Sermons for the Month
Her Faith Was Great, As Was Her Trust
DATE: September 28th, 2003
SERVICE: 16th Sunday After Pentecost
TEXT: Mark 12:41-44“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN (Just before the sermon Bill Evans prepares people to complete their Estimate of Giving cards next Sunday.)
I want to thank Bill for helping us focus on today's theme, "Making Christ Known Through Me." As we prepare for Celebration Sunday next week, and prayerfully consider how we will give of our resources so that the Good News of Jesus might be made known through each individual, our attention is drawn to an individual, the woman in today's Gospel lesson.
Although we are inclined to say that money is one of the subjects we should not talk about in church, it's interesting to note just how often Jesus talks about it, as is the case in today's reading which is set in the Temple in Jerusalem where Jesus is noting what people are giving to the treasury.
He is standing near the Court of Women, which certainly was not as impressive as being near the Holy of Holies, the most sacred place in the temple. If one wanted to get picky, it could be said that these words of Jesus do not carry much weight because of where they were said. After all, he did not speak them at the altar of burnt offerings nor at the court of priest nor the court of the men, all of which were considered to be places of importance in the temple.
I'm compelled to point out, though, that while those areas might have been considered "better", Jesus did not find examples of faithfulness in them. Instead he found his example at the 13 receptacles were contributions to the Temple treasury were received, located against the wall of the Court of Women. It is in the midst of that which was considered most unholy, the place where money was received, that Jesus lifts up the widow as an example of faithfulness.
That fact tells me that there is not as wide a gulf between the sacred and secular as we might think. And, indeed, how we spend our money does say something about our priorities and our willingness to trust God.
But, before we talk about that, let's think about this woman for a moment. Her story is a familiar one, usually titled "The Widow's Mite." In order to grasp the full significance of this text we must understand the position she was in.
She had no Social Security, pension or insurance premiums on which to rely after her husband's death. That's a difficult situation which some women face in our day and age; the hardship they must encounter is devastating. However, in Jesus' time it was an even more drastic situation. Then, all widows were likely to experience sudden extreme poverty because they had no right to property ownership under the law. They had to rely completely on the charity of family and friends if they were even to have a place to life.
The plight of a widow in first century Palestine was precarious; she had little or no security. Now given those facts, today's Gospel lesson is particularly amazing. By literally giving her last penny to the Temple, the widow consigned herself to complete destitution. For that reason we might be inclined to label her gift as foolish and to find fault in Jesus for praising her.
I wonder, though, is Jesus really pointing her out because she emptied her purse? I think not; it seems to me the thing that really impressed Jesus was her attitude, her faith. In spite of her circumstances she demonstrated incredible trust in God, and commitment that was sacrificial. While others around her gave more, she was the only one whose actions showed that she trusted God above all else. Her gift represented total commitment to God, and that's what Jesus wanted the disciples to see.
We hold her up as an example as we prepare for Celebration Sunday and ask ourselves whether our giving will reflect our willingness to trust God above all else. That depends, in part, on our attitude concerning what belongs to us and what belongs to God.
I'm reminded of a joke someone told a number of years ago. It was about three clergy who were discussing how they distribute the Sunday morning offering. The first clergy person explained how he draws two circles on his office floor, stands in the middle, and throws the contents of the offering plate up in the air. Whatever falls in the outer circle belongs to God, and the rest belongs to him. "Well, that's interesting," said the second clergy, "because I do something similar. I too draw two circles and stand in the center. I too throw the contents of the offering plate up in the air. But, I take whatever falls in the outer circle, and give what falls in the smaller inner circle to God." The third clergy chimed in. "I do something very much like that, except I don't bother with the circles. I just throw the contents of the offering plate up in the air, and whatever God wants God can take before it hits the ground."
If that's our attitude, then we probably won't be pointed out as an example of faithfulness and commitment. I imagine God could take whatever God wanted, but that would mess up the entire concept of free will. Instead, I believe that God wants us, through our giving, to demonstrate two things. First, that we recognize that all which we have is a gift from God, to be used to further the Kingdom of God. Second, that through our intentional and sacrificial giving it's obvious that, like the widow of today's Gospel lesson, we are willing to trust God above all else.
The widow stood at those receptacles and put in two copper coins, not much, but all that she had. I encourage you today to prayerfully consider how you can demonstrate such faithfulness. Oh, I'm not foolish enough to ask you to give all that you have. However, I would encourage you in the week to come to ask, "What is God leading me to do? What part of my income should I give back to God? Could I ever tithe, which is to give 10 percent? What about increasing my giving? Are changes in my life-style warranted? What does my giving say about my desire to make Christ known, to be a means, a conduit of the Gospel?" Be thoughtful about those things, and then come excited to fill out your Estimate of Giving card as an act of worship next Sunday and to celebrate the abundant gifts of God.
Let me close today by saying that my hope for us here at Faith is that we will GROW in 2004. My prayer has two parts, first that there will be more financial resources that lead to more ministries here at Faith that result in more people who come through our doors and are touched by God's love. And, of equal importance is my second prayer, that we as individuals will grow spiritually in 2004, that faith, commitment and trust in God will flourish. May our church be a place like the wall of the women's court in the Jerusalem Temple, a place where growing examples of faithfulness are found. AMEN