Song: It All Comes Down | Alternative Banquet Interpretation |

Friends,

Well sometimes all the things happen at once. My trailer is repaired. The Center for Courageous Women of Faith has asked me to speak at their grand opening. I'm going to see family. All this past weekend! We'll be home sometime tomorrow. (I will pay hotel taxes on two nights.)

The Lectionary suggests that we should pay taxes because the government is stamped on the coins. But also everything is God's.

-Elizabeth

Taxes As Sharing

Here’s one idea we can try to change the mentality around wealth that doesn’t cost anything (except possibly public ridicule): celebrate paying taxes. Yes, seriously.

Our culture expects tax complaints. We frame taxes as burdens; in some circles, they’re explicitly referred to as theft. Progressives complain about money wasted on tax breaks for the wealthy, while those who are more conservative object to funds that support the “undeserving.” But all across the political spectrum, everyone dislikes paying taxes.

Should we seek tax reductions? Taxes distribute the costs of government services and support across the whole society. We pay taxes to support the common good. While it’s appropriate to critique how money is spent, sharing wealth with our neighbors through taxes is a good thing. For Christians, paying taxes helps us in some small way live out our obligation to care for our neighbors.

History demonstrates the power of collective taxation. Once, only wealthy families were able to afford a good education and often only for their sons. Then we dreamed up the idea of universal public education. Communities pooled their local funds and made schooling a reality for all. Then there are all the other services that are difficult, if not impossible, to maintain individually, such as military defense, fire departments, and public libraries. Similarly, efforts to redistribute food, housing, and healthcare are more effective when spread over a wider population.

I recently attended a church event that required an overnight stay at a hotel. Since it was church business, we had a certificate showing that we were exempt from the taxes typically collected by the hotel.

Hotel taxes, paid mostly by vacationers and business travelers, are especially high. It was certainly nice to pay less money, but what does it mean when someone from a church says that they choose not to pay this tax. While it’s certainly legal, it also suggests that we do not want to fund the common good. What if we instead proclaimed, both to ourselves and others, “Yes, I would like to pay that tax. I would like to contribute to the common good through this tax.”

I once knew a couple who moved from the suburbs outside Washington, D.C., to a small town in Iowa. Their modest townhouse in Washington sold for such a high price that they felt it was “required” for them to splurge on a huge four-bedroom colonial for their new home. They have no children, so I wondered what they meant when they said it was “required.” The answer? They wanted to avoid the capital gains tax. If you don’t roll over the profit from the sale of your home into a new home, then you have to pay a tax on the profit.

But why resist paying taxes on money that came from simply living in a house that appreciated in value? Why is that something to avoid? What have we done to deserve the increased value of our homes? Unlike taxes on our wages, there is no claim here that we worked hard to earn this money. We’ve made an investment in real estate, lived in that investment, and lucked out when the property grew in value. This is a win! Why not gladly pay the 15% or 20% tax on what was gained? For that matter, why shouldn’t capital gains taxes be 50%? 75%? While we’re at it, let’s increase the taxes on lottery winnings as well!

Spiritual poverty reminds us that God owns the land. When we come out ahead as a result of caring for our share, we should be grateful. When it is time to sell, we can embrace the opportunity to contribute to the common good.

From Elizabeth Mae Magill, When Did We See You: A Lenten Exploration of Poverty & Wealth, pages 121-123. Upper Room Books 2026.

What is your church doing with its money? Reply to this email to let me know what's happening. ​
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Too late but very interesting! Here is an alternative interpretation of last Sunday's lectionary reading. Maybe Matthew doesn't mean that God is the King in the story--that's a human king and God is the contrast? From US. Catholic (Vol. 91, No. 10, pages 46-48).

Patty Casey and one of my favorite songs. (2:55).

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