Two Small Coins: March 5 at 10am

Sermon Text

Lenten Poem by Ann Weems

Lent is a time to take time to let the power
of our faith story take hold of us,
a time to let the events get up
and walk around in us,
a time to intensify our living unto Christ,
a time to hover over the thoughts of our hearts,
a time to place our feet in the streets of
Jerusalem or to walk along the sea and
listen to his Word,
a time to touch his robe
and feel the healing surge through us,
a time to ponder and a time to wonder….
Lent is a time to allow
a fresh new taste of God!
Perhaps we’re afraid to have time to think,
for thoughts come unbidden.
Perhaps we’re afraid to face our future
knowing our past.
Give us courage, O God,
to hear your Word
and to read our living into it.
Give us the trust to know we’re forgiven
and give us the faith
to take up our lives and walk.

We began our Lenten journey last week. And this year, we are walking through Lent considering “The Currency of Christ.” Coins, used as currency in Jesus’ day, come up in the Bible several times.

During last Sunday’s Lenten Luncheon, I asked those participating if they could think of stories from scripture that include coins. I thought for sure that this story, often referred to as “The Widow’s Mite” would be the first one offered.

But we had a very biblically literate child in the congregation who came up with something else altogether about a coin in a fish’s mouth, and no, for the record, it was not one of my kids. That story is found in Matthew chapter 17, and you are welcome to look it up for next week when we will discuss the Mark version of that story.

But today, we are with Jesus in the Temple. For context, it’s his last week before he is arrested and crucified. And he is ruffling feathers left and right, as he observes all that is happening in the Temple.

And in the midst of all the busy-ness and performative piety is a woman. She is widowed, and she is poor. And Jesus notices her, sees her truly for who she is. He witnesses her putting two small copper coins, referred to as a mite, into the Temple treasury. He somehow knows that those two coins were all she had left to live on.

Those who brought their offerings before her are able to give more financially. But their gifts won’t leave them impoverished; their gifts are more than what she can offer, but only a small sum compared to all that they have to live on.

This widow’s gift is everything she has. And now she gives it to God by giving it to the Temple.

I have almost always heard this story as an example of how we should give back to God. We, like this widow, should give all that we have. God wants all of who we are, not just some of us or the parts we could live without, or even the best parts of us, but all of who we are. This kind of sacrificial giving is, in some ways, a part of being a follower of Christ. Jesus, after all, gave his own life and invites us to take up our cross and follow him.

Furthermore, when asked how to receive eternal life, Jesus’s answer once was, “go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me’” (Matthew 19:21). So, yes, giving up all you have is in the realm of possibility when it comes to following Jesus. He has asked that of some.

But context matters. And who was he talking to when he said that? A rich, young man, who (and I quote) “had many possessions.” This woman offering these two small coins at the Temple, however, is not a rich, young man with many possessions. She is an impoverished, marginalized, and often overlooked part of her society.

Immediately before and after the story of the widow’s mite we are told that: Jesus notices that the temple is “adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God” (Luke 21:5). And he notices the scribes, who “like to walk around in long robes, …and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets [as] they devour widows’ houses…” (Luke 20:46-47). Sandwiched in between these two observations of the Temple is the story of the widow’s mite.

And so, I wonder, is this really just a story about sacrificial giving? Or is Jesus noticing something here in the Temple that is broken and unjust?

The story of the widow’s mite often reminds me of my own parents. They’re certainly not the most vulnerable members of our society, but for immigrants who have struggled financially their whole lives, this widow’s model of giving has been their MO. They have always tithed at least 10% of their gross income to the church. Never have they made more than $30 grand a year. But always, their giving to the church has exceeded $3000 a year.

Now, because it’s 10% of their gross income, sometimes they wouldn’t have enough for rent; sometimes they can’t pay their phone bill or their car payment, and they fall behind on their bills. Sometimes, they give all they have to live on.

And while I am in awe of their faithfulness and respect it and honor it, I also question the theology that compels them to give so much of what they have, when really, they should probably be the ones receiving help and support from the church.

Jill Duffield, the author of the devotions we are reading together in our Lenten Small Group Bible Studies, argues that the widow, “Putting in all she had, jeopardizing her well-being, may indeed be an example of her piety and faith, but it also reveals a less than flattering aspect of the institution to which she turns over her two small coins. Widows and orphans, the vulnerable and marginalized, should be the very ones the coins in the treasury support, not exploit.”

But in this scripture passage, we see that the temple is well-kept and adorned, while widows have nothing left to live on, and their homes get devoured by the scribes.

In scripture, whenever we hear that phrase “orphans and widows” it refers to the poorest, most vulnerable, and most powerless among us. With no adult male to hold property or speak for them in the public square, God knew that it would be much too easy to take advantage of orphans and widows. And so all throughout the Torah (the law given to the Israelites) there are instructions on how to care for the orphan and the widow. How to make sure to leave food for them on the field; how to ensure that they have a way to survive and live; and how the Temple treasury should be used to protect and feed and house the orphan and the widow.

So, for the Temple to take the very last of which this widow has left to live on, is a failure of the system to follow the commandments of God.

Now there are many things I don’t propose to know for certain. But I do know this. Predatory preachers who use religion to build their own wealth while taking advantage of those who are poor and vulnerable? They are despicable and their actions are condemned by God.

It makes my blood boil when I hear about these pastors who have to have their own private jets and luxury clothes and shoes as they peddle a gospel of prosperity.

We are to care for the most vulnerable among us, not ignore them, and certainly not to exploit them.

So yes, while are called to be generous with our giving. We are also called to use our resources to help others.

Marci, our own pastor and head of staff writes: “God’s economy is one that is, first and foremost, concerned about the welfare of the whole community.”

And Mahatma Gandhi once said: “the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.”

God intended for God’s people to live so that those who were the most vulnerable would be protected. That is how God measures our faithfulness.

And the Temple in Jesus’s day was failing to do that. And it grieved his heart.

So how about us today?

How are we, as a community and a society, caring for those who are the most in need around us?

How are you giving sacrificially back to God in a way that matters?

And how is the church using our community funds, this budget that we have, to care for those who are vulnerable, marginalized, and living in poverty?

I can’t and won’t answer these extensively. If you’d like to have a deeper conversation with me or any of the staff, please reach out.

But I do know that here at Calvary, we are committed to being a tithing congregation. That means that we try to give away 10% of our annual budget to serve today’s most vulnerable people.

We don’t always get to that 10% because inevitably there are costs to owning and maintaining and heating a large building like this. And we also want to be good employers who offer a living wage to those who work here. The expenses of running a church are many, especially here in San Francisco.

And at times we’ve been asked, why don’t we, as a church, just keep that 10%? God knows there are building façade issues; more staff we could hire to help with important ministries; the list goes on and on.

But being a tithing church reminds us where our priorities lie. And it keeps us faithful to the good news of the gospel and ensures that we are following what God has called us to do.

Because the church is many things, but if it is not primarily lifting up those who are today’s “orphans and widows” we are failing as an institution of God.

“Where your treasure is; there your heart will be also.” That’s not just a word for individuals, but for communities of faith, too.

So let us not fall into the trappings of the scribes and the Temple.

Let us not take without remembering to give. And let us not give without remembering that sometimes we must receive. Sometimes, it’s hard for us to ask for help, but there are times when we need it. I hope Calvary is a place where we can be vulnerable and bring ourselves just as we are.

Whether your life today looks more like the rich young man or the poor widow, you are welcome here. And you are offered the promise of new life and transformation.

So, come and be fed by at the table where Jesus presides and provides. Then go, and feed the world. Thanks be to God, Amen.

Scripture

Luke 21:1-4

He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”