welcoming of new guests to the banquet. The king sees among the new guests a man improperly dressed, and has him thrown into outer darkness. Perhaps the guest refused a wedding robe that was offered to him and was unwilling to celebrate the feast joyfully.
“The severity of the king’s judgment may seem unsettling. Yet Jesus’ words, ‘Many are called, but few are chosen,’ underline the urgency of taking up the Cross and following him (Mt. 10:38).”

Linda gave a short prayer to end today's class.

Lectionary readings

The Readings for Sunday, October 16th are from Lectionary Year One, Proper 24-A, "Living Under God's Rule": Exodus 33:12-23; Psalm 99; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 and Matthew 22:15-22. The text this week is from the New Revised Standard Version.

Exodus 33:12-23

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.’

Psalm 99

¹ The Lord is king; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
² The Lord is great in Zion;
he is exalted over all the peoples.
³ Let them praise your great and awesome name.
Holy is he!
⁴ Mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
⁵ Extol the Lord our God;
worship at his footstool.
Holy is he!

⁶ Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel also was among those who called on his name.
They cried to the Lord, and he answered them.
⁷ He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud;
they kept his decrees,
and the statutes that he gave them.

⁸ O Lord our God, you answered them;
you were a forgiving God to them,
but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
⁹ Extol the Lord our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for the Lord our God is holy.

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.

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.

NRSV