I Kings 17:8-16 Psalm 146
Heb.9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44

Pentecost 23
Proper 27B RCL

WIDOW'S MIGHT

Credits: Pulpit Resource 11/10/85; Our Church Times 3/17/85 p.3 & 10/17/84 p.l; Ministry 58/7 (Jul.85,pp.4-6)

Previous: 85,00,C3,06 - revised,recast

**********

Last week we thought about the saints as those who loved God hard and loved Him deeply.

I. Today's Bible readings lead us to think about two widows who loved God and loved Him deeply, and so were saints in their own way.

The two widows give to God all that they possess, and trust in God's merciful care. Their trust is what lets them think that their little gifts are worth giving, even though richer folk would sneer at those little gifts. Their trust in God led them to give away all that they had to live on, on that day - some meal and oil in the case of the Old Testament widow, and the two copper coins in the case of the New Testament widow. To give away even a part of what one had to live on, demands a kind of generosity that is not demanded when one merely gives away one's surplus. As Jesus put it, "This poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the Temple treasury. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything that she had, even her whole living." The woman had put in only two small coins, but Jesus saw that of all the gifts that were given, hers was greatest in proportion to what she had. But He seems to have said more than that, because He emphasized that "She, from the little she had, has put in everything that she possessed," as though she had given away even the likelihood of having anything more. That is loving God very deeply indeed. The same can be said of the Old Testament widow: she gave all she had. The next step could have been starvation.

To give as generously as those widows gave I to give over even the possibility of possessing, is as if a magnet should give up its magnetism. To give as they gave, is to become entirely a giver, in the riotous freedom of the sun giving light and heat. The widows each became that kind of giver. That is why they gave more than all the rest. And that is why it is very wise for us, who have rather more than they had, to give very, very generously whenever we have a chance to give at all.

II. Christ was much concerned about the material goods of this world. He never belittled the possession of goods or money; but rather, He warned of the terrible perils of getting, or keeping, or hoarding, or misusing wealth. Nearly half of the parables of Jesus (13/29) are concerned with the right and wrong attitude towards our money. Since our Lord directly addressed the subject of money, so His Church must do likewise.

Men and women work for money, sell themselves for money, murder for money, cheat for money, and build their whole sense of security on money. What a strange religion we would have if we did not speak to this subject. What a strange, uncaring God we would be worshiping if He did not show concern for our use of money. We simply cannot be disdainful of money matters and be true to Jesus as our Lord and Savior. He has saved us even in that part of our lives. Christ and His Church must speak to the whole person, and not to everything else except one's pocketbook or wallet. Jesus is our Savior even in our pocketbooks.

When little Zacchaeus climbed a tree in order to see Jesus, he was so deeply moved that he gave away half of all his possessions. This was pointed out by Jesus as a sign of effective redemption (Luke 19:8-9) - not giving away half, or a third, or whatever, but that Zacchaeus's relationship with God had affected his wallet.

If we share only what is left over after we have satisfied our own desires, we have not yet learned to make our giving an expression of our love for God. The great truth that many of us have to learn is, that the way we respond in giving can actually become an effective means to a deeper relationship with our heavenly Father. And any number of Christians who tithe and more than tithe, can testify to that deeper relationship.

When Moses was given the task of building the Tabernacle in the wilderness, God directed him to "accept whatever contribution each man shall willingly offer" (Ex.25:2), and when David was gathering offerings for the building of the Temple centuries later, "the people rejoiced at the willing response in offerings, because in the loyalty of their hearts they had given willingly to the Lord" (I Chron.29:9). They gave to the Lord, not to a building. There is no way that one can make a case for the pressures of some church fund-raising from those experiences. The offering was free-will and motivated from the heart, and therefore it was acceptable. Jesus never endorsed any pressure structure. He repeatedly emphasized the privilege and right and responsibility of the individual. By His praise of the widow's mite, it seems that Jesus turned the usual system upside down. His system was based on sacrifice rather than amount.

Motive is more important than the urgency of the need or the worthiness of the objective even when it is for the Church. The only true motive for giving is love and gratitude to God. One's giving should be a manifestation of one's faith, and it is a reflection on the Church that the faith it proclaims has not produced the necessary funds and extending its program. We've got to reach and preach for more conversion of the heart.

Let me finish with a story of one more widow. She lived alone in the mountains of Tennessee during the financial depression of the 1930's. A government agent was sent to visit the impoverished farmers of the region, to make, small loans for allotments of seed and stock and improvements, or for subsistence aid. Coming to this widow, the agent found her barely squeezing out a living on two acres of land which she, tilled with primitive methods. "If the government should allot you a sum of money, he asked her, "what would you do with it?"

Her cabin had no floor; its windows were covered with paper, and light came through the broken walls. But she looked up and said, "I think I would give it to the poor."