Faith, Price, Reward: Dori Soward
The following homily was shared at our Sunday Evening Eucharist service 10/18/26.
Scripture Readings:
Today’s readings explore a relationship between the price and reward of what life looks like when we put our faith in the world versus when we put our faith in our Lord and maker. The Pharisees ask of Jesus in today’s Gospel of Matthew, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?,” to which Jesus responds, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” However, in the deeper truth that Jesus is hinting at, the measure of worth is not just measured by the face on a coin, but rather in the things we place our identity and faith in. So, what is the difference between the prices of the world and God, and what is the true reward of these very different ideas of worth?
To begin to explore this question, we have to take a look back at the Psalms. God clearly identifies Himself as the sole creator and maker of the whole universe in today’s passage. However, how many times in our lives do we place higher value on what we owe the world versus what we owe the one who made the world? Things we desire, like money, success, and relationships, can override the desire that God has for our lives. Even further, many times in my own life, I find myself grasping for control of situations that I cannot control, striving for a place that God has only set aside for Himself. Therefore, when we merit the value of the world lower then the value of the life that God is asking us to surrender to Him, we have to die to ourselves and become new creations in Christ. He actually points this out earlier in Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters, either you will hate one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” So, what Jesus is asking us in today’s Gospel is not about where to pay our bills to, but rather the value and worth we place in the things of the world versus the things of God. Jesus is calling us to love God above everything else, and to not put the things we owe the world above the things we owe Him.
The currency of heaven versus the currency of humankind also looks very different. The world wants you to bend yourself to fit into a box that is defined by things other people want to define you as, such as placing your worth in yourself alone and in the belief that you alone control your own destiny. However, God’s definition of worth and value is very different. He does not call you to change the fabric of who you are, because He is the one that knit you together in your mother’s womb. Rather, instead of putting trust in yourself, He wants you to put trust in Him, for when we put trust and value in ourselves we will always fail, but when we put trust in Him, He will always be there to carry us. The price of the world is guilt and shame, while the price that God asks of us is not a price at all, but rather a gift. The price of our sin Jesus has already paid on the hill on Calvary. What He asks of us now is a response to this gift, a response of love. All He asks is that we give to God what is God’s: all the glory, honor, and praise that is due to Him as a response to the free gift He has given us, rather then squandering this free gift and spending it on the guilt and shame of the world.
Finally, the reward of these two costs is quite different. What you pay the world in guilt and shame will only be reaped back to you as more guilt and shame. However, when we place God above all else, our reward is life eternal with Him and a freedom to be fully alive in the person He has called us to be. God has placed in our hands a free gift of salvation that gives us a reward of full freedom and identity in Him. Let us carry this gift into our lives, respecting what we owe to the world, but also putting God above all things to honor the gift He has paid for us on the cross. A gift that is owed all the glory, honor, praise, and gratitude of every good thing that God has offered us.
Amen.
Dori is a sophomore at Louisiana Tech majoring in Mechanical Engineering. She loves to sing, play the piano, read, listen to music, paddle board, and serve at her church and ACF. Dori’s kindness, joy, faithfulness, and servant’s heart have been an enormous blessing to our community. We’re also grateful to have her as a member of our ACF worship band and student Discipleship Team. It has been such a joy to get to know her, and we’re excited to see how she will continue to grow in her faith!