October 18 | 21st Sunday after Pentecost

In the Hebrew Scripture reading this Sunday, God uses the Gentile ruler Cyrus to accomplish divine purposes. In the gospel story, when the Pharisees try to trap Jesus, he tells them to give the emperor what belongs to the emperor and to God what belongs to God. We are reminded that our ultimate allegiance is to God rather than to any earthly authority. Created in the image of God, we offer our entire selves for the sake of the whole world. We gather to do the life-giving work of building community and care so that we can faithfully engage with neighbors near and far. – Cantor Bryan Rust