Sally Rausch: "Pledging Allegiance" (Sermon for October 18, 2026)

‘Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” - Matthew 22:21 This verse has often been used to separate civic and spiritual life and to mandate allegiance to the authority of government on the one hand and the authority of God on the other. This distinction has always been troubling to me. But in times like these, when the cruelty and harm of our government is on such explicit display, this question of allegiance is more relevant than ever. Pledging allegiance is a part of the human story. Out of fear, in seeking safety, over shared commitments, or the desire for power, our loyalties - whether we are conscious of them or not - shape our days, our time, our relationships with ourselves, and our relationship to our neighbors and the world around us. Our allegiances can give away power and wield power, and they can shape the structures of our shared life. But Jesus invites us again and again to pledge our allegiance to something bigger than any government, ideology, structure, or system. So where have we pledged our allegiance? And what does reorienting our allegiance back to God mean for our shared life together? What does it require of us? I’m looking forward to digging into this together on Sunday. Pastor Sally