Jesus said:

Look out for those guys who like to parade around to get admiring looks for their high positions.  They’re really conscience-less predators who while praying ever so beautifully are in the background arranging to take every last dime of the poorest among you.  They’re going to get theirs!

And, Jesus sat down in the Church and watched the people put their envelopes and money in the collection basket.  Many of the wealthier members, with a great flourish, put in 100 dollar bills.  A poor widow put in a couple of pennies, not worth a dime.  Jesus turned to his pew-mates and said, “Look at that.  That poor woman put in more than all those others.  They gave from their abundance; she gave all she had.”

And, Jesus said:  Shame on her.  And shame on them all.

Okay, let’s just let that astonishing remark just sit there for a moment.

While doing my research for the homily today, I came across the following little story that tickled me.  I’m not much of a comedian, but I’ll try.  I could never tell a good joke, so, like my sermon, I’m going to have to read it a bit:

[Make ringing sound.  Secretary picks up phone:  Hello, this is St. Swithin’s, Francine the Church secretary speaking.  Mmm, hmm.  Lifting eyebrows.  “Sir, what did you say?”  Lifting eyebrows further.  “Sir, I must insist that if you wish to speak to our priest you should address him as Father, or Charles, or Sir, or Mister, or Pastor, but asking to speak to the ‘Head Hog at the Trough’ is really over the top.…  Mmm. Hmm.  …Oh.  Oh, dear.  Yes, I see.  You want to speak to him because you’re interested in contributing 10,000 to the building fund.  Yes, I… Right.  Ah, ha. Oh, Sir, you’re in luck, the Big Pig himself just walked in the door.”

Yes, don’t we all harbor some of that from all our days in church, that sentiment that preachers are money-grubbing and just talk, talk, talk about money and about giving more, and about making “sacrificial offerings,” or “tithes – whatever that’s supposed to mean.”  One of my priest friends - in one of my field assignments - when the 2 dollar bill appeared in 1976, asked the congregation to stop putting 1 dollar bills into the collection basket and instead put in the same amount of 2 dollar bills.  He hoped the collection would go up substantially.  Since I don’t remember, I expect it didn’t.

Anyway, back to our gospel.

Yes, I did said shame on the poor widow and shame on the wealthy, and shame on them all. Us all, I guess, too, to the extent the problem applies to us.

I am personally grateful this gospel came up for me to preach on, because I had to do some research and found out something I never, ever knew.  And, it has been liberating this week to consider it. 

You see, I grew up in a Church where I almost always felt guilty about something.  I don’t think that’s even near exclusive to the particular church I was in.  I suspect all of us involved in what’s called “Organized Religion” have similar feelings about some things.  Yes, and not giving enough money is right up there in the top ten of guilt-inducing feelings.

I don’t doubt that the guilt about that is one of the REAL reasons that many of our churches don’t grow.  How’s that?  People, no matter how wealthy, don’t like feeling guilt and no matter how much money you pledge or give, you know down deep it’s nowhere near the widow’s mite, or “everything we own.”  So, those of us who do come to church and decided to stay can somehow stifle that guilt – maybe we overcame it with denial or heard a good sermon – ahem (smile).  But, I do think that guilt about how much money is asked for by the church is a limiting factor in attendance, growth, spiritual satisfaction, participation in activities, and a lot more.

Doesn’t it seem strange I’d be talking about this right after our Commitment Sunday in the midst of our pledge season, so to speak?

Well, I’ve some pretty good news, I think.  At least it is to me, and as I said, found liberating of some of the big baggage of guilt I’ve carried around when I have compared myself and my commitment to God to the poor widow of today’s gospel.

Here’s the thing.  Jesus did not praise the widow.  It only seemed that way, because that’s the way we’ve always heard the story.  But consider this, Jesus didn’t anywhere else seem much interested in money sacrifices given to God, and certainly was almost rabid when it came to giving to the established religious structure.  The true thrust of his teachings gives clarity that he was all about the church, as we might call it, giving to the poor, not the poor giving to the church. 

And why shame on the poor widow?  Because, what scripture scholars tell us is that Jesus did not think much of her gift to the church, so to speak, because it came from the same place inside that the gifts of the wealthy came.  That is, because all of them were embedded in a culture that taught giving money to the church, or in his time, the Temple Treasury, would somehow make them worthy in the sight of God, make them clean from sin, and the more you gave, or rather, the higher PERCENTAGE of what you had you gave, the more God would love you.  True, she was exploited by her religion, but so were they all.  And to think they all knew the Old Testament prohibition that “thou shalt not exploit or oppress the widow.”  That is, Power must be used for Justice not Oppression.

That’s important:  Power must be used for Justice not Oppression.

Oy, vey Jesus must have said to himself (assuming he talked that way).  They just don’t get it.

TV evangelists today urge people to give ‘til it hurts, then give more, because it shows how much you love God.  Or, Give more money because you did a bad thing and want somehow to make up for it. Nope.  It won’t help.  It won’t work.  God doesn’t need the cash.  And, though I feel really scared saying it, the Church doesn’t either.  I’ll go even further.  The Church doesn’t even want the money if it is given with even the smallest taint of guilt. 

Imagine Jesus standing here before us, with his hand out, saying “Okay all of you, hand over your wallets, your purses, your stock portfolios, your 401Ks and your jewelry.  If you leave anything behind, I’ll know about it and it’s going to go hard on you.”  That’s really not too far from what the early church and medieval church said, and some churches even today say. 

Nope.  And, I believe in my heart that this is not just some “new, progressive, knee-jerk liberal, social activist clergyman’s wrong-headed and erroneous interpretation of the gospel.” 

You see, the gospel scholars tell us that most likely what Jesus meant here in this story, which seems so oddly out of place, is that the poor widow was a metaphor for himself.  Huh?  Yes.  The meta-story, or the story beyond the scene portrayed, is about Jesus himself, who though the poorest of the poor, gives everything he has, including his own earthly life, out of love and gratitude to God, and for the sake of us all. 

The praise for the widow implied by our old interpretation of this story belongs not to the poor widow, but to Jesus Christ.

Jesus did it all for us.  Jesus did it all for God.  And Jesus did it not one bit out of guilt, but all if it out of love and compassion and gratitude.

Is it any wonder then that he called attention to this gospel scene?  Is it any wonder that he perhaps thought to himself, “how can I get this concept across to my friends, that none of these people giving money into the Treasury are praiseworthy?  He might think on, “It’s just that they don’t understand that God doesn’t want or need their sin offerings or their guilt offerings. God wants to GIVE TO THEM EVERYTHING THEY COULD EVER WANT OR NEED OR EVEN KNOW THEY WANT OR NEED.  GOD OFFERS THEM LIFE, OFFERS THEM LIFE EVERLASTING, OFFERS THEM A LIFE OF ABUNDANCE, A LIFE OF JOY, A LIFE OF JUMPING UP AND DOWN GLEE!”  That’s what he was thinking (I think).  How would we know?  Because JESUS DID IT ALL for us, and he showed us beyond all doubt and beyond all reason in his own life that God wants to give us everything and that God loves us so much that he would even us the Christ that we have eternal life.

Ay, yie, yie.  Now this gospel reading makes sense.  Now you know why my study of this passage, and reading some of the work done by so many scripture scholars has given me such a sense of personal liberation. Yes, the church needs money.  Of course it does.  How silly to think it doesn’t.  And yes, the church asks for your money. Of course it does, how silly to think it won’t. 

What to do about all this then, practically.  Simple, really.   

First, I will give my money, whatever amount it might be, not based on how much I have or how much I “should” (quote unquote), but because I’m grateful for what the church offers and know that it needs money to continue to offer it.  It persists in offering it to anyone who has ears to hear this saving message of Jesus Christ.  It offers it day in and day out, in season and out.  I want it to go on doing so long after I have departed; for that it needs my help and your help.  Whatever help we give it must be without a trace of guilt. 

Secondly, it is the Church, and our society, and our government, that is -- WE -- who must make better the lives of the poor, and the homeless, and the oppressed, and the victim of crime, and the prisoner, and the retiree living on Social Security, and the children abused, neglected, or exploited, all of them.  Jesus says we must not ask any of them to give to us, we should give to them.  We are their servants, as he is ours.  BUT! Wait.  The service and the giving must be out of gratitude and love, never guilt.  IF it comes from guilt, keep it.   Instead we will seek to change the guilt-inducing structures of our institutions.  And we will seek to promote Social Justice, not just Social Service.

So, yes, this Big Pig standing before you, “moi,” as Miss Piggy would say, would love to talk with anyone here or anywhere who wants to donate $10,000 to this beautiful, wonderful St. Paul’s Church.  Call me anytime, 24/7.  And, I’m only half-kidding.  

And, so, my beloved:  Be grateful to God.  Be compassionate to all people and all the creatures of God.  Be stewards of the revelation of the Good News of Christ, and stewards of God’s marvelous creation.  Serve one another.  Walk humbly before God.  Do Justice.

The money will take care of itself.