Download Mark 12:38-44 24 Pentecost 15 B St. Peter`s Come Holy Spirit. Fill

Mark 12:38-44 24 Pentecost 15 B
St. Peter’s
Come Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful people and kindle in us the fire of your
love. And now, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be
acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. Amen.
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I recently visited one of our parishioners, who was hospitalized in Columbus, and as I
was driving through town, I stopped at a stoplight, right next to a brand new Corvette.
I’m telling you, it was a thing of beauty! What do you think a new Vet cost…$80 grand
loaded out? This mechanical work of art implied a certain air of individuality and
distinction for its owner, as it paused briefly at this stoplight…until surging out ahead of
the pack when the light turned green.
I will confess that I absolutely shattered the ninth and tenth Commandments right on the
spot. But it was an impressive sight. Yes, I was intrigued. I’m a guy. I mean, come on!
It was a 2015 Vet.
But as this marvel of style and engineering slid ahead of me in my nice, but relatively
conservative four banger, I caught sight of a bumper sticker on the back of the Vet.
Now, in the first place, anyone who would put a bumper sticker on a Vet should be shot!
But to make things more interesting, the bumper sticker read, “The One Who Dies With
The Most Toys Wins.”
It was at that moment that all my appreciation of the sleek lines and emblems of
authority and power, dissolved.
Because we’re so close to Veteran's Day, I thought of youngsters…17,18,19, 20 yearold young men, who lie buried, nameless, from Vietnam to Guadalcanal to North Africa
to Central Europe…men who gave life itself away, while too young to know very much
about it…gave it in defense of freedom, justice, honor…gave it to make life livable for
others.
They died without many ‘toys’…no chance, really, to accumulate ‘toys’ at all. Did they
also lose? Is that the game?
I thought of a young carpenter from Nazareth. When he died, his only possession was
his seamless garment. He had no toys, either. Did he lose the game?
Now don’t get me wrong. I have no quarrel with the enjoyment of that graceful car. I
could enjoy it myself…and very much!
Even Jesus had no quarrel with pleasure. He celebrated at weddings. He would have
understood the happy-go-lucky pleasures of youth. He was, after all, fully human, as
well. So, I’m not arguing against pleasure here. This is about attitude and value.
Here in our text is the world’s best-known widow, and on that particular day, only Jesus
paid her any attention. Only Jesus even noticed her.
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Jesus talks about her after describing important people who everybody did
notice…important people, who make a show of their status. “Beware of the scribes,
who like to go around in long robes, and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces,”
he said. “They like to have the best seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at
banquets. They devour widow’s houses and for the sake of appearance say long
prayers.”
They’re religious, in other words, not because they love God and love their neighbor.
They’re religious because they love themselves. It helps them to get ahead in the
world. And Jesus condemns that. In fact, he says, “They will receive the greater
condemnation.”
Then comes the story of the widow’s mite. The woman enters the temple for worship.
Everybody there is noticing those who make the great contributions. Nobody notices a
woman putting in two coins. That’s all. Just two coins. They’re called “lepta”…equal to
about a penny.
No one notices, that is, but Jesus, who calls over the disciples.
“Did you see that?” he asked. “That woman. Did you see her? She gave the greatest
gift. The others contributed out of their abundance. She gave out of her poverty…so
she gave everything.”
She had no ‘toys.’ According to that bumper sticker, then…she loses. Makes for a very
interesting contrast, don’t you think?
What can we learn from the poor widow with no ‘toys’…and from Jesus’ conversation
about her with the disciples?
First, we’re taught by this story that, when we give, God uses it. Or put another way,
God can use what we give. Now, don’t yawn at that quite yet. It does sound simple,
almost trite. But it’s a great beginning point in thinking about our own stewardship.
And stewardship is not just about money. That’s certainly an important part of it…but
there is also TIME…particularly in the context of living in a faith community, like St.
Peter’s.
How are we stewards of our God-given time…time to learn…time to teach others…time
to serve…and time to be served? And how does it reflect our relationship with God?
Anyway, when we give, in whatever form it might be, God uses it. This is a pretty
general proposition, but it is a solid foundation of truth.
And Jesus isn’t the only person in the Bible who values the seemingly meager
contribution of a poor widow.
Chapter 17 of I Kings tells the story about the prophet Elijah. Elijah had just been to see
King Ahab, and his ill-tempered wife, Jezebel, and told them that the famine in the land
is their fault. The King and Queen had established worship of the pagan god, Baal,
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which was an abomination in the eyes of God. Elijah tells them it was wrong, and,
therefore, the famine in the land is the judgment of God.
Well, kings and queens don’t take very kindly to subjects telling them how to run their
business. So, Elijah had to flee into the desert east of the Jordan, where there was
even less food and no water.
He was fed there by ravens, until God sent him to a widow in a little desert village
named Zarephath. That’s all we know about her. And no, it’s not the same widow.
There are a few centuries between them.
Elijah meets her as she’s gathering sticks for fuel to cook some food for her family. He
asks her for a drink of water, and she gives it to him. Then he asks for food. She
replies, “All I have is some barley meal and a little oil. I’m about to make bread for my
children.” He asks her if he can have some, and she gives it to him. She shares what
she has for herself and her family, shares out of her poverty, because he is in need, and
God used it!
And sure enough, there is more than enough for everybody. It was a miracle! And it’s
the miracle that happens when we give of ourselves. And part of the miracle is what we
get back in return. This story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath is testimony to that
fact. It wasn’t much, but when she gave, there was more than enough. When we give,
God uses it.
Now, the second truth about giving: How we give matters. Remember, in our story,
Jesus was watching people give their offering in the temple, and one of his teaching
points for the disciples concerned how they were giving. So, he used this scene to talk
about the heart of the widow.
She dropped in the equivalent of a penny or two. She did it instinctively. She wasn’t
concerned about what others were giving.
The wealth of those who went in procession, dropping their large sums into the treasury,
and making all kinds of obvious racket as the coins hit the kettle, did not intimidate her.
I doubt if she gave any thought to what a relatively insignificant amount was her own
offering. That’s the reason Jesus acknowledged her and put her in our Hall of Fame as
the world’s greatest giver.
Earlier, Jesus had told the Pharisees to render unto Caesar the things that were
Caesar’s, and to God the things that were God’s.
The widow believed that all she had was a gift from God, and belonged to him. The
Pharisees haggled over what belonged to God, and what belonged to Caesar. Jesus
clearly declared that everything is God’s. He is the Lord and source of all life and life
eternal. Even what we render to Caesar is as much God’s as what we render to God.
Whatever we might offer in the form of money or time, keep in mind that God is allowing
us to keep and use the remainder of it, however we see fit.
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So…is there a proper balance of giving and keeping in our lives? The image of Caesar
may be on the coin, but God’s image is on our souls. We belong to him! It’s not likely
that we will ever give in the right way, until we accept this truth.
All we are, and all that we have, is a gift from God. How we give in response…matters.
Now, this final truth. It’s a little harsh, and it might pinch us just a little. Ready? If we
give only what we won’t miss, be it money or time, we are missing the point of Christian
stewardship and faith-filled, gratitude-driven, giving?
Christian stewardship has to do with faith. That was the measure of the widow’s gift. I
mean, think about that. If we give only what we won’t miss, how does that reflect our
faith?
There’s a verse of scripture in 2 Samuel that points to the attitude with which we are to
give.
It seems King David was at the point where the nation was under divine judgment for
attempting to take a census in opposition to the will of God. Just why this census was
forbidden is not clear. But the pestilence that followed was all too clear and real.
God, in his mercy, cut short the punishment. King David, out of a sense of profound
thanksgiving, determined to offer up a sacrifice to God.
King David approached a farmer by the name of Araunah in the vicinity of Mt. Moriah.
This humble farmer, awed by his majesty’s intention, offered the king his threshing floor
and an ox for the sacrifice, free of charge.
But King David insisted on paying. His words sum up this third truth about giving, and
we would do well to adopt it: “I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which
cost me nothing.”
In that light, we might ask ourselves, is our offering of time and treasure an accurate
reflection of our willingness to give more than what we would not miss? Is it an
accurate reflection of our love for and gratitude to God?
So, Jesus and the world’s best-known widow teach us, one: that God uses what we
give. Two: how we give…the attitude we have in our giving…matters. And three: Our
Christian stewardship reflects our faith.
Keep this closing point in mind: What does John 3:16 say? “For God so loved the world
that he did what? He GAVE his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may
not perish, but have eternal life.
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How do our gifts of time and treasure support the purpose of the Gospel, and reflect
how we respond to that history changing, eternal lifesaving act of generosity on God’s
part, for our eternal benefit?
Let’s prayerfully consider all that in our hearts.
Amen.
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