“Giving from Your Poverty” - November 8, 2015

Mark 12:38-44

            Since Halloween is over, and Thanksgiving is fast approaching, it’s time for the airwaves to be filled with Christmas music.

“Come, they told me,              pa-rum-pa-pum-pum,

A newborn king to see,           pa-rum-pa-pum-pum,

Our finest gifts we bring         pa-rum-pa-pum-pum,

To greet the newborn king      pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, rum-pa-pum-pum,

rum-pa-pum-pum, rum-pa-pum-pum,

So to honor him,                     pa-rum-pa-pum-pum,

When we come.

Little baby,                              pa-rum-pa-pum-pum,

I am a poor boy, too,               pa-rum-pa-pum-pum,

I have no gift to bring             pa-rum-pa-pum-pum,

That’s fit to give a king          pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, rum-pa-pum-pum,

rum-pa-pum-pum, rum-pa-pum-pum,

Shall I play for you,                pa-rum-pa-pum-pum,

On my drum?

Mary nodded,                          pa-rum-pa-pum-pum,

The ox and lamb kept time     pa-rum-pa-pum-pum,

I played my drum for him       pa-rum-pa-pum-pum,

I played my best for him         pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, rum-pa-pum-pum,

rum-pa-pum-pum, rum-pa-pum-pum,

Then he smiled at me              pa-rum-pa-pum-pum,

Me and my drum.”

Great lyrics, huh?    No, the story is not in the Bible.  It’s the Gospel according to St. Hallmark.  On the other hand, though, it does embody at least part of what the Gospel according to St. Mark talks about when we hear about the widow who contributed, as Jesus put it, “out of her poverty.” [Mark 12:44]

            Mostly we think of the kind of poverty that she endured, which meant not having enough to support life.  Certainly that is real, and a lot of people living in that kind of situation really do contribute the best that they can, and for that we can thank both them and God.  There are other kinds of poverty and other kinds of lack, and people can and do give from those as well.

            Some people have a wealth of confidence.  Ask them to do anything and they are certain that they can pull it off.  Ask them to speak, and there they are.  Ask them to organize an event, and there’s a clipboard in their hand within an hour.

            Others are unsure where to begin on the simplest task.  They see the enormous number of details to be addressed and how much can go wrong if any of them are missed, and they become reluctant.  It isn’t that they’re afraid, necessarily, but they want to do a good job and if they don’t think they can, they step back.

            Some people have a wealth of ideas.  In fact, some have so many ideas that one follows another with great speed.  I’ve known city planners who are like that.  They will look at one vacant storefront and say, “That would be a good place for an office.”  Then they notice that you need other services to support a business, and they start noticing where the nearest bus stop is and what the traffic patterns are.  They start wondering about the status of parking, and then thinking about what media outlets are addressing the needs of the neighborhood.  Could this building be covered under the Neighborhood Reinvestment Act?  If so, where’s the nearest bank to make the loan?  Could this all be bundled into a larger redevelopment so that the cost of services could be spread out?  Let’s look at the census figures to see if any of it is viable.

            On the other hand, some people see an empty building and remember when it was a candy shop.  They feel badly about it, and maybe get a sudden, inexplicable yearning for a chocolate bar.  Then they move on.

            Some people have a lot of love to share.  They see a child and they cannot help but smile.  They stop and talk to somebody sitting on a park bench.  They leave a goofy card for their spouse because it’s Tuesday or send flowers without warning. 

            Other people would do that stuff if they could, but it feels unnatural and forced to them.  They aren’t cold and unfeeling, but they are naturally quiet and withdrawn.  There’s a story about President Coolidge, who was known as “Silent Cal”.  A woman who was sitting next to him at a White House dinner said, “Mr. President, my husband bet me that you wouldn’t say three words all evening.”  He turned to her and said, “You lose.”

            The story of the widow who gave, not out of her riches but out of her poverty, is a good word for those who find it hard or awkward or ill-timed to respond easily when something is asked of them.  It takes great courage to put so much out there, especially when others may not realize how hard it is to do.  For someone who is used to public speaking, it’s easy to overlook how many people find it paralyzing to look out at a crowd.  I’m often impressed at a relative or friend who finds it in their heart to say a few words at a wedding or a funeral when they don’t feel comfortable, but do see it as something that they owe to someone they care about.  Or what about a parent who is under severe pressure at work and very strict time constraints who sets aside the evening to play with and read to his or her children, even though their mind is someplace else?  Giving from their poverty is a real part of their life.

            The thing is that those often turn out to be the richest experiences, the ones that touch the soul.  Who knows anything about the woman whom Jesus held up as an example, except this one act of giving?  It looked like nothing, and yet it stood at the time and stands to this day as a witness against injustice.

“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 market-places, 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.’” 

[Mark 12:38-40]

Here was one of those widows, and she who would otherwise have gone unnoticed, because of this one action, put those who would oppress countless others like her to shame.  When anyone gives from their poverty that is where they will find a real blessing.

            Please don’t understand me as saying that if you do not have enough to eat, you should give your last coin to the church.  That’s not it.  The Church is the people, and the people’s needs are real.  Please don’t understand me as saying, like some TV preachers, that if you give money as a sign of your faith, then God will send you riches.  That’s unbiblical and that’s just greedy.  Besides, if you are giving in order to get, then it isn’t really giving.

            I do say, though, that it is often in the mere act of giving that we discover how rich we really are and what things truly matter, because we have to make choices when we face limits.  Do we care about someone else more than ourselves?  Do we care enough that we may decide to do without?  Are we really ready to put ourselves on the line if we have to – because it is ourselves that we have when we have nothing else to offer?

            It is in giving out of our poverty that we come to understand the words of the apostle Paul, who wrote:

“I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content.  I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want.  I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” 

[Philippians 4:11-13]