Courageous Giving

Homily for Sunday, November 10, 2024
Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Homily by Allison Brown
Mark 12:38-44

"For all have contributed out of Abundance. She out of her poverty gave everything she had."

Our readings this morning are ones of scarcity and of abundance. At first glance these two passages-one from Elijah’s time as a prophet and the other from Jesus’ interactions at the temple 800 years later are different. Different times,different unnamed widows. And yet… and yet both speak to how we relate to one another. Both ask us to question whether we are living in an abundance or living in a scarcity of faith. Through Elijah’s discovery of the widow, we are invited to consider sustainable ways of living, as just stewards of God’s creation. Through the widow Jesus’s meets, we are reminded of our God who fulfills promises- promises to those most vulnerable. These widows represent those our baptismal covenant commands us towards…in loving our neighbor, striving for justice and peace,respecting the dignity of all.

In the ancient world, widows were symbols of poverty. If we read the story from the perspective of the unnamed woman, we can see how society reduced her to the label of “widow.” We do not know why she is a widow.We don’t know how she is providing for herself and son, although she is most likely gleaming from the edges of harvest fields as was a common practice for widows in ancient Israel. We don’t know who else might be living in the household.

What we do know is that the widow has little independence and agency. Despite being the one in need, she responds to Elijah’s demands of hospitality and brings water to Elijah. We can’t imagine if the widow truly felt she had free will to share her food, or if this was forced hospitality. We can’t tell whether she is the passive person the passage often paints her to be, because we are missing parts of her story. Hearing it we might be quick to label this as a prophetic tale, but what would a desperate woman, who lost her spouse think of Elijah’s request? Did she feel threatened by him? She was, after all, alone and vulnerable. Or was she simply convinced that his prophetic promise of food was authentic? The text does not say. Relationship building often takes considering the “other” perspective. When we as followers of Jesus, walk alongside our neighbor rather than coming in as an outsider to help those who are “helpless", our efforts yield better relationships.

Although the story seems to be about Elijah, it is the unnamed widow who has an abundance of faith. Not only does she not have anything baked but it also becomes clear that her supplies for food and sustenance have run low. And yet…we hear the woman bearing witness to a faith that is sustainable.

While the widow remains poor, the scribes in the Gospel were the“biblical scholars” of Jesus’s day; rich in both money and knowledge of religion. The scribes represented a complete contrast of the widows. Jesus confronts the values that maintained an oppressive system. It is important to contextualize this moment into the larger narrative of Mark’s Gospel. This is part of the sections that Mark speaks of during the Holy Week timeline in Jerusalem. The environment was contentious-full of micro aggressions between those worshiping and those following the Roman empire. What was taking place in this passage was an unmasking of the oppressive dominant discourse of that time. For Mark, Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem, prediction of the temple’s destruction, and Jesus’s teachings in the temple are all connected. It depicts an uncertain future. It illuminates the desperate need for hope amidst crises.In this unknown future, the widow reached out to God-trusting that if she gave everything she had to God, even the little she gave would be honored.

These two readings hold more than two unnamed widows in common. By reading these two stories from the perspective of the unnamed women, who both happen to be widows, we are left to ask how do we relate to the vulnerable? They were women. They were poor. They were children of God who placed their whole life back in the loving creator’s hands. And it leads me to wonder about all those who are poor and vulnerable…those who had land stolen from them, those living in fear of rising sea levels in coastal areas, the starving and destitute as the global temperatures rise and ecosystems shift damaging crops.The vulnerable animal species who have or are near extinction due to a loss of habitat and food sources, the melting glaciers releasing thousands of tons of freshwater into a saltwater ocean, the coral reefs dying because of increasing fossil fuel output of countries. If we are to read the scriptures today as reminders of our responsibility to vulnerable people only, we miss the message. The scribes Jesus spoke of act as a warning to us who want to believe we are independent from the natural systems around us. Their actions led them further away from Jesus’s commandment to love our neighbor.

These two widows…in their courage they gave. Out of a sense of desperation, they gave in hope. Each marks a moment where the kingdom of God is a restoration of humanity within the context of all creation. This means that we too are empowered by our faith to perform loving acts, to stand as an example of reconciliation between all creatures when others would not. We know that these women embodied faith to approach God boldly. They stand as an example to live truths when others would not. The woman in the story pushed passed the shame of being a widow. She didn’t listen to those who said your two cents aren’t enough; pennies cannot do a thing. She paid no attention to the offering’s others had in comparison to her own. She understood by giving all she had to God, things could change.

What if we thought the same? Giving of our time to invest in native plants where we find ourselves living to provide homes for those creatures facing none or listening to those whose lands have been stolen honoring their relationship to the earth. Giving of our treasure to use only compostable or reusable bags when buying, wrapping gifts during the holiday season in old newsprint instead of fancy packaging. Giving of our talent by using our privilege to advocate for the voiceless.

Friends giving is an act of worship. The widow’s giving, and in our giving, we are worshiping God.

Amen.

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