Our reading from the hebrew scripture comes from psalm 25 verses 1 through 10.
Psa. 25:1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust;
do not let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Psa. 25:4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD;
teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
Psa. 25:6 Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness’ sake, O LORD!
Psa. 25:8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
Our second reading comes from the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 21 verses 1 through 4. Let us listen for the whispers of the spirit to the people of God
Luke 21:1 He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; 2 he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3 He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; 4 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.”
This is the Word of God for the People of God.
Thanks be to God.
The widow’s mite.
These two small copper coins were just the widow’s offering. Just two coins. We might think of them as being two cents. Just two pennies. Jesus praises her for her offering saying – 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
When I have preached on this scripture before, I have explored it as a condemnation of the temple system that, for all intents and purposes, appeared to be failing to live up to the command to care for the stranger, the orphans, the widows. And yet Jesus praises her for her offering. It almost appears that he praises her for giving away everything. So I was thinking – What is an offering?
I think everyone knows that Stephanie and I spent the last week in Montreat, North Carolina working as part of the youth conference being held there. It was the first time that we have been back to a youth conference since the summer of 2019 when I was on the planning team for weeks 5 and 6.
If you are not familiar with a montreat youth conference – allow me to take a moment and describe it quickly for you – each conference lasts for about a week – from sunday evening to friday evening and is attended by – depending on the week somewhere between 200 and 1000 youth. This does not count the volunteer staff, profession staff, production crew, the planning team or leadership, back home leaders, or adult chaperones. The youth range in age from rising 9th graders to graduated seniors. All these students, youth leaders, and their back home adults are gathered together to explore scripture, to play games, to meet new people, and to experience church in what might feel like a new way to them.
In the morning you have a keynote which proposes some questions or food for thought for the day. After the keynote, youth are given opportunities to explore questions and get to know their small group. There is a break for lunch and then more time together to explore or have fun. After small groups, recreation events, and dinner, there is evening worship. Repeat that schedule for 5 days – and In a nutshell, this is the youth conference. Each year explores a particular theme and this year was no different. The year I was on planning team, the theme was “Let Love Lead” – this year the theme was “More Than Enough”. The keynotes, the small group time, everything the conference offers is related to the theme as a way of exploring scripture. It is a fascinating experience and I am always exposed to new ideas and new preachers while i am there. This year was no different.
One night, the Rev. Cecelia Willams preached using this scripture and through her words the spirit opened my eyes to new ways of thinking about this scripture.
The widow gives her two cents – which I know some people might look down on – its just two cents they say. What can you do with two cents?
I mean – even that phrase is used to signify a diminishment of your own words implying that any one who speaks after you – their words cant be worth more than the same two cents.
As a monetary value In terms of american money – modern pennies are plated in copper because the metal itself is now worth more than the coin is. The coins in todays story were likely leptons – a coin that was also known as the mite. It was worth 1/64 of a denarius. A denarius was a day’s wage for a common worker. So we can see how we can translate this to two cents in modern english.
And yet Jesus praises the widow for her offering because it is what she has. She offers what she has to God in the hope that it will change the world.
She throws in her 2 cents.
Those two cents that represent all that she had to live on.
Close your eyes for a moment. I want you to imagine it – the feel of the coins in your hand. feel the weight of them. If you have them – feel them in your hand hear the sound they make sliding across one other. Hear the clink when you drop them in your change jar at home or on your nightstand. They make some noise – not a lot, but some.
Now, knowing that – i want you to put yourself in the widow’s shoes. Coming into the temple to give her offering. Walking into the courtyard. Coming to the treasury. Throwing in her offering. Can you hear it? The sound of her two cents. Can you hear them? Now look around – shes not alone – everyone has come to put in their two cents – to give their offerings of the treasures, their time, and their talents. Can you hear it now? Can you hear The noise it makes?
I want you to think about the sound those two coins make hitting in the treasury as they join in all the other two cents being offered. Those two cents – they made some noise not just the sound of money hitting money, but they made a noise in the community. To help care for the community.
Because her offering – no matter how some might look down on it, was an offering given in faith and it made some noise when it hit that treasury. It combined with every offering that had been given and made a noise. Her offering given without conditions – A gift given in faith for the work of God to be used to change the world – that is to go out and to help people, to welcome the stranger, to care for the widows and the orphans. Her gift offered in love to live into the call to love God and love neighbor.
When we offer our two cents it should make some Noise in the community. When we offer our two cents, are we prepared to give without conditions? Are we willing to offer our gifts freely Without condition – trusting in God to use those gifts?
Imagine how those gifts will make some noise in this community.
Friends, we live in a world of abundance. We are told everyday in direct and subtle ways that we don’t have enough, that we are not enough – whether it is the car we drive, the clothing we wear, the places we shop, somehow we are being given a message that we don’t add up to enough, but if we just buy this one more thing, or wear the right shirt, or shoes, maybe then we might begin to feel whole.
Here is the thing friends – it’s a trick – it’s a trick designed to keep us distracted from the world around us and to keep us from seeing our neighbors because we are so distracted trying to fill some imaginary hole in our selves and so distracted trying keep up appearances that we can’t see the gifts we have to offer. Our time, our talents, and our treasures are all gifts that have been given to us – in order that we might share those gifts in order to share our abundance that we know to be true with one another. Those gifts that we have been given are the same ones that we offer to god freely without reservation – those gifts are our two cents that we are throwing in to make some noise.
Thats the thing about our gifts, they are intended to be shared to build the community to enrich each other to share in the abundance that God has to offer.
There is another lesson we can learn from the widow and Jesus. When she threw in her two pennies jesus said “all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on”
I think that what we can learn from this is that You have to give it away to receive more – the challenge for us is to follow the example of the widow and Give what we have and see what God has in store for Us.
Friends – if i asked you to hold out your hands – and i put a 20 in one – you would close it to hold on, right? And if i put a 20 in the other hand you would close it to hold on as well, right? But if your hands are closed how can you take the 50 that i have to give you?
You have to give it away to receive more. Your gifts are intended for sharing Because if all we are doing is holding on to pay the bills and we are not making some noise – telling people the good news – showing them all the ways that god loves them and that they are more than enough, then what are the gifts for?
We know we live in a world of abundance – scripture tells us over and over that the world is filled with abundance for all of Gods children. In psalm 23 – we are told that god prepares a table for us and that at that table the cups run over spilling out into the world. It’s not just us that get covered in the abundance thatgod shares, but as it runs out form Gods table it covers everyone – including our enemies.
Among the questions we have to answer about the gifts that have been given to us – is how we can use those gifts for building the community? How can we use our two cents to go out and make some noise in the world – because friends – Whatever your two cents is – whatever your gifts and offerings are – they should make a difference. They should make noise.
The widow offers the whole of her life like Jesus offers his life all to trust in the abundance of god. Rely on God to use your offering. Make some noise friends – The sound of your two cents will change the community and in doing so – it will change the world.
Amen.
Matthew Messenger 