Widow's mite, widow's might, widow's witness

Sermon

11/6

Jekyll and Hyde resists the rush ti Christmas decorations

It was the morning we rolled the clocks back....and I preached again for Beverley Church...here is my reflection,...

So the time has changed. And the leaves have changed. And the weather has cooled. I don’t expect to see fresh corn much longer at my local farmers’ market…but there’s more apple varieties than I could ever imagine. And fresh cider….Covid doesn’t seem to  be going anywhere anytime  soon and you’re never quite sure what the rules are. And yes, since we were last together, New York City has a new mayor…our second African-American mayor. And the New York City Marathon is back…streets of the city filled with runners for the first time in two years.

The stores are making the switch over from Halloween to Christmas…but we will wait until Advent for that. And just this  week was all saints and all souls, the Day of the Dead.

This time of year when people get into giving has traditionally been time for churches to focus on stewardship.  And this passage in Mark, we used to call it the widow’s mite, remember that?  Pastors would tell the story of the "poor widow" and encourage everyone to be like her. But in all honesty, there’s more going  on here than  meets the eye. 

First of all, the scribes…who were they? The Bible sometimes uses the expression doctors of the law. That’s appropriate, but why ? What was their role? They had the job of drafting legal documents in line with the Torah, contracts between people for marriage, divorce, loans, inheritance, land sales, etc. All for a fee, of course.  Jesus’ critique about them, those 

who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets!….can cut close to home..those preachers who wear the finest  suits, who sit at the head table at charity galas and get invited to do invocations at civic events…..those guys…When I lived in Tulsa, all the pastors wanted to get invited by Oral Roberts to give the prayer before ORU basketball games. 

The first pastor I worked for, and let me add he was a truly great man and good mentor, had as part of his call package a membership in the city’s best downtown dining club and it’s best country club. 

But it gets worse…Jesus says that they … devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers….

Can’t you just hear this prayers? (You probably already have…) See in those days, when a man died, women were not allowed to inherit her husband’s  wealth or property. That’s why the Old Testament always speaks about special care for ..widows, orphans and strangers at your gate…they were among the most vulnerable in society.  So scribes also had the role of managing women’s inheritance and property. Some charged exhorbitant fees. And if women were unable to pay, the scribe would  get control of the house. 

That is the context in which Jesus praises the widow.  It’s not just look what a good little giver she is. It’s in the context of this condemnation of an unjust system that does this to people.What this widow has experienced is wrong…and the temple owes its existence, at least in part, to the exploitation of people like this widow. The contributions of the scribes  come from the money they take form the widows and then the widows’ own money….in essence, they pay twice!

Well, widows may have it better today.  But there’s still plenty to make Jesus mad. Back to Tulsa for a minute. And let me share that I actually worked at ORU for a few years and knew Oral Roberts to be a complex character. But more than one poor widow gave all they had for Oral’s ministry. When he built a retirement home, there was major problem with his followers selling everything they had and coming to Tulsa believing they would be taken care of.  The rest of us had to push Oral Roberts  to hire a social worker to deal with the issue.

Let’s look at society. Income inequality its at its highest level in fifty years. Women still only make .68 cents on the dollar to men. The middle and lower classes pay the highest percentage of taxes. And the census tells us that  in the last ten years, homelessness in our city has increased by 110 percent and 159 people list Central Park as their address.  

Friends, I think it’s safe to say Jesus is still angry.

Now back to our widow. She doesn’t give from her excess, she gives from her essence. The words… everything she had…are literally her whole life. She has made a sacrifice. And that word’s Latin  roots are to make holy…it’s not so much the widow’s mite as it is the widow’s might…ultimately the widow’s witness. 

So in the end, this is not about giving your every last cent to church. (You can relax). BUT…it is about how you live your life. Those of us who claim the name of Jesus as our savior, who claim his name and seek to live life  in his community…are called to place God…through Jesus … at the center of our lives. Being a Christian, a follower of Jesus is ultimately a way of life. The most important work of the church is not to develop all kinds of programs.  The most important work of the church is to help its members be encouraged, empowered and equipped for the daily living out of their Christian witness. It’s not what we do on Sunday that makes us Christians but Monday through Saturday.  

As we come together to share in community with our Lord and our community today, let us help one another be strengthened for that daily living out of Jesus’ call. Let those with ears to hear, hear….

Mark 12: 38-44

38As he taught, he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation."

41He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."