Scriptures: Ruth
3:1-5, 4:13-17 Psalm
127 Hebrews 9:24-28 Mark 12:38-44
Kazuo Ishiguro’s 1989 novel, The Remains Of The Day – later
made into a movie starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson – is about
Stevens, the head butler at Darlington Hall.
The novel is set in England, covering a period beginning in the 1930’s. Stevens is entirely devoted to serving his
employer, Lord Darlington, to the exclusion of any other concerns. His sense of identity comes from his own
dignity and professionalism as a butler; at several points throughout the
novel, Stevens mentions various characteristics which for him define a great butler. A housekeeper, Miss Kenton, would very much
like to strike up a relationship with Stevens, even marry him, but Stevens
feels that his duties do not allow for a relationship. During an important conference held at
Darlington Hall, Stevens’ father had a severe and ultimately fatal stroke, but
Stevens carries out his butler’s duties even as his father lay dying –
something on which Stevens prides himself as one of his life’s great triumphs. Stevens knew that Lord Darlington was
involved in world affairs, and felt that by carrying out his duties with utmost
dignity and professionalism, he was in his own way doing his small part to
shape the world. Alas, as the novel goes
on, we learn that Lord Darlington was a sympathizer and collaborator with the Nazis,
a stance which would come to bring disgrace and ruin upon him. An American eventually comes to own
Darlington Hall, and Stevens does what he can to meet his new master’s demands,
but in his old age, he is beginning to
make small mistakes and miss minor details.
As he says, “I gave my very best to Lord Darlington, and now I find I don’t
have much left to give.” Stevens had
devoted the best years of his life, giving up marriage and children, giving up
even saying goodbye to his dying father, to serving a master whose life’s work
eventually came to be known as a mistake and a waste, if not an act of treason. Stevens’ devotion to his master was total,
and it was totally misplaced.
Our Gospel reading today lifts up sacrificial giving, while
warning against those who would take advantage of the generosity of the
faithful. Jesus has entered Jerusalem,
thrown the moneychangers out of the Temple, and has gotten into several
controversies with the religious leaders.
In today’s reading he begins by warning his listeners against the
teachers of the law, pointing out their love for the privilege that comes with
their position – wearing flowing robes, receiving deference from the people,
sitting in places of power. While they
make lengthy prayers in public, Jesus says, behind the scenes, they devour
widows’ houses. Not that they behave as literal termites, chewing
into the support beams and such, but they encourage widows to give far beyond
their means, leading them to lose their modest homes.
And then, as Jesus sits opposite the Temple treasury, along
comes a poor widow to prove Jesus’ point.
Scholars tell us that in the Temple were thirteen receptacles, called
trumpets because they were narrow at the top and flared wide at the
bottom. These receptacles or trumpets
had specific purposes – the annual Temple tax, sin offerings, offerings to pay
for turtledoves, wood, incense, and gold vessels used in the Temple, etc.[1] As various coins were deposited, they would
resound off the metal at the bottom, and by the sound, onlookers could tell
whether the donation was large or small.
Jesus watched a number of wealthy donors make large donations, as the
coins deposited made a satisfying ringing sound. (This may be part of what Jesus had in the
back of his mind when he talked of the hypocrites who sounded a trumpet when
they gave alms.) And then along came a
poor widow, whose tiny donation of two lepta made a barely audible
“clink-clink”. Although the widow’s donation really was tiny
– according to one source, two lepta would have been enough to buy three grapes[2]
– Jesus said that she gave more than all the others with their generous gifts,
because they out of their surplus, while the widow gave all she had to live on,
trusting that God would provide.
From our reading it may be hard to tell whether Jesus
admired the widow’s faith, or was angered by the system that took advantage of
it – and it may well have been both. It is striking that immediately after Jesus’
words, the disciples begin oohing and aahing at the magnificence of the Temple,
and Jesus says that the whole thing would soon be coming down, with not one
stone left upon another. We know from
history that Jesus’ words came to pass, as the Romans destroyed the Jerusalem Temple
in 70 AD.
Of course, we can think of parallels in our own time. We read of televangelists and megachurch
pastors who are constantly soaking their viewers and congregants for love
offerings and other special offerings, while living in luxury and
opulence. We may remember reading of
Robert Tilton, when in 1991, an investigative report by ABC found 10,000 pounds
of prayer requests thrown out without having been read, while the checks that
accompanied those donations were carefully cashed.[3]
We may remember the air-conditioned
doghouse and gold-plated bathroom fixtures of Jim and Tammy Faye Baker. More recently, Louisiana televangelist Jesse
Duplantis famously told his followers that he needed $54 million to buy a new
jet for his ministry. He has three
others, all paid for by his followers, but told his followers his ministry
would be impeded without this fourth jet.
These preachers promote a gospel of prosperity, teaching that wealth is
a sign of God’s favor – which would have been news to Jesus, who once said that
he had no place to lay his head, and to the disciples who left everything
behind to follow Jesus - and that Christians should give expecting that God may
give more abundantly back to them in return – which sounds a bit like giving to
God as an investment. It’s a perversion of the Gospel, encouraging
people to give in order to manipulate God and force God’s hand. Poor and desperate people – who struggle to
eat and maintain a roof over their head, and surely don’t have jets or
air-conditioned doghouses - give to these ministries hoping that God will
reward their faith, but most times, somehow the promised prosperity never quite
reaches them. And beyond this, we’ve all
looked at magnificent church buildings, whether at the Vatican or the Cathedral
of St. Peter and Paul on the Parkway, and wondered how many poor people could
have been fed with the money used to pay for the construction.
But condemning greedy televangelists – and grieving their
misguided followers – is like shooting fish in a barrel. We need to look to our own house. I’m grateful beyond words that Emanuel
Church’s building is beautiful, but modest and manageable, even with our small
numbers. We do have significant repair
needs – part of a front wall supported with wooden braces, wiring in need of
upgrade, oil tanks in need of replacement – and maybe someday, we can add that
chair lift. And we need faithful tithers
and givers – to tithe is to give a percentage of one’s income, traditionally
10% - members and friends willing to give in a disciplined way, willing to give
even if it means forgoing some luxuries, willing to give even when it pinches. And God will bless such giving, as when the
widow at Zaraphath gave Elijah a small cake made from the very last bit of flour
and oil she had in the house, that she planned to use for a last meal for her
and her son before they starved, and we’re told that the flour and oil did not
run out for many days. God is faithful,
even when his would-be servants may not be.
But as we support Emanuel Church, it’s helpful to consider
what it is we’re supporting. When you –
when I – give to Emanuel Church, in broad brushstrokes, our offerings support
the upkeep, utilities, and insurance on our building, maintenance of our organ,
grass cutting for our cemetery, the removal of snow and ice from our sidewalks,
and stipends for Risa and myself – and most of my pay goes back into the plate.
These are the material resources that are used
by the ministry here. We also have
designated giving - change jars to
support the Bridesburg council of churches food cupboard and the ministries of
the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference, and smaller amounts to support our own
homeless outreach. But, to quote the
words of the song by Peggy Lee, “Is that all there is?” When we come to Emanuel Church, are we only
coming to see a building, to walk through a cemetery, to hear Risa’s beautiful
organ music, to hear my not always beautiful preaching? “Is that all there is?”
I’m hoping when we come here, we find more than a building,
a cemetery, and organ music, and the memories associated with all of
these. I pray that this is a space where
together we meet God and God meets us, where we meet each other and share the
love that God has given us. I pray that
this is a place where lives are transformed for the better, indeed where we all
find the new life in Jesus Christ. I
pray this is a space where children can grow up surrounded by the love of God
and the members of the congregation. I
pray this is a space where we are fed, so that we can go forth from this place
to bring God’s love to our neighbors. I
pray this is a place where, surrounded by conflict and injustice, we are
inspired to work for peace and justice, as part of the calling to which God
calls us. Our Conference Minister, Rev
Worley, from time to time asks churches the haunting question, “If your church
closed, would anyone in your neighborhood notice.” I do
think our neighbors would notice if we closed, and perhaps mourn our passing. Of course, I hope and pray – and work – so
that we will be open for many, many years to come.
Our Old Testament story from Ruth shows another way of
giving to God. Ruth was a poor Moabite
widow – descended from Israel’s ancient enemies - who pledged herself to her
Jewish mother-in-law, Naomi, saying, “where you go, I will go, where you lodge,
I will lodge. Your people will be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be
buried.” Ruth, an alien to the people of
Israel, a stranger, a refugee, literally gave herself as a living offering to
Naomi and to Naomi’s God. (We should
remember this story when we read inflammatory news accounts about immigrants
and refugees.) Ruth gleaned in the
fields of Boaz, who took kind notice of her.
And as we read today, they were married, and the Moabite Ruth became an
ancestor of King David. Ruth’s
self-giving was richly blessed. And if
our financial resources are limited, we can still give of ourselves, in terms
of time and talent, if not in treasure.
Then [Jesus] 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. 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.’”
My prayer is that God may multiply our sacrificial giving, the few
loaves and fishes we have to offer, to feed the multitudes hungry for a word of
hope, hungry for human connection, hungry for an encounter for the divine. May it be so among us. Amen.
[1] https://www.bible-history.com/court-of-women/the_temple_treasury.html
[2] https://christiananswers.net/dictionary/mite.html
[3] ABC
news segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6-gyIblb8Y
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