Dear friends in Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Prepare our hearts, Lord, to receive your Word. Silence in us any voice but your own that in hearing we believe and in believing we obey your will revealed to us in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Two drops of water…in all the oceans of the world,
Two grains of sand…on every beach and desert combined,
Two points of light…in a heaven filled with billions and billions of stars
Two copper coins,
Two paltry pennies,
Two insignificant cents…
What can they buy? What purchasing power do they possess?
What impact could they possibly have on any
fund-raising, money-making, income-inspiring efforts—
to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, or bring good news to those who are the last, the lost, and the least among us?
What difference would those two copper coins have made to the Temple in Jerusalem, the Vatican in Rome, or Higgins Road in Chicago? That last example, I know, is a little obscure, but it’s the address for the headquarters of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America).
All of these questions so far have been rhetorical—I haven’t expected an answer…but let’s wrestle with one like it for a moment. What difference would two cents make to anyone’s life anywhere in the world?
Not a bit…not for long…and yet, this woman’s diminutive donation, her undersized offering, her seemingly insignificant gift catches the eye of the Lord. And it moves him to praise the woman…for her amazing gift!!
I am struck by the dynamic disparity between this woman’s piety and that of the rich man who came to Jesus with a crucial question. You remember his story from just a few weeks ago. He asks the Lord, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answers by naming some commandments.
But the man waves him off saying, “I’ve been doing them all my life.” It’s a response that reveals a restlessness in his spirit, a dissatisfaction with his day-to-day life, a suffering of some inner anxiety, anguish, angst. Does anyone remember what Jesus says next to this faithful, yet fearful fellow?
You lack one thing…
Go, sell what you own, give the money to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven (Mark 10:21).
You lack one thing…What exactly did the man lack?...a spirit of generosity?...a concern for others?…trust in God…?
It seems to me that our answer lies in the Gospel for today. The woman with those two copper coins—an amount acutely insignificant to anyone, anywhere—places them in the offering plate to aid the work of the Lord in the world. So what is it about her action that prompts Jesus to speak?
By giving everything she has, she literally places her life, her well-being, her trust into the hands of God, who promises to provide. In a world that is awash in shades of gray, here we have a stark study in contrasts, an example of absolutes, two people who occupy opposite ends of the spectrum—who are as far apart as black is from white.
Now, many preachers have used this story as an example of how generous we all should be to the Church with our treasures. Would you agree? Is this a lesson about how we should spend our money?
I confess to working through the Gospel lesson from that angle, for a while—particularly as our church council is hoping and praying (and worrying a little) about how financially generous you and I and the rest of our Gloria Dei family will be before the end of December.
But then I realized that I was missing the point—especially when this poor woman is united with the widow in the Old Testament lesson—she who only had food enough for one last meal before she and her son would die from starvation. Certainly both stories are about money—how necessary it is for our day-to-day survival; what place of honor it occupies in our hearts; whether money controls us or we are free to offer it to the work of God.
But the foundation, the bedrock, the underpinning theme here is the black and white issue of faith in God, obedience to God, love for God.
Where the rich man turns his back on God, these poor women offer their lives to God—they OBEY God’s command to trust. Literally and figuratively they lay their lives on the line; they place their survival in the hands of God; they dare the Master of the Universe to honor their trust.
I am disturbed: it hurts my heart to imagine that poor woman feeding Elijah at all from her last supper with her son—especially first—and I am disturbed by her spiritual sister’s act of offering everything she has to God.
I am confused: of all the people who could afford to share a meal or money, why did God ask for and accept the gifts of these two suffering servants?
And I am humbled: these women live trusting God to provide and protect, to care for and keep, to bless them with a beloved life.
So what does this mean for us? This issue about trustingGod is truly black and white; it’s all or nothing; it’s daring to either take that leap of faith or hold fast to what the world assures us is safe and secure.
I thank God that today’s lunch will not be the last supper for me and my wife…
And I thank God that the money we put in today’s offering plate is nowhere near every cent that we have…
And I thank God that in this world, colored by many shades of gray, Jesus does not abandon me to my selfish and untrusting spirit…
And I thank God that the Lord comes to me every day in love and grace, easing my anxieties, soothing my spirit, healing my heart, and inviting me to live what I preach—trusting that God will provide. That’s my two cents worth. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Pastor Scott Fuller