Nov. 8 Sermon by Michelle

Proper 27 year B

Readings

When you look carefully, you realize that this is a rather strange passage of Scripture to use for a stewardship sermon.

No, really. Did you listen carefully?

I say this, because ironically, this – known as the story of the “widow’s mite” – used to be the go-to passage for stewardship sermons. For years, preachers used this Gospel passage almost unthinkingly, praising the widow and her mite. Using her as an example to each of us to give more. Or worse, to berate those who did not give until it hurt. Two commentaries – from the 1960’s and 1970’s – sum up what must be hundreds of years of sermons on this passage: “The principle enunciated by our Lord on this occasion is that a gift is to be evaluated not by its size, but by a comparison of the gift with the total amount possessed by the give. A large donation out of abundance may be less significant than a small gift out of poverty,” reads the older of the two. The newer – by which I mean the one published just before I learned to read – was more blunt. “Here is a lesson in giving …Real generosity gives until it hurts. Few people will do without their pleasures to give a little more to the work of God. …”

Well, you get the point. This understanding of this episode was for a time so prevalent that I have heard many stewardship chairs in churches ask people for scripture references to giving that were NOT about the widow’s mite. Because everyone assumes that the widow’s mite is the unachievable goal that Jesus sets.

And, as it turns out, I don’t think that this is what the passage is about at all.

This passage is a part of longer series of events at the temple. So I invite you now to put yourself into this story. Be one of the disciples, following Jesus around. What does he see? What does he actually say?

Jesus walks into the temple with the disciples. The day before, he had cleansed the temple, driving out the money changers. And now, he returns, with his disciples in tow. You can imagine the sensation as they enter - the temple authorities and scholars are on guard. As he walks in, there is no sense of welcome - one group after another questions him - "Jesus, what do you think of this issue?" and "Jesus, if you're so clever, answer this riddle.” Everyone, it seems, is trying to challenge him. Nobody is there for God. Everyone is only there to prove themselves right, and Jesus wrong.

Finally, a lawyer asks him, “What commandment is the most important?’ Jesus reminds him of the two most important commandments – you shall love the Lord with all your heart, and all your mind, and all your soul, and all your strength; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. With these two sentences, he sums up his entire theology. He cuts through the laws, the disputes of the various priests about which commandments are most important, and their threats to make the appropriate sacrifices or else. He explains why he has driven out the money changers. It's about your faith to God - not how you show it. He puts relationship ahead of teaching

But, in doing that, he also challenges everyone who has a stake in the temple sacrifice system. No wonder the temple authorities fear him - he isn't out to try to create a new sacrifice that can compete with theirs. He isn’t trying to carve out a niche in their system. He is overturning it. He is about loving everyone, regardless of whether they can contribute. They can't figure out his angle.

Then he goes on, in today’s lesson, berating the scribes for abusing their power for their own gain. They want to appear important, he says, they want to have an entourage. But what they do is use complicated arguments and facades to take from others.

The temple authorities knew well why they feared him. They saw him as a revolutionary; a man who would overthrow the system, a system that had benefited them very nicely. But, the disciples may not have seen that. They may not have understood. So, Jesus gives them the most visible example of all that is wrong with the system.

He sits in front of the treasury. Why? The disciples wonder. What is he looking for? They see nothing out of the ordinary. A line of people forms, each of whom makes the required contribution for the upkeep of the large and magnificent temple. All done under the watchful eyes, presumably, of temple officials, who busily check their lists to ensure that everyone gets credit for their contribution. And so, when the poor widow entered, perhaps seeking a moment of quiet prayer, she really can’t get in. Not without creating a scene by cutting the line. So she gets into the line. And, when she gets to the front of the line, what can she do? The priests, the crowds, all the eyes are upon her. She rummages through her belongings, and finally comes up with two small coins. The priests have already seen her. They’ve seen both coins in her hand – she can’t hold one of them back. And so, she throws them both in.

This scene, this is what Jesus is commenting on. It continues into the lesson we have for next week – when the disciples leave the temple and notice how luxuriously it is built. Jesus replies that it will be destroyed.

It is all of a piece, not praising the sacrifice of the woman so much as chastising the corruption of the temple. In particular, berating the officials who put God up for sale, who demand entrance fees and membership to worship, who deny God to the poor and the needy. It flies in the face of all of Jewish customs and proverbs encouraging everyone to be kind to the widow and the orphan. Here, Jesus shows them the effects of temple corruption - the most holy of people are actually being the least charitable of all.

Which is why, if I were going to choose a Bible story for a stewardship sermon, this is most definitely NOT the one I would choose.

What a contrast to the way we think this parable turns out! So much a contrast, that people still have trouble believing it. I remember a guest lecturer who visited our seminary one day. This woman was a Biblical scholar from Africa, active in starting and leading what she called women’s Bible circles. To say she offered a unique perspective – certainly within her own society – is an understatement. Nobody thought much of groups of uneducated women gathering to read the Bible.

She told us about a Bible study she led on the story of the widow’s mite in Mark. Look, she said, Jesus is condemning the Church for oppressing women. He is speaking ill of the priests who had no compassion on the widows. She went to the leaders of her Church. Those of you who are in power have corrupted the meaning of this Gospel, she told them. Jesus isn’t praising the widow for giving all she had. He is condemning the priests who made her put those last two cents into the collection. The same way you do now, she told them, when you ignore women's voices and think we should be quiet and do more charity.

And, in a sign of the corruption that can be the Church – then and now – the leaders of her church looked confused. Until finally, one smiled at her and said, “so you agree with us that the widow should not be praised for giving all she had? You agree with us that she should have given more?”

So, what about St. Paul's? If Jesus were to walk into St. Paul's today, what would he see? I think His assessment might come out better than you imagined.

Sure, if Jesus were to stand in the parking lot, he would see a beautiful building. But, my hope is that, as he walked in, he would see that our stained glass, our music, and much of what we do, is offered to the glory of God. And we offer it free to all - you did not have to pay an entry fee to join in worship this morning, and when someone calls to ask a prayer, or to meet with Lou or I, we do not check a roster of contributors. Every day, our building serves the larger community - whether it's through the nursery school downstairs, a Bible study in the parish hall, a program for recovering addicts in the evening, or a group of people preparing meals for the homeless in the kitchen. Every day, our parishioners reach out to others in times of trouble - whether its through formal arrangements like Stephen Ministry or Eucharistic Visiting, or part of a large effort like our efforts to bring a meal to those coming out of hospitals, or its a more informal call or note from one parishioner to another to say “Hi. We haven’t seen you in church for a while. I know you were having a rough time a while ago. How are you doing?”

Yes, there are priests, and deacons, and musicians, who like to wear long robes - at least in worship. But I think that each of us, in various ways, tries to bring God to the people - not keep God away. As I've explained to a number of people over the last few years - the blessing of my being on salary at St. Paul's is that it gives me the freedom to be a priest for those who cannot pay. And so, when a call comes to do last rites for someone who just moved into a nearby retirement community, or a parishioner asks us to visit a sick friend or loved one who is not a member - we can do so, free of charge.

I think - I hope - that if that widow were to walk into St. Paul's today, she would be welcomed. She would be given the opportunity to worship God, to join in song and prayer and sacrament, all without charge. But there is more. I hope we would invite her to coffee downstairs. Perhaps she would join us for a Wednesday night program, where she could get dinner, and a chance to meet new people in fellowship and conversation about our experience of God. And, there is even more. As we got to know her, I hope that perhaps she would let us know about her struggles. Perhaps she would join in some of our programs - contributing the wisdom she gained from her experiences, rather than the money she could so little afford. We would be the richer for her contribution and her connection to us. And, perhaps in the process, the community of St. Paul's would rally around her, to help provide for her physically, as well as emotionally.

I think if Jesus walked in as we were welcoming that widow, he would smile. Because he would see that while on the surface, not much has changed between the time of Jesus and today - big buildings, music, instruction - at its heart, everything is different.

But, the reality is that keeping that heart functioning, keeping all this functioning, does cost time, effort, and money. We can do the ministries we do - reaching out to the widows and the community - because of the people of St. Paul's. There are faith communities that do charge - memberships or other fees - for membership. But that is not our way. Instead, we ask for pledges, and we ask people to join. If St. Paul's has touched your life, or if you want St. Paul's to be around to provide for others, won't you consider what you can contribute to that effort?

Jesus calls us to care for the widows, the orphans, and all who yearn for God. Let us continue in those efforts, together.

- The Rev. Michelle Boomgaard