A Surprising Gift
Gettysburg Presbyterian Church
Mark 12:38 - 44
November 6, 2011
David C. Wright
A pastor was very concerned about the fact that repairs to the church roof had cost twice what was originally anticipated. He needed to persuade the congregation to give more the next Sunday morning so they could pay their bills. To make matters worse, the organist quit that week so he was working with a substitute. He told her, “When I get to the end of the sermon, please choose a hymn which will encourage people to give.”
The pastor did his best to convey the gravity of the situation to the congregation. As a final appeal he said, “Everyone here who is willing to give at least $250 to help pay for the new roof, please stand up.” At that instant, the organist broke into the “Star Spangled Banner.” And that’s how she became the permanent organist!
We’re coming down the home stretch of our stewardship emphasis season. I hope you’ve been thinking and praying about how you will support God’s work here at GPC in 2012. This morning’s Scripture lesson helps focus our thinking about giving. Read Mark 12:38-44.
38 As he taught, he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces,
39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets!
40 They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation."
41 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.
42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.
43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.
44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
These stories contrast two entirely different approaches to faith. They take place in the courts of the great temple in Jerusalem very close to the end of Jesus’ life and ministry. The Scribes of Jesus’ day were scholars who copied, studied, and interpreted the Scriptures. Many members of the ruling council of Israel were Scribes. But despite their outward religiosity, their actions showed hearts which were far from the Lord. They dressed in long white robes to draw attention to themselves. In a culture that was very status-conscious, they insisted on the best seats for themselves at social gatherings and even in the synagogues, so everyone could see how important they were. They prayed extraordinarily long prayers to show others just how pious they were. And worst of all, they cheated widows- among the most vulnerable people in Israel- they cheated them out of their homes in order to enrich themselves. Jesus was not impressed, in essence calling them out as prideful, covetous thieves.
In contrast, we’re introduced to the poor widow in the second story. Jesus and his disciples were seated in one of the temple courts, watching as people presented their offerings. In the courtyard there were 13 trumpet-shaped receptacles into which people placed their offerings. Those who were wealthy could easily make a big show of the large amount of money they were donating. Jesus watched them all carefully. Then, a poor widow put in two small coins, called leptons. They were the smallest coins minted at that time and together were worth a fraction of a penny. Compared to the gifts given by the wealthy donors, this was an insignificant gift. But calculations are done differently in the Kingdom of God. Jesus does not disparage the gifts of the wealthy, but he praises the gift of the widow as the most generous of all, because she gave all that she had. Some of you are familiar with the X-games- for extreme sports that are very demanding on the participants. If there were an X-games for giving, this woman would have won a gold medal! Extreme giving!
Let me make a couple observations from the story. First, Jesus praises giving that is sacrificial, costly. I read recently about a Lutheran Church that publishes what each member gives to the church! That’s right! Everyone in that church knows exactly what everyone else gives. I imagine that is a incentive for sacrificial giving! How would you feel if everyone here knew what you gave to GPC? Don’t worry; we’re not going to do that! But, how would you feel? Would you be embarrassed, or does your giving represent your level of commitment to Jesus and this church?
The biblical pattern for giving is percentage giving, the tithe, or 10%. When you consider your pledge for 2012, I would encourage you to not just take last year’s pledge and add a little to it. Instead, look at your income and your giving for this year. What percentage of your income are you giving to the Lord’s work here at GPC? Could you raise that a percent or two and move toward the biblical pattern of the tithe? For many of us, that’s a good start toward sacrificial giving. For others, 10% is no sacrifice at all. You could give more! Jesus praised the widow because she gave sacrificially.
I would also point out that giving sacrificially puts our professed faith to the test. Most of say that we don’t believe that wealth and possessions can make us happy. That, like Jesus said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. But is our actual spending and giving consistent with what we say we believe, or does it show that we don’t really believe what we say we do about money? Giving also tests our faith in another way. When we give money to the Lord’s work, we have to trust that God will supply what we need, in spite of the fact that we’ll have less money to work with. For the poor widow, that was a significant step of faith, for she gave everything she had! Fortunately, God doesn’t ask many of us to do that! But God does ask us all to give sacrificially.
As author Richard Foster wrote, “When we let go of money we are letting go of part of ourselves and part of our security. But this is precisely why it is important to do it. It is one way to obey Jesus’ command to deny ourselves… when we give money we are releasing a little more of our egocentric selves and a little more of our false security…”
Jesus praises this poor widow for giving sacrificially, which demonstrated her deep faith in God to care for her.
Finally, I would add this: I think we give because the cause is important. The mission of GPC is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, both here in Gettysburg and in places throughout the world. That means introducing people to the Good News of God’s love in Jesus Christ. It means helping one another grow deeper in faith as more committed followers of Jesus. And it means working for justice and alleviating suffering among the poor. That is a huge challenge, especially during a difficult economic time and a time in which we as a church are growing older. I was struck last Sunday as we read the names of those who have died in the last year, by how many solid Christian saints we lost last year. What a loss of us in so many ways. And gaining new members is challenging right now because relatively few new people are moving into our community, and studies show that the majority of younger people are not looking for a church.
So we need your help to support and carry out God’s work here at GPC. Biblical giving is sacrificial. It tests our faith. And, the cause is important. Please spend some time thinking and praying this week about what God is calling you to do this year to support his work here at GPC. Then, bring your pledge card next Sunday and present it to the Lord as an act of worship.
I close this sermon with a brief video that the stewardship committee asked that I show today. I think it’s a good summary of what we believe about generous giving. As it is shown, think about your own giving and what God may be asking you to do to support his work at GPC in the coming year.
Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3C3wmgnJqs
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