Broadway Christian Church · Columbia, Missouri

Morning Worship · June 28, 2009

Fourth Sunday After Pentecost

Prayer of the Day

O Giver of Life, breathe into our souls the life and peace of your Spirit, that we might see our true place in the universe.  We are your blessed children; give us faith and trust to be your true disciples. Empower us to use what you have given us, so we might live as you’ve called us to live. May we be truly committed to living the life you’ve given us. Amen.

Scripture

Mark 12:38-44

As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he 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.”

Message

The Ultimate Commitment

Larry Gallamore

I’ll share a secret with you. I’ve read the story of the widow’s mite for years thinking it was about money. A few months ago, as I read the story, I suddenly realized this story isn’t about money at all. It’s about a woman who makes an ultimate commitment. This woman had learned to trust God. She had mastered the art of living by faith. She knew that God always honors an all-out commitment.

Now, Mark refers to her as a poor widow. Let me assure you, he is not using the word “poor” in the same sense we use it today He is not saying this woman is characterized by poverty or that she is less than adequate, inferior in quality or value, or unproductive.

This widow is an example to all of us. She is more than adequate. In fact, she is living so well that Jesus admired her. He commented on her behavior and went so far as to identify with her as she gave her all. Jesus saw she had something that wealth couldn’t give her – just as the rich young man who came to Jesus in another gospel story looked at Jesus and saw a moneyless carpenter who had something which his wealth was not giving him (Mark 10:17-22).

Do you have any idea what it means to be that committed to life? Jesus is saying indirectly, “Look at her. She is living by faith.”

People like this widow make God vivid to all of us. She is trusting God to provide. She is living life day by day to her fullest. She really doesn’t care what the world thinks about how she is living. She isn’t tuned in to the societal consciousness of her day. In the mind of those around her, she was poor, lacking in material possessions. In her mind, she had everything she needed. She believed that God had given her the two coins she dropped into the treasury. 

Listen to me. She knew there was a lot more where those coins came from. In her mind, she didn’t know poverty. She served a God that owned everything; the cattle on a thousand hills; all the gold, silver, copper, and bronze that was everywhere in the earth. She was a child of God. Her Father owned everything. God had everything she needed and, as a matter of fact, God had plenty for everyone. 

How would you like to live like she did? Getting religion is often heavy going at the start, but there comes a time, if we’re growing, when religion “gets us.” This is when one starts really living religiously.

Are you beginning to get the picture? She was wealthy beyond anything we could ever imagine. She had all she needed, and she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God would provide for her future needs.

It’s no wonder Jesus noticed her. People like her stand out. Their attitudes, their way of life, and their desire to give to others is so impressive! Most of us can’t help but admire them.

Oh, sure, some will say they are not facing reality. Others call them religious fanatics. On occasion, someone will say they are insane, but let me remind you, most people hold them in high regard. This is what Jesus did. He said to those around him, “Did you see this poor widow? She gave everything she had.”

Imagine being there. Here is how it all took place. Jesus entered the Court of the Gentiles, a place where 13 trumpet-shaped collection receptacles were placed for freewill offerings. It was Passover time, and a huge crowd gathered for worship. Jesus just sat there watching people give. They put in coins of silver, gold, copper, and bronze (no folding money). It was a noisy place. The thing Jesus noticed was not the noise. He noticed this widow who dropped in all she had.

Most of us have known someone who really gave their all, someone who is or was so committed to life, to living, to helping others that they never think twice about making an ultimate sacrifice. Just as Jesus looked at this poor widow and saw something of himself, we look at people who make the ultimate sacrifice and see Jesus. We admire anyone who gives 100% in anything.

No one could doubt this poor widow’s religion was real. Her religion was working. She was living the good life.

Some of you are saying, “Wow! I wish my religion worked like that for me!”

I want to ask you seriously, “What has your religion done for you?”

For years, some of you have been attending church, reading spiritual books, studying the Bible, etc. I’m with you. I’ve done the same. Let’s take a spiritual inventory. Ask yourself: What difference has my religion made? What has my religion done for me? How has it changed me? What difference has it made in your home, your business affairs, and your life? How much peace of mind do you have? How much courage? How much understanding? Make no mistake about it, real religion enables you to do all these things.

If, upon examining your life, your religion isn’t working, if certain needs aren’t being met in your life, look at this poor widow. You will find that she has discovered a secret. If your religion isn’t working the way you want it to, you’ll find what you put into your religion is what you get out of it.

If you put 5% of yourself and your life in your religion, you’ll get a 5% dividend. If you put in 20%, you’ll get 20%. Until you put 100% of yourself and your life into your religion, you’ll not receive a 100% demonstration. A complete, all-around demonstration calls for an all-in policy.

I’ve seen it happen again and again. So-called poor people, who aren’t really poor at all, but rich beyond measure, reaching out to life 100%, giving 100%, giving everything they have and not holding anything back.

Several years ago, there was a farmer who died leaving his wife and three small children to harvest the family crop. At harvest time, the wife was so distraught that she couldn’t do very much, and the three children were too small to help. A neighboring famer and his wife visited to offer their condolences. On the way back home, the neighboring farmer told his wife that he was going to harvest the crop for the widow. “We’ll leave our crops until last,” he said. “We’ll do what’s right and God will see us through.”

His wife responded, “But, Joe, we may lose our entire crop.”

Joe replied, “I know God will provide.” 

The next day Joe took his equipment into his neighbor’s field and started to work. Soon, other farmers in the area heard what Joe was doing. Hour by hour, they showed up to help. They completed the grieving widow’s harvest and then went on to Joe’s farm, and on to the next farm, and the next until all their crops were harvested. That year, everyone had a bumper crop, and their crops were harvested in time. Joe started one of the largest farm co-ops in his area. It is still in existence. God always honors an all-out commitment. When you give your all, you can count on God.

If you’ve read this biblical story and have been tempted to feel sorry for the poor widow who gave her all, don’t. I guarantee you she never had a need in her life that wasn’t met. She had discovered an amazing secret to living. God honors our all-out commitment. When you give your all, you can count on God to meet your needs. In fact, God has already met your needs before you ask. You can trust God.

Look at nature. The rose doesn’t run out of color. The birds do not run out of song. The water never ceases to fall or the tide to ebb and flow. There is plenty of scent in the flowers and plenty of sand on the shore. Have you ever stopped to think of the number of eggs that fish lay? If they all hatched, they would choke the ocean. We humans are the only creatures who often feel like God is not going to provide for us.

The widow challenges us with one of the greatest spiritual truths in all of history. You do your part, and God will do God’s part. I would suppose this was not the first time the widow had given her all. And it wouldn’t be the last. The Bible doesn’t say. 

When I say this wasn’t the first time she gave her all, I’m basing this argument on the fact that we learn to trust only by trusting. The first time any of us gives 100%, our actions proceed on conviction, but from that moment on, we understand and have confidence that God will come through.

The fact that Jesus watched her give all she had indicated this probably wasn’t the first time she had done this. No doubt, she came there often. Jesus may have watched her do this again and again. He, perhaps, knew that she lived her life like this. The fact that he singled her out as an example tells me this type of giving (giving all she had) was a pattern.

Do you see what I mean when I say she wasn’t poor? She was living life to its fullest. She was light years ahead of the scribes who walked around in their long robes in the marketplace to be greeted with respect. She was light years ahead of those who had the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets. None of that social status stuff mattered to her. She knew the only important gift she had to give was herself. 

You think she was poor? Think again. She had everything that was important in life. She knew that the greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. The world has certainly profited by her example.

So be it. Amen.

Benediction

God, prod our hearts to respond in generosity. Make us eager to offer you thanks for all that we are. Let us bring our “mite” that it might increase your MIGHT. Please affirm in us the use of our gifts and energies. Freely we’ve received, and freely we will give. The results will be MIGHTY. Amen.