Rev. Ron Sumners
Mark Twain often used his quick wit to prick people's social consciences. He once said that "Man is the only animal that blushes, or needs to."
"Good breeding," he explained, "consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves and how little we think of the other person."
On "truth-telling," he pointed out that "one of the most startling differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives."
On friendship, he cynically observed, "It takes your enemy and your-friend, working together, to hurt you to the heart; the .one to slander you and the other to get the news to you."
A businessman of questionable ethics once said to Twain, "Before I die, I mean to climb to the top of Mount Sinai and read the Ten Commandments aloud." To which Twain replied, "I have a better idea. Why don't you stay here and keep them?"
Perhaps closer to home for many of us, are these words attributed to the famous writer: "It's not the passages in the Bible that I don't understand that bother me so much. It's the ones I do understand ."
Today's Scripture includes a passage that no one can fail to understand. But, in varying degrees, it bothers all of us. Jesus is watching as the members of the worshipping congregation deposit their Temple offerings into the collection basket. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow puts in a tiny amount. Then Jesus calls His disciples to Him and says, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury, for they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had..."
The lesson is clear and unambiguous; unmistakable. Merely for emphasis, we remind ourselves that Jesus could say that the poor widow put in more than the others because he knew that her gift, however small, was given from her heart. Her outward worship offering reflected the quality of her inner-response to the experience of God's loving presence. Her gift of everything she possessed symbolized the unconditional surrender of her entire being to God!
A young man approached his girlfriend's father. "Sir, there's something important I would like to ask you. I was wondering if you would ... I was wondering whether you, err, uh... That is, I was thinking you might be, uh, willing to, well... err..." The father grabbed the young man's hand and shook it warmly, "Of course my boy!" he said with enthusiasm. "Certainly, I'll give my permission. My daughter's happiness is all that matters to me in the world!" The young man was. completely puzzled. "Permission?" He said, "Oh, that's not it sir. It's nothing like that. You see, a payment is due on my car and I don't have the money. I was wondering if you could lend me $100." The father snapped back, "Certainly not young man! I hardly know you!
Although there is no cause for puzzlement over the meaning of the Bible passage about the widow's mite, nevertheless it is undeniably true to say that it bothers us so much we would rather not deal with it. Already we have begun to dismiss it from our minds[ And next week when the offering is taken, many of us, I fear, in spite 'of all our talk of loving God more than anything, will symbolize the depth of our inner-experience of God's loving presence with a gift that '. says, "Lord, we hardly know you!"
A young clergyman was invited to speak to one of the local service clubs. He felt flattered by the invitation until the Master of Ceremonies rose to introduce him. "Unfortunately," he said, "our original speaker was unable to attend." Then in a clumsy attempt at humor, he pointed to a broken window pane which had been covered with a piece of cardboard. "Our speaker," he said, "is like that piece of cardboard in the window. He's a substitute." Being somewhat taken aback by the sloppy introduction, the young preacher decided that he would show them, substitute or not, He would deliver a good talk. And he did. When he finished the speech, he received a rousing ovation. But when the Emcee returned to the lectern, his attempt to thank the speaker was even more awkward than his introduction. "Reverend," he said, "we want you to know that you were not at all a cardboard substitute. You were a real pane!"
In the opening verses of today's Scripture, Jesus instructs the disciples to beware of certain individuals who, by Jesus' description of them, must have been real pains. "Beware of the scribes, who like to go about in long robes, and to have salutations in the market places and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at fts"(Mk. 12:38-39). You know the type; the puffed-up status seekers, always trying to impress, always reaching for compliments, always so sticky sweet that you wonder what they're up to. It is not unlikely that a scribe who fit this mold would prefer the company of the rich who put large sums, at no sacrifice, into the Temple Treasury over the company of the poor widow who had put in a tiny sum, but at great sacrifice.
The final measure of a human being is not limited to what that person has done for others. What also counts is what others have done because of that person's presence and influence. Two thousand years after the event, the Gospel Story of the "Widow's Mite" has been told and continues to be told, not to commemorate the showy demonstrations of the rich, who put in large sums into the Temple Treasury but to inspire others to give from the heart.
In my position as pastor, I have, through the years heard church members who wanted to tell me of a significant business deal that they had made. One man showed me a contract he had signed with the Government for $3,000,000. He wanted me to be impressed. I was! I said, "It will be terrific to have $300,000 in the church treasury. We can do so many wonderful things!" Needless to say, the church did not receive a gift from this man. He simply wanted to impress me. Of course, he never showed me another contract!
Each of us has a God-given potential for service according to our own unique gifts. And our life's fulfillment is realized to the extent that we are willing to share our unique gifts, talents, achievement and possessions. It is not in the hoarding hilt in the sharing of our gifts that we grow in understanding of the meaning of eternal life, which is to know God. It is in the sharing of our gifts that we grow in understanding of what it means to share in God's own life.
Andy 'Warhol, a pop artist ventured to guess that future celebrities will be famous for about fifteen minutes. In Jesus' time and among His people, the scribes enjoyed a certain celebrity status. Poor widows had no status at all. And yet it is the spirit of the poor widow that has endured through the ages and will continue to endure for all eternity, as a symbol of a right relationship with God.
There is the story about a little boy who ran up to a high fence. He stopped and looked at it for a while. Then he did a strange thing. He took off his hat and threw it over the fence. Seeing this, a man standing nearby asked, "Why did you do that, son?" The boy replied, "I need to get to the other side, and I thought if I threw my hat over there I would try real hard to get over the fence!"
When it is time for you to present you offering to God, don't forget Jesus' warning. Don't be a modem-day scribe looking for signs of respect. Don't fold your one dollar bill four or five times in the hope that your neighbor might think that it is a ten or a twenty. Rather, do your best to emulate the poor widow. Give it all you've got. Give enough to make you feel like trying real hard to be worthy of the amount you've given!
Through August we had 65 families that had contributed to the church. I don't know who gives what amount. Your personal giving is between you and God. I do not want to know! But the corporate giving is my responsibility and is of interest to me. If the median family income in this community is $40,000 ( and that is probably a low figure) then we only had 19 families that are tithing. So, let’s get personal! Through August of this year, 19 families give a tithe or more, 46 families give some amount less that a tithe per week, and about 25 families that come with some regularity, gave nothing! . What if those 71 families tithed an income of $40,000? We would have extra income of $100,000 from those families who give nothing, and we would have in excess of $100,000 extra from those who give, but do not tithe. Do you see the possibilities for ministry from this church for God's Kingdom?
Think again of the poor widow. Think of the little boy who threw his hat over the fence, and instead of throwing your hat, think about throwing your heart. Because your heart is going to be where your treasure is. When God has your heart, He will have your money also!
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