What If We Give It Away? (11/8/15)
In this week's sermon I examine the stories of two faithful women: the widow of Zarephath and the widow who placed two small copper coins in the offering at the synagogue. This is a sermon about stewardship, identity, and the impermanence of material things. The picture above is my old fraternity house, taken a couple years before it was torn down.
Good
morning! It seems like the real November weather has finally arrived. I’m sure
I wasn’t the only jogger who appreciated one more week of warm temperatures,
but we all know that change is coming, like it or not. We all want to hold on
to the nice weather, but we can see the leaves turning colors and falling off
the trees; we cannot hold on to the seasons. Nor can we hold on to the things
of this world, even though we try.
Some
of you may know that I was in a fraternity in college. I made some incredible
friends there and I did a lot of growing up at that place. The house was
located at 11327 Bellflower Road in Cleveland. I can still see that house, but
all I have left is a few pictures and a whole lot of memories.
It
was more than just a house for 28 guys. It was, and still is, a vibrant network
of friendships. Yet my memories of those years are inextricably linked to that
house on Bellflower Road. The house was built in the late 1800s as a
single-family home. In 1949 it became the chapter house for my fraternity. When
I joined the fraternity in 1989, it was clear that the house had seen better
days. Still, there was something about that house that seemed permanent.
Twenty
years later, the house needed more structural repairs than the brotherhood
could afford. The property was sold, the house was torn down. Where there used
to be a house at 11327 Bellflower Road, now there’s a parking lot. What once
seemed permanent is now gone. If you’re sensing this might be a stewardship sermon—you’re
right! But this sermon is also about who we are and who we’re called to be.
Both
of our scripture readings this morning offer lessons that are tailor-made for a
stewardship campaign. In the gospel reading, Jesus condemns the scribes, and
then contrasts the donations of the wealthy with the meager offering made by a
widow. Jesus proclaims the widow to be more righteous because she could afford
nothing, yet she still chose to give.
We
see the same thing in the story of the widow of Zarephath. The prophet Elijah
comes to this widow and asks her to take him in and feed him. She is almost
starving, but she provides hospitality to Elijah. She has just enough oil and
just enough grain to prepare one last meal for herself and her son, yet she
honors Elijah’s request without hesitation.
I
don’t know about you folks, but this sounds crazy to me. How often do you hear
stories about people who give too much of themselves? We tell people, “You have
to care for yourself, first.” And certainly, that can be true. But that’s not
how the widow responds. Also, doesn’t Elijah seem like a bit of a jerk to ask
her to care for him?
It’s
worth noting that this story takes place in Sidon, not Israel; it’s a different
country with different gods and different laws.[1] In
Israel, there were laws to protect widows and orphans.[2]
While those laws may not always have been enforced, the society at least
understood it had a duty to protect the poor and needy.
There
is a great tradition of hospitality in the Middle East and this tradition dates
back to ancient times. If a traveler came to a house and asked for food, water,
and shelter, the owner had a duty to welcome that traveler and provide for his
needs. But if a traveler left his own country, he might not have the same
expectation for hospitality—especially if he is traveling during an emergency.
And
that’s precisely the widow’s situation. There’s a drought. It hasn’t rained in
quite some time. Elijah is a foreigner. The widow worships other gods—notice
that she says to Elijah, “As the Lord, your God lives…” As the Lord, your God lives… She has almost nothing
left and she would be well within her rights to tell Elijah to go take a hike,
but she doesn’t. She simply offers what little she has and she has no
expectation of receiving anything in return. She does one other thing: she
makes Elijah aware of her needs.
Folks,
we’re in a drought, too. This is true in the Presbyterian Church, the Roman
Catholic Church, and every other mainline church; it’s even true of a lot of
the evangelical churches. Numbers are declining everywhere. Look around. I bet
you can remember when these pews were full every Sunday—people of every age, from
old to young, but on the whole, there were more young people. We didn’t have to
worry about the costs of maintaining our church or the manse or the other
properties that this congregation owns. The money was always there.
Things
are different now. We’re facing financial challenges in uncertain times, and
that’s everywhere, not just the church. We thought the jobs at McGraw-Edison
were going to be here forever. We thought our children would always stay in this
community. We thought the church would always be stable. We thought our little
world was going to stay as great as it was forty or fifty years ago. We failed
to realize that what we had all those years ago was a new thing. It wasn’t
always here. And it went away, like the changing of the seasons.
I’m
not telling you anything new. In fact, I’m sure you already know this. But like
the widow of Zarephath, I feel I must remind you of the need. And yes, I know
that many of you are already on fixed incomes. And yes, I know that many more
of you are approaching retirement; you’re trying to figure out how you’ll do
all the things you need to do, all the things you want to do, and how to
support this church in the process. We are all living in uncertain times. The
world doesn’t look like we expected it would, yet we still need to provide for
this church. What is it that prevents us from taking a leap of faith like the
widows we met in this morning’s scriptures?
The
simple answer is fear. We are afraid that if we give too much, we won’t have
enough left over for the things that we really need… or maybe for the things we
really want. I think Elijah offers the most valuable understanding to us,
through his words to the widow: “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said;
but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make
something for yourself and your son.” Do not be afraid. The jug of oil shall
not fail.
The
widow has no expectations that her needs will be met; she doesn’t ask for a
sign that Elijah is sent from God. It is only after she goes to get Elijah the
water and make the bread that Elijah tells her not to fear. She has already
responded to the call in faithfulness and Elijah guarantees that Lord will be
faithful to her—even though the Lord was not her God!
Some
scriptures are easier to interpret than others. The messages in this morning’s
gospel reading and the story of the widow of Zarephath are consistent with one
another: Do not fear, for God is always faithful. Consistency is very important
for interpretation. So is context. Sometimes it’s not good enough to take a
piece of scripture at face value.
Consider
the book of Leviticus. It contains a lot of rules, particularly for priests who
will have to perform animal sacrifices. Leviticus 19:28 forbids tattoos. The
language is plain and clear. Leviticus 19:19 forbids the wearing of garments
made from two different kinds of thread. I wouldn’t be surprised if one or two
of you (or more) have tattoos. I’ll bet you that more than a few people in this
room are wearing something that’s a cotton-polyester blend. In fact, I’m pretty
sure that this robe is some sort of a blend.
How
are we to be punished for these grave sins? Maybe we’re not supposed to be
punished at all. The prohibition against tattoos doesn’t appear anywhere else
in the Bible, Old Testament or New Testament. The same is true about garments
made of two different threads. Taken out of context, these seem like pretty
clear commands, but they’re not consistent with the entire body of scripture.
They speak to a very specific context, which includes the rules for Levitical
priests.
Elijah
is a prophet, speaking on behalf of God. He tells the widow not to fear. This
is entirely consistent with the stories we read in both the Old and New
Testaments. Think about it. Jesus frequently tells the disciples to fear not.
Jesus calms the storms at sea and He calms the storms in our hearts. Jesus
condemns the hypocrites, the self-righteous, and the self-important, but he
recognizes those who are truly faithful, like the woman who offered two pieces
of copper. Remember the story of blind Bartimaeus, who was healed because of
his faith, or the woman who suffered from a hemorrhage, and was healed when she
touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. Faithfulness is recognized. Fear not!
On my
very first Sunday in this pulpit, I reminded you that we are on the cusp of
something new here at First United Presbyterian Church. I was referring
specifically to the retirement of Pastor CjE, but I realize that there is also
something much bigger going on. We are in the midst of a great shift in what it
means to be the Church. Our society is changing. People don’t stay in the towns
where they were born or where they grew up. Fewer and fewer people go to
church, and if they do move away from their home towns, it’s not as likely that
they’re out looking for a new church. So we need to find new ways to speak into
that reality. At the same time, we need to minister to those who are here on a
Sunday morning, as well as those members who are physically unable to attend. This
is what I mean when I talk about being the church.
And
yes, I know you are already aware of this and I know it’s scary. It’s scary
because it’s different and it’s scary because we’re not sure if we have the
resources to be the church in different ways. To all that I say, fear not! This
is still a healthy congregation. Yes, it’s getting older, but I just performed
two baptisms. There should be another one at the end of this month. This is
still a congregation with lots of resources. We have money and we have human
capital. If you want to see that human capital, pop into the chapel to see the
work that Buddy, Bo, and Sandy have given to this church. Look at and listen to
this beautiful choir sitting behind me. We still have so very much to work
with.
So let’s
do everything we can to support the mission of this congregation. Make generous
offerings of your talents, time, and your treasure to ensure that we can
discern where God is calling this congregation, and also so we can equip this
congregation for its future in ministry. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Benediction
Now, beloved,
as you depart from this place, fear not! Remember that God never turns away
from us. Remember that we are commanded to love God with all our heart, all our
soul, and all our might. Remember that we are commanded to love our neighbors
as we love ourselves. And remember that love is an active verb; love leads to
visible acts of faithfulness, justice, mercy, and peace. So go forth and be
instruments of God’s love and peace and reconciliation. Do not return evil for
evil to any person, but know that we are all loved by God, and that we are
called to reflect that love and act upon that love to everyone we meet. In the
name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Let all God’s children say, Amen!
[1]
Steed Davidson, “Commentary on 1 Kings 17:8-16,” retrieved from: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2611
[2]
Steed Davidson.
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