The Widow's Gift

The Widow’s Gift

Good Samaritan Lutheran Ministry

Nov 11, 2018

Mark 12:38-44

Children’s Message

Discuss recent election. Ilhan Omar was born in Mogadishu. Her mother died when she was young and she was raised by her father and grandfather in Somalia. When she was 8 years old her family fled from the Somali Civil War. She was in a refugee camp in Kenya for 4 years before coming to the US. This week Ilhan Omar was elected represent her district in Minnesota in the US Congress. (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/09/shes-made-us-proud-ilhan-omars-journey-from-somali-refugee-to-us-congresswoman) You will be voters when you become adults. Your vote will matter. Your vote and voice can make sure we elect people like Ilhan Omar, who care about refugees. You do not have a vote just yet, but you do have a voice. You can use your voice to help other voters and politicians understand what kind of America you want to live in, what needs to happen to make this a better place to live. So I want to give you some crayons and poster board. You can draw a picture to show us what you see for America. This is your voice, your vision. We’ll look at your pictures at the end of service.

Sermon

Good afternoon, brothers and sisters. It is good to be here. And it is good to see each one of you here today. We may be a small congregation, but Jesus is here with us today. Let us pray.

Loving God, thank you for gathering us here. Open our ears so that we may hear your Word today. Open our eyes too, so that we can see how you are at work within each of us and through each one of us. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts be acceptable to you. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Sometimes you can learn a lot about people just by watching them. Even if you can’t understand what they are saying, you can tell a lot by seeing what they do and how they carry themselves.

Jesus and his disciples were in the Temple near the Treasury. There was a collection box at the Treasury. People would line up to make their offerings to God and to the Temple. As you can imagine, there were Temple leaders there, the scribes. They would watch over the collection and would offer up long prayers. You could tell they were important because of the fine robes they wore and how they lifted their voices and hands in gestures of prayer. There were also wealthy people. They too had fine clothing too. They would lift up large sums of money for the collection so that all could see. The crowds took notice of them and the scribes also would fuss over them. They would celebrate their lavish gifts.

In the eyes of many, the Scribes and the wealthy were the important people. They were the winners. But the common people would look at their own modest clothes. They would look at the own modest gifts. What they had to offer did not measure up. Who they were did not matter so much. Certainly not as much as the really important people. But still, they too gave their gifts and trusted that God would bless them in the coming year.

Maybe no one noticed the poor people, but Jesus did. The Psalm today reminds us, “The Lord watches over the strangers, the orphan and the widow.”

Jesus turned to his disciples and pointed to a poor widow. See this one. She is in rags. She only has two pennies to offer. The crowds might wonder: Why is she even wasting other people’s time to offer a gift so small? If the wealthy and scribes noticed her at all, it would only be for scorn, an annoyance. What is two pennies, when the Temple needs to pull in billions of pennies!

But this is not what Jesus saw looking at this woman. Jesus turned to his disciples and said,

“See this poor widow. She has contributed more than all the rest!”

The wealthy had contributed out of their abundance. And more than that it was an occasion to show their status and wealth before others. The modest people too gave what was comfortable for them to give and hoped that God would bless them with more. But this poor woman gave out of her poverty. She gave what she had to live on. The world could not see her and could not understand how great her gift was. But Jesus saw her. Jesus knew the depth of her giving.

Jesus also knew what kind of religious leaders would be consuming her sacrifice, her gift of a few coins. If you’ve been in the Church long enough, you’ve seen it too. You’ve seen big, important pastors wear fine clothes and say lots of fancy words. You’ve seen how they fuss over wealthy contributors and look past the poor.

I know a woman who faced breast cancer years ago. She was a member of one of the largest churches in Sacramento, California. The church had several thousands of members. One day she was in the hospital getting chemotherapy. Her hair was falling out. She felt miserable. She was hardly covered in a thin hospital gown. She was also frightened about the course of her medical treatment. A lay minister from the church came out to visit her. She was grateful for that, and understood that the senior pastor was too busy to come visitor. But as the lay minister began to pray with her, the senior pastor dropped by and pulled the lay minister away for conversation. She stood there alone. The pastor had not even notice that she was there. He did not greet her or say her name. At length the pastor left, and the lay minister returned to this woman.

I know this woman well because she is my mother. I was not there for her either. But she told me how her heart was broken, how humiliating this was for her. She had been a faithful member of that church for many years. And no doubt, my parents had financially supported that church out of their limited means. But when my mother was in need, this great pastor of such great church did not know who she was and did not care to find out.

I think Jesus pointed to this poor widow to give a warning to his disciples. He said,

“Beware of the religious leaders who like to wear fine clothing,

who like to be greeted with respect in the marketplace,

who have the best seats in the church and among the wealthy.”

Don’t be like that! Jesus said,

“They devour widow’s homes and say long prayers for the sake of appearance.”

They will take the gifts of poor widows like this one and consume it for their own ends. But for this Jesus offers this judgment,

“They will receive the greater condemnation.”

As the Psalm says,

“The Lord watches over the strangers;

he upholds the orphan and the widow,

but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.”

So Jesus is warning his followers not to turn the gospel into a game of flattery and wealth.

The lay minister saw my mother in the hospital and did what he could to care for her. But the senior pastor was too busy to see my mother even when she stood right in front of him. One minister drew a large salary from the church, while the other minister did not. Which minister, the senior pastor or the lay minister, had the greater ministry that day? In my mother’s eyes, it became painfully clear.

Indeed we are called to see differently. While the world turns its attention to the wealthy, the powerful, the important and the celebrity, Jesus points us to this faithful widow.

The world did not see how this widow worked tirelessly to feed and clothe her children, but Jesus saw her.

The world did not see this widow when she cared for the sick and the dying, but Jesus saw her.

The world did not see this widow when gave bread to the hungry in her town, but Jesus saw her.

The world did not see when this widow gave shelter to refugees and the homeless, but Jesus saw her.

The world did not see when this widow gave encouragement to political prisoners and those whose voices were silenced, but Jesus saw her.

At what point was this widow not giving all that she had to live on? Indeed, the world may not see those who give their entire lives to service and to righteousness, but Jesus sees these unseen widows.

May the same be said of us. We should never be discouraged by the thought that what we have to offer is too small. We give from the life that God has given us. As Nelson Mandela wisely said,

“There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time and energy to helping others without expecting anything in return.”

Giving out of our poverty mean giving without expecting anything in return. This is what the poor widow gave. And it is what we are called to give.

We need to see this and honor this in each other. Many of you are raising children on your own. Jesus sees you and honors you for how you care for your children. And this congregation too can reach out to yet more. Pastor Crispin and I have been looking into a lay ministry training program called Sending the Seventy. This is for any of us here who want to be better prepared for practical ministry. Pastoral care, teaching, preaching, evangelism and much more will be covered. Not only will we be empowered to serve with greater skill and heart, but our church synod too is ready to recognize and bless our lay ministers. I believe this is very important for our congregation of refugees. Jesus sees us and knows what we have to offer, but it is good too if the wider church can see us and bless our missioners among us. But importantly lay ministers, mitume, are sent to attend to people, whom the world might otherwise overlook. Many of us are called to be like that lay minister who prayed with my mother in the hospital. Let us pray.

Father, you see us, and you see those around us. You see what we need and what we have to share with one another. Teach us to see others as Jesus saw this faithful widow. By her example, you show us how to give out of our poverty, to give without expecting anything in return, save that you see us. We trust that no gift is too small, when we give it to you. Prepare this congregation, Good Samaritan, to do your work, to serve as you serve, and to love as you love. We ask this boldly in Jesus’ name. Amen.