Do you remember the first opportunity you had to vote? Voting is a privilege and a responsibility that comes with being a citizen of Canada. For as long as I can remember, governments have been maligned for their decisions. Ultimately, we desire what is best for ourselves and when the government does not give it to us, we can become upset or even unruly.

As a king, Solomon wanted to be a good leader.

Sometimes the truth hurts. The religious leaders in Christ’s day felt its sting when Jesus taught the parable in this passage.

“A man planted a vineyard and built a protective fence around it”, said Jesus. He dug a vat to collect the juice from crushed grapes, and he established a watchtower. Having set up the operation for success, the owner rented the facility to vine-growers and left the country.

When one discussion involves politics, taxes, and religion, all the elements for controversy are present. Controversy was exactly what the religious leaders were hoping to generate when they asked Jesus about the appropriateness of paying taxes to Caesar. If Jesus supported paying taxes, then the people would have been upset that he was supporting the godless regime that ruled over them. If Jesus did not support paying taxes, however, he would be labelled a public revolutionary and done away with.

Money can be a hot topic, and Jesus was bold to address it. In this story, we see wealthy individuals donating large financial gifts at the Temple. While their generosity likely impressed onlookers and religious leaders, Jesus challenged his disciples to a different mentality.

“They’re giving from their surplus,” he said.

It was bedtime when the children asked the big one. ‘Daddy, when is the end of the world?’ ‘Well,’ I said, ‘You might get hit by a milk truck tomorrow, and so, for any one of us the end of the world can come at any time.’

My seven-year-old, Jon, didn’t buy this. He excitedly said that he can’t wait for it, the fireworks and glory and power of Jesus’ return.

Delivering a child is painful enough even if all goes well. But one of the great tragedies of modern times is that, according to world health officials, more than 300,000 women die in childbirth every year.

Poor women in places like sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia still perish today largely because they don’t have a skilled attendant, a trained professional to handle emergencies that inevitably arise during childbirth.

This passage opens a four-psalm symphony of jubilant thanksgiving. Praise has been waiting in slumber (v 1, NIV), and it’s up to God’s people to awaken it and stir it into song. Psalm 65 offers a poetic list of reasons why praise is due.

First, the psalmist reminds the people that they vowed to offer God their thanksgiving if he would deliver them (v 1).