The secret about giving
The Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, November 7, 2021
1 Kings 17:8-16 • Hebrews 9:24-28 • Mark 12:38-44
A Gospel text about generous giving! That’s handy, our being at the midpoint of our annual stewardship campaign (and a big thank you to those of you that already have pledged!)
We hear of Jesus sitting down opposite the treasury within the temple enclosure, and watching people make contributions to the temple, to pay their dues as was required. He observes the rich putting in large sums and a poor widow who puts in a tiny amount. He neither praises nor criticizes. He just points out that while the rich could give out of their abundance, the widow gives out of her scarcity.
Being a widow is always a sad situation, but in first century Palestine, widows were very vulnerable. A widow had no rights, no property, and no voice, and no-one was legally obliged to protect her.
The scriptures, both Hebrew and the New Testament, often mention the plight of widows, and orphans too if you remember who were in a very similar situation, and the necessity for their communities of faith to watch out for both groups and support them.
The widow that Elijah meets outside the town of Zarephath gives us another example of someone on the edges of society who has run out of options. She’s gathering sticks so that she can make one last small meal for her and her son, before they die of starvation. She is asked to give more than she thinks she has, and in return is rewarded with an endless jar of meal and jug of oil.
Giving, choosing to give, being able to give are all very familiar concepts to us. It’s interesting to me that so often when we hear the word, ‘give’ or are ourselves invited to give, we almost always jump to the idea of taking something that we have, giving that away, and having less as a result. That’s not necessarily an unpleasant idea. It can leave us feeling quite satisfied that we have been able to give. We’re done something to make the world a better place.
And haven’t we all had the experience of taking an opportunity to volunteer in some way, perhaps even dragged ourselves somewhat reluctantly out of bed early on a Saturday morning, only to find that when the job has been done, we have received far more than we expected, perhaps more than we gave! I’ve certainly had the experience of feeling a little guilty for having received so much more than I had expected.
What if we recognized that giving never ever involved taking away or losing anything. That perhaps giving is always more about receiving. That certainly seems to be the case with Elijah’s poor widow, and most likely for the widow Jesus observes. The ones who had nothing, gave and in return received unimaginably.
Does one have to be completely destitute, like these widows, to receive this kind of gift? I don’t believe so. I just think our stories of the two widows, separated by about five hundred years, are trying to make things very clear for us. Perhaps it’s just easier to notice the gift if you have nothing?
We are blessed in so many ways. We have so much. We might wish we had more: that’s a very human condition. Some of us are brimming over with talent, some have the blessing of time, others of us have plenty of talent, little time, but treasure. What abundance is there for us all to share.
I wonder how it feels to each of you when this time of year rolls around again, with its annual stewardship campaign. What passes through your mind? Does it feel like a burden? A chore. Something you’re being pressured or guilted into doing. There is no judgment here. I understand completely. I’ve been there.
But I need to say to each of you: as members of this congregation of Holy Innocents, you are part of something quite remarkable, held together not with sealing wax and string, but with enormous amounts of precious time, talent and treasure, contributed and invested over the last 130 plus years. Contributed and invested not just to keep the bills paid in the present, but to sustain and inspire this precious and life-giving body as it moves forward into the future.
There is such joy when we give, particularly when we give together. But perhaps the greatest, most joyous gift we can give is the opportunity to give itself.