The story of Mrs. Larson - the widow... comes from Luke Bouman
http://www.predigten.uni-goettingen.de/predigt.php?id=1911&kennung=20091108en
Mrs. Larson sat alone in her apartment. She did that quite a bit of the time since her husband had passed away some years before. She never really went out much with her husband when he was alive, and she certainly had no need to go out now that he was gone.
She would shop, sparingly, go to her doctors, and wince when they prescribed medications. Her husband's pension was not large, and the money just didn't seem to last. She spent her time reading, praying for her family, especially her grandchildren, and waiting for the daily phone calls from her children. Her life was simple, austere, by necessity.
On this particular Sunday, because the weather was bad, she decided not to venture out to worship at her church, instead turning on one of the many preachers on the television. His message was compelling. "Do you have money trouble," he asked? "Because, probably it isn't really money that is your problem, it is faith," he continued. "If you just had faith, like the widow who gave all her money, then you would find that God will bless you with all the money you will every want or need."
"Could this be true," she wondered? "Is it possible that all she lacked was faith? Would God truly send more money her way if she did what the preacher suggested, send his ministry a large donation?" She puzzled out how this might work as she quickly found paper and pencil to write down the address that was repeating itself across the crawl at the bottom of her screen. For the first time in a long time, she felt like maybe she had something she could do so that her money worries might lessen.
Certainly she had enough faith, she read her Bible every day, prayed all the time, didn't live a particularly sinful life. The only question was how much money would she need to send in order to demonstrate that she had the same faith as the widow in the Bible story.
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November is the traditional time of the stewardship sermon. The timing of this text tempts preachers to be like the TV evangelist... Look at the story... the Widow gave it all in faith can’t you too do the same?
Maybe a wall chart... will you be a $50 hero? A $300 Sampson? A $1000 apostle?... and at the top... we could have the $25,000 savior category. GIVE GIVE GIVE and be blessed! Be the Widow!
Well... that would actually be kindof fun...
Like most powerful lies... it starts with a kernel of truth and grows into what it is.... there is just enough truth to make it believable... Just enough truth and excitement, that the fact we’re headed down the wrong road all together is overlooked. This cannot be a give and you’ll get a reward sermon.
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Jesus is in a great argument with the temple authorities... and it’s not about giving... it’s about taking. The debate is about money... and it is centered on how money is being made off the backs of the people who can least afford it... in this case, the widows.
We’re not even talking pension plan widows... in Jesus time, we’re talking about people with no rights, no means of income... this is about powerful people twisting the law in just such a way to remove the meager possessions of those who can least afford it. And... after the taking is done, standing in public and saying long prayers... pretending to be an upright citizens that God would be proud of.
So... as a church we must be ever vigilant that we do not become the TV preacher in story of Mrs. Larson.... we must never promise something that we cannot deliver. Promising anyone that giving to us will result in some sort of magic blessing shower of money... ... no...
And as individuals we are challenged to look at how we make our money... What we invest in and how those investments effect people involved as the interest goes up and down.
We are challenged to look at what we buy and from where.
We are called to account for where we might be propping up our wealth on the backs of those who can least afford it. As Jesus says “They devour widow’s houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
Do you think saying the right prayers and doing the right actions matter? You bet it does... but not as a magic formula that allows you to stay the same and passively let sin and injustice be the marks your life.
Our actions and prayers are our response to God coming to us. God’s call.
And God’s call is a free gift... but it is still a call... a call to be transformed by God.
A call to let God transform you in the prayers and actions we do together as a community.
In Christ the old will pass away and... you can expect change... both in letting go of the burden of sin and guilt of past action, and in the difficult work of cutting out unhealthy things that we cling to.
The call is call to justice and action. A call to becoming more like the giving God we worship.
With every day, every remembrance of baptism, every trip to the Lord’s Supper, every Word of God that we hear through the community of faith and in prayerful devotion we are being transformed into the giving people of God.
And finally here is where the giving part comes in...
As the giving people of God we realize all that we have first been given everything we are and have... our time, talents and possessions... and are called to use our power to see where God is at work in the world. And in seeing, we are called to join in.
We are the giving people of God.
We are the body of Christ - a group of people being every transformed by the one who gives us all things.
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It wasn't long after she sent the check to the TV ministry that Mrs. Larson realized she had made a mistake. She had gone back to her own church and didn't have money for the offering there. She remembered, while there, that they were the ones who had cared for her when her husband had died. The pastor had been the one who visited her in the hospital when she was sick, even bringing her communion. The TV preacher wouldn't do that.
It came time for the annual "estimate of giving" cards to be turned in and she didn't have any money left to give, much less to plan for the next year. She decided she had better talk to the pastor about it, as she didn't want him to think that she wasn't giving because she was upset with him or the church.
He smiled when he heard her story. It was a smile of embarrassment and compassion for her. He reached out and touched her shoulder and told her that he appreciated her coming to talk to him about this, and he expressed great sympathy for her situation. "We don't expect to balance the church budget on the backs of our poorest members," he said. "We expect everyone to contribute to our community in whatever way they can. Plenty of people have plenty of money to give. We'll carry that load. Why don't you think about things that you can give, especially those things that will benefit everyone and don't cost you much money. Can you give your prayers for all of the people of the church," he asked?\
She thought that she could indeed do that. In addition she thought that she could help cook the weekly supper on Wednesday evenings, if someone could give her a ride, as she didn't like to drive at night. She would also think about other opportunities to volunteer.
Finally her pastor said, "Remember, as long as you are in this congregation, we will never let you get to the point where you have to worry about money. God has blessed us with enough and then some. We will make sure that you never want for anything."
Mrs. Larson went home feeling really hopeful. And she thought, in a way, that it was ironic. Maybe the TV preacher was right, even though he didn't know it. God had blessed her with all that she could ever need. But it wasn't because she had made the gift. It was right there all along. But making the gift, and coming to her senses about it, helped her to realize how truly blessed she was.
Next time, she thought, she'll be mindful of her gifts before she jumps off the deep end. And if she feels motivated to give any money away in the future, it won't be to people who offer her false and empty promises. It will be to the family of God where she knows what is happening, and what will happen to the money This is a place where she will always be taken care of.
May it be so among us...
Amen
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