ed Myers and Brian Stoffregen re: the widow's mite story in both Mark and Luke.This morning is Stewardship Sunday: our annual public dedication of the way we will share our gifts with God and one another in the coming year. It is also our liturgical expression of gratitude to God and one another for another year shared in service to the world in Christ’s name. It is an important regular event in the life of every church and I give thanks to God for this day. Now on every Stewardship Sunday – in every church across America – in addition to the gratitude, you can nearly always make the follow two predictions:
• First, some people will choose to participate prayerfully for they have given time to the spiritual significance of this commitment. They have listened carefully to the weekly Stewardship messages. They have read the preparatory literature. And they have taken time to discern how they will use their money to support the cause of Christ at First Church. They will have figured out what acts of service God is asking of them and they will share their gifts with creativity, conviction and compassion.
• At the same time, other folk will have either forgotten or ignored the call to commitment only to be completely caught off guard by our emphasis this morning much to their chagrin. They will scramble and worry and mostly end up duplicating last year’s effort. And a few others will discover that they are either so confused or resentful that we’re talking about money a
nd sharing commitments in church that they won’t know what they want to do about it – and won’t do anything.My friends, I’ve done church enough to know that you can take this prediction to the bank. In fact, by the time our drive is over it will once again be true that 20% of the church membership will fund over 80% of our budget while 80% of our ministries will be carried out by only 20% of the people.
That this fact is true just seems to be human nature – the 80/20 principal is almost genetic or pre-ordained – so I don’t speak of it as something to lament or celebrate. It is just a fact – like the weather – and if you’re going to be a part of a church you just have to come to terms with this reality. So that’s my first prediction: that the 80/20 principal will be alive and well in this year’s stewardship drive at First Church.
My second prediction is this: if you have been a part of a church in North America for any length of time, you have likely heard a stewardship sermon preached on today’s gospel – the widow’s mite – and you are dreading what I have to say about it. I know I would be:
• Sometimes these sermons are designed to guilt-trip you into giving more money to the mission and ministry of the church. Sometimes they point to the gap between the piety and generosity of the widow and our more divided loyalties. And sometimes they simply urge us to be clear about why we are making a commitment to God in the first place: is it a matter of heart and soul – or something more prosaic?
• In fact, I just came across a survey conducted on all the different ways the story of the widow’s mite has been used in stewardship sermons in America and the conclusion is fascinating. Most sermons say that the point of Jesus’ celebration of the widow is either to help us explore our selfishness in contrast to her generosity, or, to show us that it is not the amount we offer that matters but rather the spirit in which the gift is given.
“The story of the widow’s gift to the Temple of her last two coins,” writes Addison Wright “is often described by commentators as a beautiful story of generosity or a b
eautiful act of devotion in a desert of official piety. Almost universally it is seen as some kind of observation on the measuring of our gifts or an exhortation to give until it hurts.”• Have you heard stewardship sermons preached on this text before?
• And what was the message you took away?
But here’s the thing: while I don’t blame you one bit for dreading yet another sermon on this story, when I review the biblical text carefully I can’t find any evidence that these old stewardship conclusions have been faithful to the story. Oh, they may all be generically true – generosity is always good and helpful – and they may advance the stability of the church and need to be said in a hyper-individualistic and often greed based culture. But the fact remains that none of these conclusions have anything to do with what Jesus was really talking about.
If fact, these conclusions really run counter to the message Christ consistently shared throughout his earthly ministry. So let me first walk you through this story carefully and then suggest another more faithful conclusion. And here is why: if any of us actually saw this story being ac
ted out in real life, we would be horrified.• Think about it: if you saw a poor old woman being fleeced of her life’s saving by some slick mega-church huckster, how would you feel?
• When you read about people who are dirt poor sending in their last dollar to a televangelist in the hope of getting rich or buying their way into God’s favor, how do you react?
Me, too: we are saddened, horrified and angry that something as sweet as the grace of God could be used in such a perverted and selfish way. And that is exactly what Jesus is talking about in today’s lesson – he is railing about religion that wounds and abuses people – but we almost never teach this when it comes to the story of the widow’s mite, right?
• How does this lesson begin? Who is Jesus talking about?
• The scribes – and what do you know about the scribes – any ideas?
Literally scribes were those who could read and write – the well educated ones of ancient Israel – and in the Biblical context they were also those who taught others Torah – the Law of Moses – the heart of the faith. And Christ’s relationship with the scribes of his day was tense. Here’s what a quick survey suggests. Jesus fundamentally believed that t
he scribes were teachers without deep spiritual authority. They often challenged both his method of teaching and his willingness to forgive the sins of others.• They were furious when he ate with sinners and tax collectors, they believed he was unholy to eat without performing the ritual hand washing ceremonies and they came to teach that Jesus was really a cohort of the Devil.
• As his ministry intensified, they worked to arrest and have him executed, they mocked him on the Cross and they actively supported the persecution of the early church.
Now listen to what Jesus has to say about the scribes: they love to walk around in long robes so as to be noticed. They ached to be greeted honorably in the public market places and fought to get the first seats in the synagogues. What’s more, the scribes were often those at the head table during the feast and prayed long, empty prayers just to hear themselves speak.
Do you get the picture? Today we might speak about some politicians the way Jesus did about the scribes – or televangelists – because they tended to support a self-centered religion that wounds the most vulnerable. And that is what is really at the heart of today’s lesson: Jesus said that some of these scribes were hell-bent on devouring the homes of widows.
Biblical scholar, Ched Myers, puts it like this: “Jesus is crying out against the affluence of those scribes who… had come to serve as trustees over the estates of widows (who as women could not be entrusted to manage their deceased husbands’ affairs!”) He is also furious about the way scribal religion encouraged the poorest of the poor to make offerings that they could not afford. Such religion is much more about economic opportunism and exploitation than it is piety – and it made Jesus crazy with fury.
• Are you with me? Am I being clear?
• Do you see why this is more of a lament than a celebration when it comes to the widow?
Widows were often at the bottom of the social ladder – they were living beings with no means of support – they couldn’t own property and were the ancient welfare class. One scholar notes: “When
a woman’s husband died, she could go back to her own family – if they would pay for her – otherwise she would have to stay wither her husband’s family which was often a low and humiliating experience.” (Stoffregen) What’s more, the word in our text tells us that this widow was poor – ptoche – which means she is a beggar.
• Do you see where this is going? Now listen carefully to this next part because the scripture says that Jesus was watching how the crowd was casting their money into the treasury.
• To be sure he noticed how much they were putting in but he was also observing something of the heart of the donor: was it done in joy or obligation – did it make them happy or sad – was it a blessing or a burden?
And when it was all over he told the disciples two more things: First he noted that the widow gave all she had – she gave out of her poverty – while others gave from their abundance. And second, as they came out of watching all this in the Temple, he turned to them and said: “Do you see this great building? Not one stone of it will be left here… it will all be torn down.”
All of this – this whole religious system built up
on milking the poor of their last coins – will come tumbling down. Now be careful: Jesus is NOT saying that Judaism will be destroyed, right? He is not talking about supersession or any of that, but he is saying that the old ways of exploitation will come tumbling down in his new way of doing it.
• And what was true then is equally true today: the way of Jesus tears down injustice and replaces it with equality. His religion teaches “that human need always takes precedence over static religious values, because – and listen carefully – religious values are human values.” (Wright)
• Think of what he taught about the Sabbath: the Sabbath day of rest was created for… whom? Women and men and children, yes?
a woman’s husband died, she could go back to her own family – if they would pay for her – otherwise she would have to stay wither her husband’s family which was often a low and humiliating experience.” (Stoffregen) What’s more, the word in our text tells us that this widow was poor – ptoche – which means she is a beggar.• Do you see where this is going? Now listen carefully to this next part because the scripture says that Jesus was watching how the crowd was casting their money into the treasury.
• To be sure he noticed how much they were putting in but he was also observing something of the heart of the donor: was it done in joy or obligation – did it make them happy or sad – was it a blessing or a burden?
And when it was all over he told the disciples two more things: First he noted that the widow gave all she had – she gave out of her poverty – while others gave from their abundance. And second, as they came out of watching all this in the Temple, he turned to them and said: “Do you see this great building? Not one stone of it will be left here… it will all be torn down.”
All of this – this whole religious system built up
on milking the poor of their last coins – will come tumbling down. Now be careful: Jesus is NOT saying that Judaism will be destroyed, right? He is not talking about supersession or any of that, but he is saying that the old ways of exploitation will come tumbling down in his new way of doing it.• And what was true then is equally true today: the way of Jesus tears down injustice and replaces it with equality. His religion teaches “that human need always takes precedence over static religious values, because – and listen carefully – religious values are human values.” (Wright)
• Think of what he taught about the Sabbath: the Sabbath day of rest was created for… whom? Women and men and children, yes?
So let me wrap it all up like this: our stewardship campaign cannot and will not be based on guilt or grumbling or
• If you’re going to give a gift, do it only out of gratitude not obligation – share the gift of joy rather than judgment – is that clear?
• If you are going to give your time to the church in service, make certain it advances compassion, too. We are NOT about maintaining a building or an historic institution – that is for museums – not the body of Christ.
• So if you want to share your time, make certain it brings you hope and deepens love, ok? We don’t need any more cranky so-called saints around here: just more people living into God’s grace and authentic compassion.
That’s why I think that our new symbol for sharing resources a
nd affection at First Church – the new symbol for Stewardship – should become our most recent Harvest Dinner. It was rooted in tradition but totally open to new folk and guests, too. It was all about nurturing one another in love and sharing and was a total blast!
• What’s more, it was truly and joyfully intergenerational: little children and old timers were equally at home alongside everybody in between.
• And it was bathed in gratitude… and it doesn’t get any better than that!
So, dear friends, this is what I sense the Spirit is saying to the church on this Stewardship Sunday, so let those who have ears to hear, hear and act accordingly.
• If you’re going to give a gift, do it only out of gratitude not obligation – share the gift of joy rather than judgment – is that clear?
• If you are going to give your time to the church in service, make certain it advances compassion, too. We are NOT about maintaining a building or an historic institution – that is for museums – not the body of Christ.
• So if you want to share your time, make certain it brings you hope and deepens love, ok? We don’t need any more cranky so-called saints around here: just more people living into God’s grace and authentic compassion.
That’s why I think that our new symbol for sharing resources a
nd affection at First Church – the new symbol for Stewardship – should become our most recent Harvest Dinner. It was rooted in tradition but totally open to new folk and guests, too. It was all about nurturing one another in love and sharing and was a total blast!• What’s more, it was truly and joyfully intergenerational: little children and old timers were equally at home alongside everybody in between.
• And it was bathed in gratitude… and it doesn’t get any better than that!
So, dear friends, this is what I sense the Spirit is saying to the church on this Stewardship Sunday, so let those who have ears to hear, hear and act accordingly.
photo credits: Dianne De Mott
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