I HEARD A PREACHER ONCE SAY THAT “THE NEAREST WE WILL EVER COME IN THIS LIFE TO SEEING THE FACE OF GOD, IS WHEN WE LOOK WITH RESPECT AND LOVE ON THE FACES OF ALL OUR FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS; INCLUDING THE FACES OF THE POOR AND THE NEGLECTED.”

ALTHOUGH TODAY IS NOT STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY FOR THIS CHURCH THE TEXT DOES INVITE US TO PONDER BOTH OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY & OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH POWER…

THE FIRST PART OF THE READING FOR TODAY POINTS OUT THAT THERE WERE SOME RELIGIOUS LEADERS IN JESUS’ DAY WHO WERE MIS-USING THEIR POWER & AUTHORITY – A GOOD REMINDER THAT PERSONS IN EVERY AGE HAVE MIS-USED & ABUSED THEIR POWER. I DO NOT HEAR JESUS SUGGESTING THAT ALL RELIGIOUS FIGURES MISUSE POWER… JESUS CERTAINLY POINTS TO THE REALITY THAT POWER CAN CORRUPT…

THE SECOND PART OF THE READING FOR TODAY DIRECTS OUR GAZE TO THE FACE OF A NAMELESS “POOR WIDOW” – A PERSON CONSIDERED IN THAT CULTURE ONE OF THE LOWEST ON THE SOCIAL STANDING LIST… THIS “POOR WIDOW” HAD COME TO THE TEMPLE AT JERUSALEM TO MAKE AN OFFERING… WHAT JESUS SEES IS A POOR WIDOW WHO OFFERS UP THE LAST TWO COINS IN HER POCKET….

JESUS DOES NOT SEEM TO INVITE US TO SEE OURSELVES AS EITHER THE RELIGIOUS LEADER WITH FEW SCRUPLES OR THE WIDOW WITH HER LAST COINS TO GIVE… ALONG WITH JESUS WE ARE MEANT TO “SEE” BOTH A PERSON WITH POWER & PRIVILEGE AND TO SEE A PERSON WITH NO POWER & NO MONEY AT ALL…

COMMENTATORS & RELIGIOUS SCHOLARS ALIKE HAVE WRESTLED WITH THESE VERSES IN THE SCRIPTURE FOR A LONG TIME… WE DO NOT KNOW JESUS’ MOTIFS CLEARLY HERE… WE MAY WONDER WHETHER WE ARE INTENDED TO SEE OURSELVES AS SUBJECT TO CORRUPTION BY POWER & MONEY… WE MAY WONDER WHETHER WE ARE INTENDED TO FIND OURSELVES AS THE COMMUNITY WHO ALLOWS THE CORRUPTION OR THOSE WHO IGNORE THE LOWLIEST & NEEDIEST PERSONS IN OUR SOCIETY… WE MAY WONDER IF WE ARE INTENDED TO NOTICE THE DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THOSE WHO HAVE AND THOSE WHO HAVE NOT?

THE UNCLARITY ABOUT WHERE WE ARE TO FOCUS IN ON THIS SCRIPTURE LESSON FOR TODAY CAN LEAVE US A BIT UNCOMFORTABLE…

IT IS HELPFUL, I THINK, TO NOTE THAT THE COINAGE THE POOR WIDOW OFFERS UPS IS PERHAPS COMPARABLE TO TWO PENNIES IN MODERN TERMS.

YET I WOULD SUGGEST THAT THE POINT HERE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE ABOUT THE QUANTITY OF THE GIFT THAT JESUS REMARKS ABOUT… RATHER JESUS WANTS US TO NOTICE THE QUALITY OF THE GIFT…

JESUS KNOWS SOMEHOW THAT THESE TWO COINS ARE HER LAST TWO COINS… WE ARE TO UNDERSTAND THAT HER POCKETS WERE TRULY EMPTY AFTER SHE THREW IN THOSE TWO COINS…

JESUS CONTRASTS THIS GIFT WITH OTHERS WHO MAKE OFFERINGS OF LARGE CONTRIBUTIONS OUT OF THEIR WEALTH… JESUS SEEMS TO KNOW THAT THE OTHERS WHO BRING THEIR GIFTS HAVE REACHED INTO THEIR POCKETS FOR COINAGE THAT JINGLED THERE (WITH MORE AT HOME & IN THE BANK) … THIS WIDOW, ON THE OTHER HAND, GAVE UP THE LAST OF WHAT SHE HAD…

IT IS THE WIDOW’S LEVEL OF PARTICIPATION THAT JESUS WANTS US TO NOTICE… WE WOULD ALL UNDERSTAND MORE EASILY IF SHE HAD JUST PUT IN ONE OF THOSE COINS, RIGHT! HOLDING ONTO THAT LAST COIN MIGHT HAVE ALLOWED HER TO BUY A BIT OF BREAD… INSTEAD WE ARE TOLD SHE GAVE UP BOTH OF THOSE COINS… SHE GAVE UP EVERYTHING SHE HAD…

JESUS WANTS US TO NOTICE THAT THE OTHER “BIG GIVERS” GAVE UP WHAT THEY WOULD NEVER MISS… WHILE THE POOR WIDOW “GAVE EXTRAVAGANTLY WHAT SHE COULDN’T AFFORD - SHE GAVE HER ALL.”

WE ARE CALLED TO NOTICE THAT IN SPITE OF HER POVERTY & HER FEARFUL PLACE AT THE BOTTOM OF SOCIETY SHE GAVE OUT OF HER GRATITUDE… THIS “POOR WIDOW” LOVED GOD SO MUCH THAT SHE TRUSTS THAT GOD WILL PROVIDE FOR HER… SHE TRUSTS THAT SOMEHOW SHE WILL SURVIVE IN SPITE OF EMPTY POCKETS & NO OTHER VISIBLE MEANS OF SUPPORT, NO HUSBAND, NO GOLD RINGS, NO SOCIAL SECURITY, NO INVESTED FUNDS…

JESUS IS CAREFUL NOT TO OFFER JUDGMENT HERE, YET JESUS WANTS US TO NOTICE WHAT’S GOING ON… JESUS TRULY WANTS US TO HAVE THE SAME KIND OF TRUST & FAITH THAT THE POOR WIDOW HAS. JESUS WANTS US TO TRUST & BELIEVE WITH THE SAME FAITH THAT THIS POOR WIDOW HAS…

JESUS QUIETLY INVITES US HERE TO A LIFE OF EQUAL COMMITMENT...

EQUAL COMMITMENT… NOT EQUAL GIFTS….

MOST OF US HERE ARE WEALTHY BEYOND THE WILDEST DREAMS OF MILLIONS AROUND THE WORLD TODAY… MUCH OF THE WORLD LIVES AT A BARE SUBSISTENCE LEVEL AND MOST OF US ARE NEITHER GOING HUNGRY NOR THREATENED WITH HOMELESS NESS NOR LIVING LIVES OF DESTITUTION…

WE LIVE IN A “MATERIAL WORLD”… WE LIVE IN A CULTURE WHICH ENCOURAGES US TO SPEND, TO BUY, TO CHARGE, & TO ACCUMULATE MORE & MORE & MORE... AS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON APPROACHES WE ARE BOMBARDED BY CATALOGUES IN OUR MAIL, ADS IN THE NEWSPAPERS, & THE CONSTANT EXPECTATION TO BUY & TO CONSUME… MOST OF US DO LIVE LIVES FULL OF POSSESSIONS…

ALMOST IN SPITE OF OURSELVES - WE KEEP THINGS & WE ACCUMULATE GOODS … I HEAR FROM MANY OF YOU THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO CUT BACK, TRYING TO GIVE AWAY, TRYING TO DOWNSIZE IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER… YET MOST OF US HAVE TO ADMIT THAT WE ARE STILL HEMMED IN BY POSSESSIONS & THINGS!

I AM HERE THIS MORNING TO SUGGEST THAT THE WAY WE HANDLE OUR “THINGS”, OUR “GOODS”, & OUR MONEY ARE INDEED SOMETHING THAT WE MUST LOOK AT… THAT HOW WE HANDLE OUR POSSESSIONS & OUR THINGS IS A MATTER OF FAITH FOR US… IN SPITE OF WHAT OUR CULTURE PREACHES (AND IT DOES PREACH LOUD & CLEAR & WITH LOTS OF MARKETING DOLLARS TO SUSTAIN IT) – IN SPITE OF WHAT OUR CULTURE PREACHERS I WOULD SUGGEST THAT IT IS BY GIVING AWAY THAT WE NOT ONLY HELP OTHERS BUT ALSO HELP OURSELVES.

TODAY’S LESSON INVITES US TO MAKE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN GIVING & GRATITUDE... ONE PREACHER SUGGESTS, “IT IS ONLY WHEN WE LOVE AND ENTER INTO A LIFE OF GIVING, A DISCIPLINED LIFE OF GIVING, THAT THE WORD OF GOD CAN COME ALIVE IN US.” ( Rev. Kirk Alan Kubicek – sermon - The Widow's Gift To Us)

THE POOR WIDOW IN TODAY’S LESSON UNDERSTOOD THE CONNECTION BETWEEN GIVING & HER GRATITUDE… THE WIDOW GAVE OUT OF HER GRATITUDE FOR GOD’S FAITHFULNESS TO HER... GIVING THOSE TWO COINS AWAY WAS INDEED WAS A SIGN OF HER FAITH & HER TRUST IN GOD…

IN GIVING AWAY WE BREAK THE FETTERS OF CONTROL & CONSTRAINT THAT CAN INHIBIT OUR FAITH…(REPEAT) IN GIVING AWAY, IN BEING GENEROUS GIVERS, WE MAKE ROOM IN OUR HEARTS & MINDS TO RECEIVE AS MUCH AS WE SHARE… IF OUR HANDS ARE FULL OF ALL WE THINK WE NEED TO HOLD ONTO & CONTROL, THEN WE CANNOT OPEN OUR HANDS TO RECEIVE THE FULLNESS OF GOD’S LOVE... GIVING FOR CHRISTIANS IS LESS A MATTER OF POSSESSIONS & HOW MUCH WE SHARE THAN OF POSSESSIVENESS… SOMEONE HAS SAID, "Complete possession is proved only by giving. All you are unable to give possesses you." (ANDRE GIDE, THE FRENCH PROTESTANT WRITER)

"POSSESSIVENESS" INDEED MAY BE THE REAL CULPRIT FOR MOST OF US…

UNLIKE THE POOR WIDOW, MOST OF US CAN GIVE OUT OF OUR WEALTH & OUR ABUNDANCE... WHEN WE LOOK AT A PLEDGE CARD FOR OUR CHURCH OR FOR ANY OTHER ORGANIZATION WE SUPPORT - WE DECIDE HOW MUCH TO GIVE OUT OF OUR ABUNDANCE… MOST OF US DO NOT HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT POSSESSIONS WE MIGHT HAVE TO GIVE UP IN ORDER THAT WE CAN GIVE…

FOR MOST OF US, ALL WE HAVE TO DECIDE IS HOW DEEP TO DIG INTO THE PROVERBIAL LOOSE CHANGE IN OUR POCKETS...

I DON’T IMAGINE THAT MOST OF US HAVE EVER HAD TO DIG OUT THE LAST OF THE COINS IN OUR POCKET SO WE COULD MAKE AN OFFERING…

I INVITE YOU TO CONSIDER THE LEVEL OF YOUR POSSESSIVENESS…

I INVITE YOU TO CONSIDER THE LEVEL OF YOUR GIVING…

I INVITE YOU TO CONSIDER THE LEVEL OF YOUR COMMITMENT..

JESUS SAT & WATCHED THOSE WHO WERE MAKING OFFERINGS AT THE TEMPLE THAT DAY… HE SAW BOTH THE WEALTHY GIVERS & THE "POOR WIDOW"… HE NOTICED HOW EACH PERSON GAVE AWAY THEIR MONEY OFFERINGS…

JESUS CALLS US TO A LIFE OF EQUAL COMMITMENT … EQUAL COMMITMENT, NOT EQUAL GIFTS…

LET US GO OUT THIS DAY TO LOVE & SERVE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW… AMEN.