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Among the many classes of people who were vulnerable socially and economically in biblical times, few were as vulnerable as widows.

Keeping the Faith in Tough Financial Times: God's ATM: I - Mark 12: 38-44 - August 24, 2008 - Cicero United Methodist Church - Everett 1. Bassett

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            Among the many classes of people who were vulnerable socially and economically in biblical times, few were as vulnerable as widows. In Hebrew society, widows fared worse than in other Near East societies, because the Hebrews added to their thinking the idea that if a man died early, he must have committed some kind of sin to deserve it; and the widow was expected to pay for it, either in material assets, or in public scorn.

            There were some protections - for example, the Old Testament law that a man might be required to marry his brother's widow to protect her - but probably those laws were practiced only sporadically. A woman whose husband died had few choices: perhaps she could move back with her parents; perhaps she could wait until a son grew up to support her; but more likely she would end up in desperate poverty.

            We get a glimpse of this plight, and Jesus' attitude toward it, in this morning's New Testament lesson. In Mark 12, beginning with verse 38, Jesus teaches forcefully, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplace ... " And Jesus goes on to paint a picture of how these hypocritical leaders behave; and one of the things he says, in verse 40, is, "They devour widows' houses ... " Here we have a picture of the helplessness of widows to protect themselves from unscrupulous men. Needless to say, Jesus is outraged, and we should be, too. God's people shouldn't be silent when unjust systems rob the poor.

            But then, you would think almost without putting his pen down, Mark, writing his Gospel, tells us immediately that after saying these things Jesus went and sat down where he could observe the treasury. This was probably the place in the Jewish temple where the money offerings to God were brought. And there Jesus watched the rich men as they brought their offering to the temple. And we know the story well- the rich brought sizeable gifts, making a great show of their generosity; but then, in contrast, there was a poor widow who brought two small copper coins, amounting to just about a penny.

I have always wished I knew more about that woman. What was the story of her life?

What were the circumstances of her husband's death? Did she have nowhere to go? Did she have children to tend to? Did she have shelter, or did she live on the street, or in one of the ghettoes for people in poverty outside the city wall? Where was her income from? What was she thinking as she approached the offering box, there among the rich and showy men who flaunted huge gifts?

            Mark doesn't tell us any of those things, and perhaps that invites us to use our imaginations. And so that is what I am doing this morning, and I want to call upon that woman to help us find the three T's for living through tough financial times. You may have been here last week when I began this series: to talk about how our faith can help us survive when the economy gets rough, I'm suggesting we go to God's ATM. Last Sunday I talked about the A's in ATM. This Sunday it's the T's, and this woman who brought her offering to the Temple had three of them, I imagine.

            First of all, I'm going to imagine that she lived a thanking life. What else, logically, could be motivating her? She could, I suppose, be there at the treasury out of a sense of duty - or maybe it was the way she was brought up. But no law or teaching 1 could imagine would say that she must give her last two coins to the temple offering. At most, she would be required to give ten percent. It's hard to give ten percent of a penny - but she had two copper coins. Surely she was fulfilling any obligation she had if she gave just one to the offering, and then kept the other to buy a little bread.

            My imagination, and a little bit of reasoning, suggests that this woman stood there among those rich men and put her embarrassingly meager offering in that box because she wanted to so much. And she wanted to because she loved God, and because she was grateful for her life, confined as it was, and she wanted to show that with everything she had. She wasn't sitting around 'miserating' over the unfortunate lot that had come her way. She wasn't bitterly cursing others, or God. She came to the altar in gratitude, and expressed it in faith before God. If you were here last Sunday, you may remember that one of the A's I talked about was Appreciate Your Assets - how tough financial times are when you might look around you and look within yourself and realize that you have a lot going for you even when finances get tight.

            This woman's action takes it way beyond that. I imagine she was demonstrating a life filled with thanksgiving that goes beyond counting a few assets. She is overwhelmed by the gift of life itself, and her every breath is a prayer of thanks. Surely hers is the attitude we try to emulate in our worship services when we bring our offerings to God. God's grace has blessed us more than we could name. So we place our 10% in the offering plate to represent how grateful we are for everything God has done. That's what surely follows -- a thanking life leads inevitably to the second T - a tithing life - a life that returns thanks to God by bringing an offering to the altar.

            Now I suspect that whenever tithing is mentioned in church, there is a cringe factor. Tithing is the Bible's commandment that we all return 10% of what we receive to God's work. Most pastors don't relish mentioning it, and most people in the congregation don't relish hearing it. I think that's because we regard it in the wrong spirit. We see it in a practical, legalistic sense, like a tax - we have to give God 10%, off the top - that's it. That's what the Bible says. And if we're thinking of it in a practical, legalistic sense, the response of people to the 10% figure ranges all the way from, "No problem," to "Ouch!" depending on our financial situation. And that's why we cringe to even talk about it.

But tithing is not intended to be a practical, legalistic idea; and I believe this woman Jesus witnessed demonstrates that beautifully. The problem with a 10% tithe is that it is not nearly enough. We need to give God 100%. That's the only offering that is worthy of the infinite grace of God, who gives us every gift we enjoy, and the gift of life itself. It's the only possible response that might honor Jesus, who died on the cross for our healing and salvation. It's not a matter of saying, "I owe God ten percent; now the other 90% is mine to do whatever I want." It's a matter of saying, "I owe it all to God - every moment, every penny, every talent, every breath. I will turn everything I have over to God, and God will tell me what to do with it." That changes tithing from a legal burden to a spiritual joy. Then when you buy food and clothing and shelter and entertainment and all the other necessities, it is with a feeling of gratitude for what God has provided. And when you bring your offering to the Lord, it is with that grateful, happy spirit. I imagine that of all the people who came to the treasury that day long ago, nobody experienced as much joy in the giving as that widow who gave everything she had. And I have no doubt that God provided for everything she needed.

            So, here we are in a recession, and budgets are tight. The temptation will be to say, "Well, maybe I should pull back on my giving to God." I believe that's the wrong way to think. God deserves 100%; that's what that woman with the two coins is teaching us. Nobody here is worse off than she was; but out of her poverty, she gave everything she had. And in tough financial times, I believe that's the attitude we have to take - Lord, here is all I have; I turn it over to you. Show me what to do.

            Now, I have to pause here and say that I am talking about something different than how the church is raising its budget. That penny that the woman put in the treasury box did not make a huge ripple in the temple budget - that wasn't what Jesus was looking at. He was looking inside her. That's why he called it the greatest of all offerings - because of what was in her heart. By giving everything she had, she was blessing God, and surely God would bless her. She trusted that, and that is the third T: in tough financial times, live a trusting life. If we give our all for God, God will come through.

As for the church budget, of course we watch it. And it's been said in meetings here several times, "Well, these are tough times. We're going to have some problems raising our church budget." But God is providing. And the answer is no different for the church than it is for all of us as individuals: whatever the economy is doing, if we give our all to God, God will provide what is needed for the church to do its ministry. Some of our church families may have to say something like, "If I give my full pledge to the church this month, I won't be able to buy 'the medication I need." Or, "I won't be able to afford shoes for the kids." Living a tithing life doesn't mean depriving yourself or your family of the basic things you need. And in those cases, 1 hope people will buy their medication or their shoes without guilt - with the full blessing of their pastors and their churches.

But most of us here aren't in that situation - most of us are living fairly luxurious lives ­whether we feel that way or not. And when the economy is tough, and there are some families and individuals feeling the crunch, those who are blessed financially may need to step up more. Every one of those decisions is a faith matter between you and God. But the formula is always the same, whether we're talking about the church budget, or our individual budgets; whether the economy is flying high, or whether we're in a recession ­everything we have is God's; if we offer God everything we have, God will provide for the ministry of this church, and for the individual wherewithal of everybody in this room.

In tough financial times, people will be tempted to live a complaining, scrimping, fearful life. But that is certain to make things worse. Live instead a thanking, tithing, trusting life - and God will provide, and tough financial times will pass.

            Centuries ago, a woman reached a desperate place. She was the victim of an unjust system that cast widows to the dogs. She had tried everything, and now she was down to her last two meager coins. She could have become bitter; she could have bought one last piece of bread, and then crawled into a comer somewhere to die in self-pity. But instead she remembered grace; she remembered God. And when she did, she couldn't hold herself back. She took her two last coins to the Temple. And she stood there among rich and haughty people who looked down on her - who wouldn't give her the time of day. Maybe one of them was the very creditor who had taken her home. And when she placed her coins in the box, most of those around her scoffed; others ignored and disregarded this tiny, insignificant offering. But then she turned around, and looked across the way, and she discovered a pair of eyes on her, and she realized that her offering had been seen by the only one who truly mattered. And I'm imagining tears in Jesus' eyes because he knew what a beautiful thing he'd just seen. This woman has given everything to her God, he said I also imagine she walked tall as she left that place, with more dignity than she knew was possible in her struggling life. I don't know what she ate that day, or where she slept or how she survived. I fret over that, until I remember the infinite grace of God, and the power of a thanking, tithing, trusting life. And then I know that she was alright -  ­more than alright -she was blessed. God is amazing like that, a great miracle-worker.  He can turn worries and fears into spiritual joy beyond anything we can imagine. I believe he took care of that woman, the same way he takes care of you and me every time we place our lives in His faithful, loving hands, and trust that He will show us the way.