“Has given everything she had, even what she needed to live on.”
I’ve been thinking about this phrase all week. What does it mean to give everything we have? More so, what does it mean to give the things we need to live on?
Today, we come to the final installment of our journey through the Gospel of Mark. It’s been a great 3 months, or so, in which we learned about discipleship, walking with Christ as our guide, and remembering that we never travel alone as not only is God always with us but so are fellow travelers which God has put on our paths. We heard stories about not hindering other’s approach into God’s love and to be as welcoming to the outcasts and the unwanted in our communities as we are to Jesus himself.
Mostly, though, we heard story after story of how Jesus calls his followers to do what is right in the eyes of God: to love one another with the same unconditional love God has for us and to love ourselves in the same way and above all to love God with all we are. I think it’s that same unconditional love we here at Ewa Community Church have for one another and for those who live within, as well as beyond, our community; one look at this chancel speaks louder about that than any words I can say.
As I watched you bring your gifts forward, I thought to myself, “This really is a great church. We are mission-oriented and do what we can to provide for the well-being of others. We might not be a big church, but we most certainly give all that we have.”
We don’t do so to show others how great we are, or to bring attention to ourselves in any way; instead we give from a place within ourselves that speaks as loud as silence, the same kind of silence with which the poor widow in today’s story spoke.
Today we find Jesus in one of the in-between places Mark is known for. The presentation of the child to his disciples in Capernaum and the stroll through the villages by Caesarea Philippi are recent examples we have seen of those same kind of in-between places; places where Jesus’ more intimate teachings take place.
Today’s passage takes place between the grueling interrogation by the temple elite and Jesus’ moment on the hill across the temple. If we recall last week’s message, Jesus had just finished a debate with some of Jerusalem’s smartest religious and legal counsels. He then stepped out of the city and away from the temple where he warns that bad things have to happen before the people fully understand what he is trying to teach.
Before they leave the city, though, Jesus sits down right outside the temple, in full view of the collection box to watch how people give their money. After all, he did just say something about people who long for places of honor in the synagogues and who like to show off by saying long prayers. Jesus just thought it would be interesting to see if any of his words were getting through.
My guess is it didn’t. Jesus watched as person after person came to the collection box, haphazardly tossing in money, throwing it in without a thought as to what their contributions meant to the building of God’s Kingdom. However, in contrast to those who give without a thought, the poor widow approaches the collection box with pride and dignity, willing to give everything she has.
The widow gave to the temple not out of duty, nor does she give with the hopes God will somehow rescue her from her dire situation. The widow gives because of her faithfulness to God, and God’s faithfulness to her. She is devoted to the fact that God is in her life, regardless of where she is on life’s journey and for that she is thankful – so much so that she comes into the temple during one of their people’s largest festivals in order to give what she can, which is all she had, to thank God for everything God has done in her life.
The widow is being a good steward of the gifts which God has given her and as such is retuning that gift to God so that God’s Kingdom will be stronger.
In a recent article, author Benjamin Corey said a few things about the Kingdom of God. He said that the Kingdom of God is not concerned with building walls, but tearing them down and that the Kingdom of God is not concerned with having more, but giving more. Those are interesting words to ponder in the place Mark’s Gospel has us today.
But, it only seems that way if we let it be such. There was also one more thing Mr. Corey said in his article: The Kingdom of God exists to help those in need. It’s in helping those in need we are reminded about today.
Stewardship is defined as an ethic that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources. It is the blending of 2 words; stig which means house or hall, and weard which means guardian or keeper. Stewardship, then, is a set of moral principles with which one manages and plans how to utilize that with which they are entrusted.
Biblical stewardship is doing the same with the gifts God has entrusted to us. Oftentimes when stewardship is mentioned in the church we think of money. Yes, helping to finance the work of the church is important, but that’s not the whole thing. Financially, I’m sure we all do what we can. It’s with the other gifts God has entrusted to us that we should truly be considering.
Some of us are gifted with great organizational skills and could help with planning events for our church and the Ewa community in which we live. Some of us are gifted with being able to moderate a group discussion and could lead a church study group. Some of us are gifted with making crafts or baking cakes and cookies and could make things to sell at our mission fairs. Some of us have good leadership skills and could help facilitate one of our committees. Some of us are good at being a caring presence for others and could visit our members who, for whatever reasons, cannot attend church on a regular basis.
We each have something we’re gifted with and it doesn’t matter if the gift you have is small or big. What does matter is how you give that gift to better the Kingdom of God and to do so with the same outlook our widow in today’s story has: thankfulness. A thankfulness that God is in our lives and a thankfulness that we are able to do what we can in order to help others realize that God is in their lives as well.
Her gift to the temple also highlights one more thing that needs to be mentioned. We are told by Jesus to beware of the legal experts who do things only to make themselves look better, the same people Jesus says do so at the expense of the widows of the world. Yet the widow gave anyway. Jesus tells his followers that the poor woman is a direct recipient of all the things the religious figures of his day had created – division between different classes of people, the inability for the unclean to re-enter God’s presence, and the separation of the church from the people who needed it the most; but none of that mattered to this woman, she gave anyway.
Her faith in God and how God would use whatever gifts she brought to the temple to better the lives of those around her was more than enough for her to give all that she had, everything she needed to live on. Perhaps she also gave out of a sense of hope. In ancient Israel, the “poor” were not required to give; they simply did so because they believed in the goodness of the institution, the goodness of its leaders, and the need for the religious institution to remain. Her hope was that her gift would be used to better the lives of others, even if she herself had nothing left after giving.
I want to tell you a quick story which was posted in Facebook by a childhood friend of mine.
It was this time of the year 4 years ago, I was sitting at a stop light next to Honolulu Hale, when I witnessed a homeless couple crossing the street. They wore torn dirty clothes, Their hair uncombed, skin unwashed. They held each other’s hand as they used the cross walk to make their way to the other side as the traffic waited for the light to change.
Then. . . unexpectedly, in the middle of the street the man turns to the woman and ever so lovingly and gently kissed her, and in full view of the waiting traffic gave her the most incredible embrace as if to say " My Love, let others watch. I will use this moment to bear witness to the world that although I have nothing to offer you, from now until breath leaves my body for the last time, I am yours and shall always love you with all my heart".
For a few seconds, I couldn't see a homeless couple, but instead I saw a man and woman deeply in love with each other.
For those in love, a blessing that your love grows and endures.
For those looking for love, a prayer and a blessing that the Heavenly Father will grant you the love you are looking for. . .
Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends!
When we read on from today’s passage we will find Jesus entering his final days here on earth. He is going to be betrayed by those closest to him, lied about and made to endure a trial of mistruths and falsehoods. In the end, all Jesus will have to offer as a gift is his life – which he does without so much as a complaint because it’s in that gift he hopes we begin to understand the depth of his love for us.
Thanksgiving is this week. It’s that special day we set aside as a people to be thankful for all that with which we have been entrusted. It’s also a day we can reflect on all we can give back to God with that same gratitude. It’s only when we are able to give of ourselves as freely as did Christ, that those around us will be able to understand the love we have to share. A love which comes from God and flows through us and into the world.
A world where God is ever-present and where God’s ever-present love lives. A world where Ewa Community Church can remain to be a beacon of hope and a path towards rebuilding relationships within our community. All of which is possible because of the gifts you have been entrusted with and are now able to give back to God to help make God’s Kingdom a better place for all.
God is with us all, and a very Happy Thanksgiving to you! Amen.
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