What are we invited to ask as we consider the widow and her mites?

Good morning good folk of St. John’s, Parsons. 

[introduction of my role as Campus Missioner; acknowledge The Rev. Susan Terry’s time here; kudos to “Laundry and Latte”; and highlight that I’ll be here this afternoon talking about campus ministry at the SE Convocation meeting]

There’s so much we could cover this morning: an important intimate moment in the story of Naomi’s and Ruth’s struggle to survive; the ‘widows mites’; Veteran’s Day (as an examination of honoring sacrificial service); and how themes from today can tie into stewardship and sacrificial giving of our finances to the mission of the church.  Don’t worry, I’m not going to try to cover all this.

I’d like to narrow in on the Gospel story we’ve heard about the widow’s mite (or, more precisely, her two mites), represented by the chosen image for the front of your worship bulletin today.

Often, people hold up this story as an illustration, and even celebration, of sacrificial giving to the church and perhaps even use it to encourage or guilt people into giving more during stewardship season.  However, I don’t believe that’s what the Spirit intends for us to hear or see in this Gospel lesson.  Before we’re too quick to imagine a smile on her face as she joyfully deposits everything she has into the temple coffers, we’re invited to consider what’s going on from the perspective of our Lord, who invites us to look over his shoulder and consider what’s really going on here.

First, consider these points:

 

1.    We don’t know what’s going through her heart or mind as she makes this offering, but we do know that offerings to the temple were expected. Think of it like paying taxes. 

2. She’s not tithing – she’s not giving a tenth. Jesus tells us “she put in everything she had, all she had to live on” (v 44) – essentially, she has put in her life. It’s hard to imagine that she’s calculating how she can give as little as possible while still meeting the letter of the law, or that she’s being self-serving, expecting people to notice her or otherwise get a social benefit from having been seen as being a ‘major gift’ giver.

3. Jesus doesn’t praise her offer, nor does he say to the disciples that they should follow her example of giving. He doesn’t comment on our faithful giving as supporting the valuable mission of the temple as a religious institution. Jesus simply draws their attention to the fact that this widow – this already impoverished and otherwise overlooked person who is already vulnerable to exploitation – has put in more than others who have given out of their abundance – her effective tax rate is higher than those who have much more than her.

4. In the verses just before mentioning this widow, Jesus has condemned the pretentious and hypocritical religious who “devour widows’ houses” while seeking to appear holy and righteous. In the verses following his mention of this widow, Jesus says that the very temple that the she is giving her money to will be destroyed.

5. Just one chapter earlier, Jesus called this temple/institution a “den of robbers” (Mark 11:17) after he attempts to cleanse it of gross commercial exploitation of the faithful. Then, at the beginning the chapter we’ve heard from (chapter 12), Jesus tells the story of greedy vineyard tenants who even result to violence and murder to get what they believe they’re entitled to (vv.1-

8. What are we to make of this?  What might the Holy Spirit being inviting us to see?

Some questions to consider – take a silent, prayerful moment to listen for what you might hear in your heart….

a)    Is Jesus pointing to the woman as an exemplar of faithful stewardship, or might he be lamenting her being compelled to offer all that she had left as a tragic example of how too much is being expected from those who have little already, for the benefit of those who already have much?

b) Given what Jesus says before and after drawing attention to this widow’s offering, might he be pointing out that she’s giving so much of herself to a corrupt institution, destined for destruction, that otherwise is enabling wealthier people to take advantage of her faithful participation in the temple taxation system?

c) Why would someone give all they have left for others apparently so underserving?

d) Who would be so unreasonably and extravagantly generous as to offer something so precious to others who will only take the gift for granted and use what they want from it for their own self-preservation (rather than the benefit of others)?

e) Might the faithful folly of this scene with the widow and her mites be foreshadowing of what Jesus, in the remaining chapters of Mark, is about to give on behalf of so many who are otherwise undeserving and unappreciative? In his earthly mission and ministry since baptism, did he not put in everything he had, all he had to live on? For what? For who?

f) As we approach the beginning of the Advent season, might this story of such an unreasonable and extravagant gift from an otherwise unknown nobody resonate with a gift God is about to offer the entire world through an otherwise unknown rural couple who otherwise don’t have any standing with the ruling institutions of their day?

Through noticing the widow and her mites and consider her circumstances, is the Holy Spirit calling us to examine collectively the integrity and fidelity the institutions that we support.  Are they providing shelter and opportunity more for robbers, or are they providing protection for the vulnerable as well as healing and rehabilitation for the sick (in all sense of that word)?  Who are we expecting offerings from and why?

Certainly, Jesus does challenge us time and again to re-consider how we’re utilizing our time, talent, and treasurer.

Are we settling for a faith that has Jesus doing the sacrificing while we reap the rewards?  Or, have we been inspired by his gifts to be equally gracious toward others, providing for their needs out of all that we have to offer?

What is the evidence in our lives that we are generously and otherwise unreasonably giving what we have, truly trusting in God’s abundant provision for our future?

If Jesus were to sit by any of our treasuries (the offering plates we’re about to pass, the budget of this parish family, our nation’s storehouses of wealth and debt, or our personal bank accounts), what would he notice about the transactions?

Is it ours to judge or worry if others are deserving of our gifts offered in faith, hope, and charitable love?

What example do we have in Christ?

“God of fierce justice, you close the mouth of those who devour the poor and hide behind their prayer: humbled by the giving of those who have so little let us live from your abundance; through Jesus Christ, the judgment of God. Amen.”

(Shakespeare, Steven. Prayers for An Inclusive Church (NY: Church Publishing, 2009) p.76)