Poverty

Charlotte Collins Reed

Christ Church Episcopal

November 11, 2018

27 Proper B

          When Don and I lived in Springfield, Ohio, our church had a neighborhood fair every summer.  The church sat on the edge of the poorest neighborhood in Springfield and each August the neighbors looked forward to the afternoon of free games, food, and entertainment.  Many of the folks came year after year and were also regulars at our food pantry, so they became very familiar faces to us and we to them.

          One of the booths we offered at the Neighborhood Fair was Charlotte’s Prayer Booth and Tattoo Parlor.  Anyone with a prayer concern could come by and we would pray and they would get a free stick-on tattoo.  I was skeptical about how popular my prayer booth would be, as well as naive about how hard it is to get those tattoos to stick.  However, my afternoon was filled with people wanting prayer for all sorts of things, almost always for other people.  The folks who came to my booth were anxious to tell me about their relationship with Jesus, what Jesus had done for them, and how Jesus was holding them together.  These are folks living significantly below the poverty level.  A permanent address is considered to be a place they have lived more than a few weeks.  For many of them, our hot dogs and walking tacos were their meal for the day.  I was humbled by their cheerful reliance on God and the depth of their faith in the face of challenges I cannot begin to imagine. 

          I think about our friends at the Neighborhood Fair when I hear the stories of the widow of Zarephath and the widow with the two small coins.  The widow of Zarephath had nothing with which to make a meal other than a small bit of meal and a little oil.  Her plan was to bake a small bit of bread for herself and her son, then lie down to die.  Her life felt completely hopeless.  Elijah convinces her to make bread for him and for herself and her son and promises her that the oil and meal will not run out.  The woman does not have a lot to lose at this point, so she does as Elijah asks.  Indeed, the oil and meal never run out.  The woman was willing to let go of her hold on that last little bit of food and trust God that she would not run out.   

          Jesus tells us that the widow at the treasury, who put in her last two coins, which were worth about a penny, had put in more than the rich people who had given large sums of money.  Jesus is simply stating a fact here.  The rich people had put in out of their abundance, but the widow had put in everything she had, all that she had to live on.  Many a stewardship sermon has been preached on this passage, encouraging the faithful to be risky in their giving like the widow.  However, I think that financial stewardship is only part of the story and Jesus is calling us to something even deeper here.  Jesus has commented on the scribes who walk about in long robes, who have the best seats in the synagogue and at banquets, and who enjoy being recognized in the market place.  He sees many rich people putting in large sums of money.  But then he observes that the widow who put in her last two coins has put in the most because she has given out of her poverty. 

          The most significant statement in this story is “but she, out of her poverty, has put in everything she has.”  Like the widow at Zarephath, the widow at the treasury has let go of what little she has.  Now she, like the widow at Zarephath, will have to rely utterly and completely on God for her security.  She has nothing else to rely on.  On the other hand, the scribes and rich people believe they can rely on their robes, places of honor, and riches for their security.  Likely they have homes, plenty of food, extended families, and employment.  The widow has God.

          Both of these widows call us to let go of our grip on the things that feel scarce to us and rely on God for our security.  For the widow of Zarephath and the widow at the treasury, like so many of the people at the Neighborhood Fair, that scarcity was food and money.  Life without the resources to provide for one’s family is scary and hard, and those of us who have plenty are certainly called to do God’s work in the world, helping provide for those who live in poverty.  Jesus recognized those who put in out of their abundance.  However, Jesus commended the widow for giving out of her poverty.  We live comfortable lives with enough money in our pockets and abundant food on our tables.  How do Jesus’ words about giving out of our poverty apply to us?

I believe Jesus calls us to give out of our poverty as well.  Our scarcity might be time, as the demands on our time seem to exceed the number of hours in a day.  Or our scarcity might be love as we work to love those who hold views so very different from our own.  Or perhaps our scarcity is hope as violence snuffs out even more innocent lives, or faith that we can do anything to bring about a better world.  Our poverty is whatever seems so scarce that we must hold on tightly to what little we have.  The more tightly we hold on to our scarcity, the less open we are to God’s abundance. Like the widow’s mite or the bit of oil and bread, these stories call us to let go of what feels scarce and rely on God rather than the strength of our grip.  Jesus watched the rich give out of their abundance and Jesus watched the widow give out of her poverty.  Jesus calls us to give not only out of our abundance, which requires generosity, but to give out of our poverty, which requires faith.

                                                                    Amen.