1st Congregational
Rev. Carol Barriger
Sunday, November 12, 2006
23rd after Pentecost<=
span
style=3D'font-size:8.0pt'>
Mark 12:38-44
“Risking It All”
“For all of them have contribu=
ted
out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she
had, all she had to live on” (Mk 12:44)
I’m sure none of us can imagine quite what it meant for the w=
idow
in Mark’s story to put those two coins into the temple treasury box.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> While this story often shows up ar=
ound
stewardship time as encouragement for us to give more to the church, I̵=
7;d
like us to think of it more as a trusting act of laying one’s life on=
the
line. “Widow” wou=
ld
speak volumes to Jesus’ listeners.&n=
bsp;
She was not only disadvantaged by poverty, but also by her vulnerable
status which made her virtually invisible in the legal, political, religious
and social systems of her day. She
was powerless, had no wage-earning capacity, and unless she had very genero=
us
family members who took her in, she may have been homeless, and perhaps
prostituting.
We also need=
to
understand what the temple system of offerings and sacrifices was all
about. While such things were
symbols of devotion to God, they also provided the priests with food and
security. They lived off of
people’s offerings. Some
people made very large gifts to the temple and while supposedly there was p=
iety
associated with that, Jesus has just gotten through chastising those who li=
ke to
have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets (=
Mk
12:39) and who, for the sa=
ke of
appearance say long prayers. (12:40)&n=
bsp;
It’s hard to imagine that at least some of those big gifts
weren’t given with the idea of winning recognition in the community,
currying favor with the priests, or even with God.
What are we =
to take
away from this story?: That all of that giving does not change the temple, =
or
the system, or God. Giving ch=
anges
the heart of the giver and that is what matters to God. By juxtaposing these two mini-stor=
ies,
the wisdom of Jesus is revealed.: That the giving which changes the heart of
the giver is that which also risks the most; which represents a
willingness to yield up life and identity and trust God. The wealthy are giving away greate=
r sums
by absolute accounting, but what they give away they will never miss. They will continue to live as they=
have,
and to retain their identity and stature in the community. Their security, their very lives, =
are
not jeopardized by their gift. But
the one who is already hanging on by the barest thread gives away the last
little bit she has, her last protection from complete destitution. She now has no reserve, nothing to
invest, or to bargain away. S=
he who
had nothing, is stripped. She=
takes
this risk willingly and, I imagine, with a peaceful heart; without fanfare,=
in
complete contrast to conventional human desire for security, wealth, and
status. What we are hearing i=
s that
the essence of love is this willingness to risk all of oneself.
So let’=
;s talk
about risk for a moment. Clea=
rly
what feels like risk varies from person to person, and what we do in respon=
se
to risky situations varies, too.
Some people play it very, very safe – taking no action at all =
in
preference to anything with an unknown factor to it. Others will risk almost anything f=
or the
recognition, or the adrenaline rush.
We call them daredevils! But
the widow is neither. She is =
not
playing it safe, and she gets no recognition for her generosity because on =
an
absolute scale, she gave a tiny amount.&nb=
sp;
She won’t make the “benefactor’s circle” on =
the
next temple annual report. Mo=
st of
us live in an in-between place. Our
lives call for us to take certain long- and short-term risks and we make
choices. How do we look at
risk-taking with Jesus eyes?
Most of us w=
ould
agree that at some time in our lives we have regarded possessions as a burd=
en,
but just as often we see releasing possessions, money, anything, as a big
risk. That’s because we=
have
equated possessions, our “stuff,” with security, which is why we
accumulated them in the first place.
The risks folks face in our developed Euro-American society today are
different from the risks people take in other parts of the world, or the ri=
sk
this widow took. We have an
investment mentality. We own =
houses
and cars. We expect, or at le=
ast
hope, that our resources will grow so that we will be sustained throughout =
our
lives. Our philosophy of
independence means each person is responsible for his or her own security, =
that
is, accumulation. The idea of
village welfare, or living and sharing communally, which was the principle =
of
the earliest followers of Jesus before they even called themselves Christia=
n,
and the governing principle in other cultures today; that is somewhat
“out of the box” for us.
We embrace being responsible for the welfare of others after =
we
have made certain that we will be secure; that our risk quotient is down to
zero, or close to it. We try =
to
inoculate ourselves against risk.
But a life of faith requires in so many ways that we be aware=
of
the risks that others, our brothers and sisters, face in this world.=
Today, mortg=
ages are
huge. People put a lot of mon=
ey on
the table and work hard, at more than one job, to keep their homes. Loss of work is disastrous. The church needs to understand that
risk, and the precariousness of life it creates.
For those wi=
th a
chronic medical problem, something may be very dangerous which is not risky=
for
the majority of people; eating too much sugar, or protein, or being exposed=
to
someone with a bad cold. The =
church
needs to understand that risk and the emotional vigilance it requires. And on that same note, if you must=
take
a medication, and eat well in order to remain healthy, even alive, h=
ow
do you weigh the risk of cutting back on your medication, or buying cheaper
food, high in sodium and fat, when you cannot afford both? This is an epidemic problem in a n=
ation
with a broken, ineffective healthcare system. The church must be aware of the ri=
sks
people face, and advocate for justice.
It is a phys=
ical
risk to climb
I feel safe =
walking
around my neighborhood, but many people can’t do that. They live in communities rife with
drive-by shootings, where wearing the hajib, the Muslim head scarf, =
or
walking hand-in-hand with your same-sex partner will get you harassed, beat=
en
or killed. The church needs to
understand and embrace, radically, those living with those risks. Is it a risk to tell people that y=
ou are
French or German, hard of hearing, diabetic or dyslexic? Of course not, you will say. Is it a risk to tell them you are
gay? Is it? Risking is relati=
ve,
isn’t it? Jesus was a
risk-taker and a defender of risk-takers.
If I tell yo=
u that I
will go to bat for you, walk through fire for you, and defend you before ot=
her
people, I might experience difficulty if&n=
bsp;
I am confronted or criticized in the process. Standing up for the rights of othe=
rs
when that represents an unpopular or controversial position is courageous, =
but
is it risky? Not if I still h=
ave my
health and job. I have not ri=
sked
everything. Risk is relative. Am I
willing to take that stand anywhere, anytime, or just when I am in front of=
a presumably
receptive audience? Am I will=
ing to
talk about my church anywhere, anytime?&nb=
sp;
Or just when I am sure that I am with a group of receptive,
“religious” people?
Sharing the good news is risky business.
I am advocat=
ing for
a heightened awareness of risk as an act of faith! It is too easy for the church R=
11; in
the name of providing comfort, compassion and safety – to become a
bubble, an insulated place where we lose touch with the risk of simply being
alive. Too easily it can beco=
me a
place where we hide from the pain of scary choices, the risks we face, the
risks we hide from, and the risks that our brothers and sisters in this
community and around the world must face because they have no
choice. I think it is signifi=
cant
that the widow takes her risk at the temple, at the high place of faith, as=
if
to say, “Here, see me! =
I risk
in God’s sight and trust the power of God to sustain me and my
spirit!”
There’s
another Jesus parable to share here, and I’ve asked Bob to help me
present this one from Luke’s gospel.=
This is a reading from The Message version of the gospels:
Speaking to the people, Jesus went on, "Take
care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined =
by
what you have, even when you have a lot." Then he told them this story: "The farm of a certain rich m=
an
produced a terrific crop. He =
talked
to himself: 'What can I do? M=
y barn
isn't big enough for this harvest.'
Then he said, 'Here's what I'll do: I'll tear down my b=
arns
and build bigger ones. Then I'll gather in all my grain and goods, and I'll=
say
to myself, Self, you've done well! You've got it made and can now retire. T=
ake
it easy and have the time of your life!'
He continued this subject with his disciples. "Don't fuss about what's on t=
he
table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner li=
fe
than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than t=
he
clothes you hang on your body. (Lk 12:15-23)
This story m=
akes us
profoundly nervous, even though its point is exactly the same as the story
about the widow. “One&#=
8217;s
life does not consist in the abundance of possessions,” says the more=
traditional
version. But have not m=
ost of
us structured a life around that?
At least the widow is already down to next-to-nothing. We don’t see the difference
between next-to-nothing and nothing as being so great. Her security is already fundamenta=
lly
gone, while we sit here in our fatness like the rich man with his bulging
barns. Is it easier to risk w=
hen
you have already lost everything?
Studies show that the poor tend to be more generous with one another
because they know lives depend on it.
Giving from =
your wealth,
your strength, no matter how much, seems easy. Giving from your weakness seems=
hard, but life-changing. And
it’s not just about money, but about whatever defines your self. I can share a personal example.
We have an
investment mentality. We expe=
ct a
return, even from gifts to church or charity (and that is why Jesus’
admonition against flaunting your gifts, and the call to give your gifts in
secret, Mt 6:1-4). But the re=
al
return from giving is not recognition, or a tax break, or buying the kind of
church you want. The return i=
s the
change you experience in yourself from taking a risk for God. The widow’s gift doesn’=
;t
change the system. It changes
her. And she is willing to ri=
sk
herself to be changed.
As life goes=
on, we
have a tendency to take fewer and fewer risks, to hold on to what we have.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> That’s why the story of the =
widow
is so remarkable. She took a =
big
risk and maybe that is the message of Jesus – that taking more and mo=
re
risks as life goes on is the Jesus way.&nb=
sp;
It is what he did. He =
risked
it all. “But he died!&#=
8221;
you say. “He died for t=
he
risks he took.” Yes, he
did. And you and I will die,
too. Wouldn’t it be goo=
d to
die for something? And=
even
if we don’t die physically – at least not yet – to give up
our attachments to possessions and status and risk our beautiful, precious
selves for a better world? The
reign of God? The inbreaking =
of shalom?
I want us to=
look at
this story and see ourselves risking it all for the future we see as a chur=
ch
where God is Still Speaking; where there can be a church home for those who
long ago gave up on church. W=
e are going
to have to risk ourselves. The
message of Jesus was to give and to live with reckless abandon, with passion
and extravagance. All of us c=
an
think of a million reasons why that will work for everyone except us, but t=
he
widow got it. It’s been=
said
that the idea, the goal of life, is to die with nothing. The widow got it. Amen, and may she be blessed.
Risk
Author Unknow=
n
To laugh is to risk appearing a fool;
To reach out for another is to risk involvement;
To place your ideal, your dreams, before a crowd
is to risk their loss;
To love is =
to risk
not being loved in return.
To live is =
to risk
dying, to hope is to risk despair;
To try is to risk failure. Yet risks must be taken,
Because the greatest hazard in life is risking nothing.
The person =
who risks
nothing does nothing,
They may avoid suffering and sorr=
ow,
But they cannot learn, feel, change, gr=
ow,
love, live.
has nothing=
, is
nothing.
Chained by their attitudes, they are a =
slave.
They have forfeited their freedom.
Only a person who risks is free<=
span
style=3D'font-size:8.0pt'>.
Mark 12:38-44
38 As he tau=
ght, he
said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, a=
nd
to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces,
39 and to ha=
ve the
best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets!
40 They devo=
ur
widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will
receive the greater condemnation."
41 He sat do= wn opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasur= y. Many rich people put in large sums.<= o:p>
42 A poor wi=
dow came
and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.
43 Then he c=
alled
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 o=
f 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."
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