Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost

“And [Jesus] called His disciples to Him and said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more that 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.’”

+In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.       
 
Did you notice that one of the main characters in our Old Testament and Gospel readings this morning was a widow? Back in Bible times, widows were among the most vulnerable groups in society, along with orphans. Why? Because widows, like orphans, did not, in many cases, have anyone to care for them. In that society, a woman was not allowed to own property. A woman was first under the care of her father, and when she got married, she was then supported by her husband. When her husband died, it was the responsibility of her sons to care for her. But there were some widows who had no one to care for them when their husbands died, and there was no social safety net back in those days. So, to be a widow was to be someone in a very difficult place, enduring not only the loss of a husband, but also the protection and provision of family.

Our Scripture lessons today demonstrate that God pays special attention to the weak and vulnerable, especially widows, and that He goes out of His way to extend His love and grace to them.

In our Old Testament lesson from 1 Kings 17, the prophet Elijah encounters Zerephath, a widow from Sidon, who is poor and has nothing. Elijah goes there by the Lord’s command and asks her for a drink of water and some food to eat. At first, Zerephath is incredulous, as she has only a little food left, barely enough for one last meal for herself and her son. But Elijah encourages her to extend this hospitality to her, assuring her that the Lord will provide for her and for her son. And the Lord does for Zerephath was Elijah says He will do, miraculously enabling the flour and the oil last until the famine ends. He is an example of the Lord generously providing for a poor widow who gives the last of her food to feed the man of God.

Then fast forward to today’s Gospel lesson, and we read about the widow at the offering box in the Temple. St. Mark tells us that she puts two small copper coins into the offering box. It was a tiny amount, only a fraction of a cent. Yet Mark tells us that Jesus singles out her gift for special praise, even though it was by far the smallest. Jesus praises her gift because she gave all that she had. Others gave out of their abundance.

Both stories illustrate the spiritual nature of giving.  That is, true giving comes from a heart that is filled with faith. It’s a response to what God has already done and confidence in what He will do. Zerephath didn’t know what God would do, but she trusted God enough to give Elijah the last of what she had. And God came through for her in a big way. On the other hand, we don’t know the story of the widow in the Temple who gave the two small copper coins. But we do know that she also trusted God enough to give away the last of what she had as a sign of her love and gratitude to God.

There was a recklessness in the generosity of these two widows. Common sense dictated that if you don’t know where your next meal is coming from you don’t give away what little resources you have left. Common sense dictated that if you’re a poor widow, you’re in no position to be giving out charity. But these widows did just that.

The heart of this kind of reckless generosity is the response of a grateful heart to God’s grace and mercy. Do you remember the story of how Lazarus’s sister Mary poured a very expensive bottle of ointment on Jesus’ feet and then wiped His feet with her hair? Judas Iscariot was offended, as he thought it was a waste. The ointment could have been sold for a lot of money. But Jesus praises Mary, because she did it with a heart of such love and gratitude for what God had done for her that she wanted to demonstrate her love and gratitude in a reckless way. In the same way, Zaccheus, the tax collector, was so honored to host Jesus in his home that he repented of his past corruption and gave back four-fold to all those whom he had defrauded. Reckless generosity!

St. Luke’s version of the story of Mary’s gift of expensive perfume does not mention her by name but informs us that she had a notorious reputation as a sinner. Her gift to Jesus was in response to the love and forgiveness that Jesus had shown to her. Jesus explains “her sins which are many are forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

All of us here today are the recipients of God’s grace, love and mercy. What is our response to that great gift? Is our response one of overflowing love, gratitude, and joy?

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is so beloved by all of us because it is such a powerful and wonderful story about a man who is confronted with his own wretchedness and transformed by God’s love and grace. Ebenezer Scrooge turns from the epitome of an ungrateful and harsh miser to a loving and recklessly generous man. That reckless generosity is not only a response to the love and grace that he received, but also a source of great joy and satisfaction too.

​+In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.