Sermon: "The Widow and her Mite"
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

[This sermon by Bishop vonRosenberg was delivered using the following notes.]

Our Gospel reading today includes a familiar stewardship story from Jesus - perhaps the most familiar of all - the Widow's Mite. Remember the story's setting and context: Jesus was watching various activities going on at the Temple in Jerusalem when he expressed his observations about the widow he saw there. In fact, though, according to St. Mark, Jesus had just been involved in teaching about several other things. St. Mark includes, in rapid succession, one of those hostile encounters between Jesus and the chief priests and the Pharisees; then, the parable of the vineyard; next, the teaching about the importance of distinguishing between what is Caesar's in this world from what is God's; then, further arguments with the Sadducees; next, the Great Commandment; and finally, the teaching at the beginning of today's Gospel - warning about outward displays of religious piety, without the necessary, corresponding internal commitment. After all this arguing and teaching, Jesus sat down and engaged in some people watching. He was probably ready for a break!

Then it was that a poor widow approached, and she put her penny into the Temple treasury, the collection place. And that action provided the setting for Jesus' familiar stewardship teaching. Jesus observed to his disciples - and to us - "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"(Mk 12:43b-44).

I want to suggest to you today that this familiar stewardship story is significant for two reasons - one, for what it says, and two, for what it does not say.

First, faithful stewardship involves sacrifice. That surely is one main point of Jesus' story. The poor widow's gift of a penny involved a sacrifice for her. However, the large gifts from the rich people did not represent a big deal for them. Therefore, Jesus made a point of commenting on the smallest gift. We sometimes hear, "Give until it hurts", but Jesus would ask us to give even past that point.

For most of us, ten percent of our income given to the work of God in the world represents a sacrifice. For some of us, such a percentage may not be sacrificial at all. However, the point of the tithe as the minimum standard for Christian giving is to encourage sacrificial giving … the giving that our Lord encouraged. Faithful stewardship involves sacrifice.

At least once a year, I remember two dedicated parishioners from my early years of ordained ministry. These two folks understood sacrificial giving.

When I graduated from seminary, I was put in charge of four small churches in eastern North Carolina. One of those churches had a congregation made up primarily of retired African Americans. Two church leaders, who were public school teachers with big families to support, probably had the largest incomes.

The church building where this congregation worshipped was in bad repair. In fact, when I first visited there, I could see the sky from inside the church, through a large hole in the roof! The congregation contracted to have the necessary and extensive repair work done. However, the assets of the church were inadequate to cover the loan required. Therefore, the two schoolteachers stepped forward and signed a personal note, guaranteeing the loan. They risked everything they had for the sake of that congregation. And, in the process, they taught me a great deal about the sacrificial nature of Christian stewardship.

My second point is this. The focus of faithful stewardship is the giver, not the receiver.

God is the One who has given us all that we possess - for, indeed, God has given all that there is. Now, do you think that we deserve what God has given us? Surely, one message of our biblical faith is that we do not deserve God's gifts. Yet, God gives us gifts anyway … not because of who we are but because of who God is. God is Giver.

As creatures made in the image of God, we live into that image as we also give. Our practice of Christian stewardship, therefore, indicates the extent to which we claim who we truly are - creatures made in God's image. Therefore, we, too, give - not because of the worthiness of the parish church or the diocese or the national church, but because of who we are. We are creatures made in the image of God.

We need to notice that Jesus' story about stewardship today does not say anything about the worthiness of the recipient of the widow's mite. In fact, Jesus had considerable problems with the Jerusalem Temple. He spoke of some religious leaders, in today's reading, as deserving a "greater condemnation"(vs 40). Jesus made fun of their garments, and he clearly did not think much of their faith. On another occasion, Jesus overturned the tables of the moneychangers - people who performed important tasks for the liturgical life of the Temple. And, at still another time, Jesus belittled the grandeur of the Temple building itself. Therefore, it is quite clear that this teaching of our Lord about stewardship had everything to do with the faithfulness of the giver and nothing at all to do with the worthiness of the receiver. Jesus said, "She out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on"(vs 44b). In this stewardship teaching, Jesus' focus is clearly on the giver, not on the receiver.

In conclusion, then, this familiar stewardship story from our Lord intends to teach us a couple of things. First, faithful stewardship involves sacrifice. Jesus wants our gifts to mean something to us, like the gift from the widow in the story. And secondly, the focus of faithful stewardship is the giver, not the receiver. When we give, we live into the reality of who we are intended to be - creatures made in the very image of God. Amen.

Copyright © 2003 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee