Sorting

"Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Luke 20:25

These days of packing for a move find me spending a great deal of my time sorting things out. Lots of questions come to mind all the time. Does this go with us? Throw it out or give it away? Who does this belong to? What was I thinking when I brought this home with us? It is a painstakingly long process which allows for time to reflect and wonder. It also is a time of natural mourning. Letting go of treasures now long unwanted and damaged by time. Letting go of things that were weights tie around someone, at some time. All of my days demand a certain amount of sorting. Moving, whether long or short distances invites us to pack carefully and take along the precious things and the required necessities.

Jesus is being tested by the religious leaders. The test is over a coin and who it belongs to. Jesus does not get caught up in the argument but sees the heart. The image of Caesar is stamped on the coin. The image of God is stamped on our beings. No matter where we move or where we flee to, the image of God goes with us and we belong to God. Our spiritual sorting requires us to know that we belong to God. It is the sorting of our hearts, offering to the Creator a small measure of what we have been given, and offering fruits from our labors for the care of the world.

Today as the sorting continues, I invite us all to remember to whom we belong. We belong to God, and as God's people, no one can toss us away, sell us or throw us out. Not even our worst behavior and our senseless hoarding makes us any less creatures of the Loving Creator. May we live today, not clinging to temporary and temporal things, but instead, cling to the love Gos has showered upon us, sharing that love with the images of God, where ever we go.