The text this morning is from the Gospel according to Mark, the twelfth chapter:
And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
Who, what, where, when, why, how? Who gives? What do we give? Where do we give? When do we give? Why do we give? How do we give? These questions have answers that are all addressed in our text for today. Now, even though we are in the midst of a month with a stewardship focus, this text was chosen long before, by a committee of the Church, to come up during this time as we approach the end of the Church Year, but it’s good to address these things in the sermon as well.
We have now spent 25 weeks after Pentecost in what we call “The Time of the Church.” The Church Year is structured in unusual ways, mostly around the life of Christ, kicking off in Advent. Advent is when we look toward the coming Messiah, not just as we prepare to celebrate His birth, but as we expect His coming soon to remake the heavens and the earth. Then there’s Christmas, Epiphany, the Baptism of Jesus, the Presentation of Jesus, then begins Lent. Lent is that penitential season where we focus on why it is that Jesus went to the cross: the take our sins and die to forgive us. We follow the ministry of Christ through this time as He turns His face to Jerusalem. Then there’s Holy Week, with the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, the Lord’s Supper, and Good Friday. Then there’s Easter, Resurrection Sunday, Easter week, celebrating the appearances of Jesus to all His disciples around Israel. Finally, there’s the Ascension of Jesus, and the next week is Pentecost, the birthplace and birth-time of the Church. Following Pentecost, we spend time in the Green period of the Church, the Time of the Church.
This time we find ourselves in, even now, is the a time when the readings of the Church focus on the doctrines of Christ, what He’s taught us, what we should believe, and how we shall live. And now that we’re in the end of the Church Year and approaching Advent, we’re being asked to actively think and see how we can apply what we’ve learned. We take all of the life of Christ, everything He’s given us and try to put it into practice. That’s because the end of the year focuses us on the end of time, and time is running out. Time is running out to be the Church here in this world, and that’s why this text is included her today because we need to figure out exactly how it is that we are the Church.
And what Jesus warns us against is thinking too much of ourselves, as the Scribes of His time did. They made a great show of who they were, how much God had given them. The idea is that they had these great flowing robes, the best seats, places of honor because God was honoring them. That’s what they thought; that’s what they wanted everyone else to think; that’s what everyone did think. But the reality is that the Scribes took everything they could from anyone they could in order to fund themselves. The Scribes were like the Kardashians of our day: famous because they’re famous, taking what they can from anyone to fund their lavish lifestyles, selling what they can to you for the most you can give them.
When we think too much of ourselves, our focus is in the wrong place. This is the very living example of idolatry, making yourself as God in order to please yourself. When you think too much of yourself, all that you do becomes important, whether it’s how you dress, how many people love you or invite you to things, what, even, you pray. You thank God for making you equal to Him, a unique form of blasphemy that we all seem to fall for, some more than others. When you think to much of yourself, man, do you end up in a bad place.
There’s nothing good for you there, despite all outward appearances. And, really, everything might appear fine. You’ve got everything you need, all you could want, but, man, how empty is that life? When you think too much of yourself, life is empty because there’s nothing that anyone can do to serve you, there’s no way for them to utilize their God-given gifts, their time, their talents, even their treasure, to lift you up by their service. If you had a billion dollars, what would the gift of a hundred mean to you? Probably little, right? If you think you’re worth a billion dollars, and someone does something for you that you’d pay an hourly wage for, what’s that worth to you? Probably little. If you think you’re just God’s gift to humanity and all goodness rests in you, what can someone really do for you? Probably little. They’d be too busy stoking your ego for you ever to notice, too busy taking care of the things you’d never pay attention to unless it all went wrong.
This is the attitude of the Scribes, and we need to beware of having that attitude for ourselves, and even beware of them. These people need to hear the Law very sternly, that it might condemn them by their actions and put them in the place of sinner before an angry God. Rather, Jesus points out that we could be like the widow, who gave out of her poverty to God.
Now, could you give everything you have to God? Sure you can. If that’s what you want to do, then go for it. Don’t make a show of it like the Scribes. Don’t bring attention to it. But if you do it, make sure you’re truly depending on God to aid you afterwards and not just expect your brothers and sisters in Christ to take you in as a burden. I’m not saying that we wouldn’t, but to go in with the attitude that if you give up everything, everyone else should give me stuff isn’t all that good.
But, Jesus isn’t saying we should be like the widow in giving all that we own, but that we should be like the widow, giving to her Lord, making no show, going forward to her prayers, giving in trust to God. It’s true that, percentage-wise, she gave more than anyone else, but still it wasn’t much. Rather, she is contrasted with the Scribes, who, if they’re making a big show, she makes none and is praised by God for it. She gives expecting her Lord’s provision, and she disappears into the sunset. I think it’s telling that Mark doesn’t let us know what happened to the widow. I mean, it’s possible that she gave and then went home and starved to death. It’s possible she had sons to take care of her, or that God blessed her with a flour jar that never ran out. Who knows? God knows, but we don’t. Rather, if we are called to follow her example, it isn’t just to give it all, but rather to give and to trust God.
I told you this text answers the who, what, where, when, why, and how of giving. It’s true. First, let’s be clear, when gifts are given to the Church, whether through the offering or otherwise, it’s given for the ministry of the Church. That means, everything given to the Church is to support the Word and Sacrament ministry and everything that flows out of it. And that means, we give because of the One who first gave to us. Because our Lord gave up all for you, we give in response. Because He has redeemed you, you give in response. Because He’s given His Church to bring you His Word, to wash you in His blood, to feed you with His real presence in the Supper, you give in response. You don’t give to make the workers of the Church rich, but you give so that the Church can keep doing her work in this world until the Lord returns.
So, knowing where our gifts go, we can ask our questions. Who should give? You should give. Do you? The Scribes and widow both gave. One did it wrongly, making a show, and the other showed trust in God, whether for this life or the next. You should give and you should trust. What do we give? You can give all, you can give ten percent, a tithe, or you can give any other amount that makes you joyful and cheerful in giving. If it’s a dollar, great! If that’s what you can afford, please do it. If it’s more, wonderful. If it becomes a burden, you might need to check your heart because we should be giving, and we should want to give. Because we give at the Church, when we are able. If we’re withholding from the Lord, He knows. He may not strike us down for it, but He knows our hearts, and our selfishness, or our miserliness, are sins that need to be repented of and forgiven. We give, again, in response to our Lord’s actions for us. And we give so that we are cheerful, that the ministry of God may continue among us.
All of this is true. It’s important. It’s necessary to talk about. Sermons on money aren’t especially fun to write and deliver, and I’m sure they’re not especially fun to hear. But we do need to recognize that we are called as the children of God in this place. We need to recognize that, as God’s children, as brothers and sisters of Christ, we do have certain responsibilities and obligations. Showing up in Church is one of them. Praying is one of them. Loving each other is one of them. Forgiving each other is one of them. Supporting each other is one of them. And giving is one of them. It’s true. It’s not fun to hear, but we do need to think about how we give and why. It’s part of our calling.
The good news is that, if giving is part of our calling, then you may know that you are called to God’s kingdom. You are called to be one of His children. You are called to salvation. Giving won’t earn for you what our Lord died to procure, but giving is a response we have to the wonderful salvation that flows from the pierced side of Christ. And if you’ve been following our Lord through this Church Year, you have discovered the crucified and risen Lord, who gave up all for you, that you might, and freely, I might add, have salvation, eternal life, the promise of the resurrection of the dead. We have followed our Lord Jesus from His birth among us to His revelation to the whole world, from Ash Wednesday through Good Friday, from Easter to His Ascension, from Pentecost until today. We have seen His actions in this world, we have heard His teachings. And if we gain nothing else, we have heard that He did this for you, for your salvation, that you might be with Him forever.
Time to be the Church in this world is running out here, and that’s a good thing. It means our Lord is coming back for you soon. And I’ll tell you, if that doesn’t make you joyful, if that doesn’t evoke a feeling of love and appreciation for your Lord, I don’t know what will. Our Lord beckons you to follow Him, to listen to Him, and I beg you to do the same. How you respond to your Lord is between Him and you, but it is true that we should respond. It’s part of our duty as a Christian, not only to God, but also to one another, to make sure that what we have benefitted from, Word and Sacrament, continues on until He returns. Whether that’s today, tomorrow, a hundred years, or a million years for now, what we do and say and believe and confess and teach, and yes, even what we give, ensures that, by the power of God, in His will, by His help, the Church continues on until that time.
And when we trust our Lord and give to His bride, the Church, we are taken care of. You are blessed. Not in a quid pro quo type of way, you scratch God’s back and He scratches yours, but you are blessed because you begin to learn what it is to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, you are blessed to see what He did, to hear what He taught, and now to put it into practice. In this way, as a follower of Christ, as one called by Christ to His Church, as one blessed by Christ through His ministry He gave to the Church, you can be confident that our Lord indeed has His good plans for you, plans to, despite whatever the world may throw at you, despite poverty, sickness, weakness, or death, bring you into everlasting life with Him and with His Church forever. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
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