Sermon November 7 and 8, 2009 Mark 12:38-44; 1 Kings 17:8-16 People were giving their offering. And Jesus was watching. Sat down and watched. Seems like maybe this wasn’t unusual. Entertainment for the day. And how do you suppose Jesus knew how much each person put in? Somehow, either you could see— --or perhaps they were announcing it. Shall we try that here? Just this week, we were talking about this passage, and I heard about churches, who, at the end of the year, would print out and distribute a list showing each family and how much they gave for the year. I don’t think they do that anymore. And we’re not planning to start. But somehow, as Jesus was watching, he knew how much each person was giving. It says: “Many rich people put in large sums.” And you have the sense they were rather proud of that. But then came the widow. How much did she put in? 2 small copper coins. They’re called lepta. The smallest coin you could have. It took somewhere between 4 and 8 to make a penny. My guess is that most people didn’t even notice the widow. For most people, she was invisible. Didn’t really matter. And certainly the money she put in didn’t matter. Just not very important. But Jesus sees things differently than we do. And he calls his disciples together and says 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.” Actually, do you know the literal translation of that last line? She has put in everything she had— --her whole life. Her whole life. So how does it feel to hear those words? How does it feel as one who probably gives out of your abundance? I know I do. I’m feeling a little uncomfortable here. I’m wondering what Jesus expects of me. If Jesus is teaching his disciples, and I’m a follower of Jesus, a disciple— --and so are you— --what is Jesus saying to you and to me? Well, why is Jesus so impressed? Not because of the amount she gave— --that wasn’t much. Then why? Perhaps because she gave so completely. She didn’t just give what was comfortable, but she gave money she needed for everyday life. She didn’t just give leftover change, or a dollar she’d hardly miss, she gave her whole life. And since she probably couldn’t work, there was no way to replace that money. She had given away everything she had, without knowing where food for the next day was coming from. That’s faith. Total trust in a God who provides. Jesus was impressed by that total trust. Impressed enough to tell his disciples. Impressed enough to tell us. At our Monday night Bible study, someone said: “She’s all in.” Now, I haven’t played much poker since college days. But I still know what that means. Do you? To be all in means betting all your chips. Putting it all on the line. Not holding anything back. Risking it all— --on one hand, one play. The widow was all in. She was putting it all on the line. Not holding anything back. Risking it all. And what was she betting on? What was she betting her whole life on? She was risking it all, trusting that God is faithful. That reminds me of the other widow we heard about today. Elijah was God’s prophet. And Elijah was in a life-and-death struggle with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. King Ahab had married Jezebel (who was Phoenician)— --and it created a real powerful alliance. But it also created problems, because Queen Jezebel brought with her the worship of the false god Baal. And Elijah wanted to show that God was the one true God. And so Elijah says to King Ahab: “In the name of God, the living God whom I serve, I tell you, there will not be any rain or dew for the next 2 or 3 years until I say so.” So a drought came on the land, to show that Baal was not in control, and God was. Well, this didn’t make King Ahab very happy. So Elijah had to hide or be killed. And he hid out near Cherith Brook. He drank water from the brook, and God sent ravens with food for Elijah. Why is it interesting that God sent ravens with food? Because they were considered unclean. So the food they brought would be considered unclean. God can’t be put in a box. You’re never quite sure what God will do to provide for God’s people. But as the drought wore one, the brook dried up. And the Lord told Elijah to go to Zarephath— --to the nation where Queen Jezebel came from— --and there a widow would feed him. Interesting again. The great prophet Elijah would be fed by a widow— --powerless in that society. And a foreign widow— --even from the country of the evil queen. And Elijah goes to Zarephath. And there was a widow gathering sticks at the gate of the city. And Elijah calls out to her: “Bring me some water.” And, following the rules of hospitality, she goes to get him some water. And he asks for more. He says: “Bring me some bread, too.” Well, enough was enough. She says to Elijah: “I don’t have anything baked. I just have a little flour in a jar, and a little bit of oil. I’m gathering sticks so that I can go and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” And you know what Elijah says? He says: “Don’t be afraid. Go ahead and do what you were planning to do. But first, Bring me some of your cooked meal, then you can feed yourself. Because you won’t run out of food until it rains.” Now, put yourself in that lady’s place. You have enough food for a final meal, there’s no more food in sight. You figure you and your son will starve to death when the food is gone. And out of the desert comes this man, who says: “Don’t worry about running out of food, but feed me first.” My first thought might be, “If I’m not going to run out, how come you want to eat first?” But what does the widow do? She went and did as Elijah said. “And the jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.” She went all in. She trusted completely. And God was trustworthy. So, what does this mean for you and for you and for me? What does it look like when we go all in following Christ? Well, it probably doesn’t mean that we put all our money in the offering plate. And even if I said it meant that, I don’t know that any of us would do it— --me included. And if somehow you did, I’m not sure we’d know what to do. And it probably doesn’t mean giving our last bit of food to a stranger coming out of the desert. What does it look like for you and for me? I don’t know exactly, but I know that it involves giving our very selves— --not just our leftovers. It involves trust in God— --instead of trust in ourselves. It involves giving our whole lives— --which includes money, but is much more than money. It involves giving in every part of our lives— --not just the time we are together at church activities. It means that every bit of our money, and every bit of our time, and all of our possessions, and all of our abilities— --are gifts from God to be used in service of God. Service that lives itself out every moment of every day. So, our prayer in the morning and at night and every moment in-between can be— --Lord, what do you want me to do for you today? Jesus, what does it mean to follow you today? And then we listen, and think, and follow. And you know why we do all this? You know what a trust fall is? Where you cross your arms, close your eyes, and fall back, and trust that someone will catch you. The 7th grade Confirmation Class had a Faith Retreat this weekend. And we were talking about that Geico commercial, where the man is going to do a trust fall, with the gecko catching him. Bad idea. Why? Because the man doesn’t have enough trust, enough faith? No. He’s got plenty of faith— --just in the wrong thing. If he falls back, it’s going to be bad for him, and, unless the gecko can quickly get out of the way, worse for the gecko. When we go all in, it’s critical that the source of our trust is trustworthy. And our God is. Because the widow wasn’t the only one who gave her whole life. There is one who literally gave his life for you and for me. Who even died on the cross for you and for me. That’s how much Jesus loves you. But he didn’t stay in the grave. He rose again. That’s the power of God’s love. Again and again, God shows that God is trustworthy. Each day, I encourage you to strive with me, to follow the example of the widows. To go all in. In Jesus’ name, Amen