Proper 27, Yr B (2024) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
Proper 27, Yr B (2024) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
Mark 12:38-44
In the name of the one, holy, and living God:
in whom we live, and move, and have our being. Amen.
As Christians, what is our purpose?
How do we live our lives in faithfulness to God?
…as followers of Jesus?
Since the first chapter of Mark, some of the temple leaders have been out to get Jesus.
He’s a trouble-maker and disrupter of the temple status quo.
In today’s reading Jesus criticizes the scribes
who seek the places of honor,
demand respect,
and pray long prayers to look pious.
Having been quizzed recently by scribes, chief priests, Pharisees, elders, and Herodians
as to the proper interpretation of the Law on just about every topic,
Jesus has had enough.
He’s had enough because these inquirers aren’t really trying to live Holy lives,
they are trying to trip him up to get rid of him
because he is revealing their hypocrisy.
Today we hear that after all these encounters with the temple elite,
Jesus sits down opposite the treasury and watches the crowd putting in money.
Many rich people put in large sums.
A poor widow comes and puts in two small copper coins,
which are worth a penny.
Then Jesus calls his disciples 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.”
In this passage,
I have always heard Jesus making a judgment on the people contributing to the treasury.
But, upon reading it more carefully,
Jesus doesn’t actually commend or reprimand anyone.
He simply states the facts.
Many rich people put in large sums, out of their abundance.
A poor widow puts in everything she has to live on.
Period.
As we move into the next story in Mark’s gospel,
when Jesus leaves the temple,
one of his disciples comes up and remarks how big and awesome the temple is.
To which Jesus replies,
“Do you see these great buildings?
not one stone will be left here upon another;
all will be thrown down.”
So, taking today’s passage in context,
could it be that Jesus’ judgment is upon the leadership of the Temple
and their failure to care for the poor in their midst?
Of primacy in Mosaic Law was care for the orphan, the alien, and the widow…
all of whom have few resources on their own.
If the temple leadership had been caring for the people in need in the community,
this widow would not have had only two small copper coins to her name!
In observing her faith, she would not have had to give her last penny.
In today’s story from Ruth,
we hear the story of Naomi, a widow, seeing to the security of Ruth, another widow,
who herself is an alien…a stranger in the land.
So, Ruth has a double layer of need: widow and alien.
In Naomi’s making sure that Ruth is taken care of,
the son that is born is a direct ancestor of Jesus!
God often uses those who are “outside the system” to bring
Grace, healing, wholeness, and reconciliation to the world!
What Good News this is!
So, I now return to my original questions:
As Christians, what is our purpose?
How do we live our lives in faithfulness to God?
…as followers of Jesus?
How do we do that as individuals
but also as a community of faith?
As the Body of Christ gathered at St. Andrew’s?
Today, you are receiving your stewardship packets.
Stewardship,
how we use our lives, our resources, our gifts, our talents…
is a year-round, daily undertaking.
However, at this time of year,
we pause and prayerfully reflect on our own gifts
and how we can use them to build up the Kindom of God.
We put our many gifts into the treasury of the church,
and I use the word “treasury” loosely as the church as a gathering place of our gifts.
And then the leadership of the church
prayerfully discerns how to use all our gifts to meet the needs of the community,
folks both gathered here and also in our wider community.
Our community is aging…
how can we meet those changing needs?
Our community has been hit by another hurricane…
how can we meet needs for food, repairs, new housing?
There are children in our community…
how do we provide a safe space where they can be nurtured and grow in faith?
Many in our community live alone…
how can we engage and be neighbors to these folks?
Our church is not about the buildings!
Although our buildings are a gift that we can share.
Our church is about tending to people,
making sure their needs are met.
I look forward to discerning with the vestry and you all
how we respond to the many needs in our community.
We have many gifts and are called to share our abundance.
This morning, I want to close with a letter written by our new Presiding Bishop, Sean Rowe.
He wrote the letter this week upon the occasion of the election,
and he speaks of protecting and tending the vulnerable among us,
as an essential part of our calling as followers of Jesus.
Dear People of God in The Episcopal Church,
Early this morning, we learned that President Trump has been elected to another term as President of the United States. I pray that he will govern wisely and justly.
Regardless of our political allegiances, we must remember that God has called us in The Episcopal Church to seek and serve Christ in all persons. No matter the party in power, we are one church, and we will continue to fulfill our baptismal covenant by proclaiming in word and example the Good News of God in Christ, striving for justice and peace among all people, and protecting the dignity of every human being.
We commit to working with the new administration to advance policies that follow the teachings of Jesus by supporting the most vulnerable among us. Through Episcopal Migration Ministries, we abide by God’s command to welcome the stranger, and since 1988, we have resettled more than 100,000 refugees through a bipartisan program with a strong record of success. We urge President Trump and members of Congress to exercise compassion toward the immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees we serve and to know that, at every turn, we will stand for the dignity and human rights of all of God’s people.
We are Christians who support the dignity, safety, and equality of women and LGBTQ+ people as an expression of our faith. I pray that President Trump and his administration will do the same.
In the coming months, I ask us all to be agents of peace and reconciliation in our communities, both in person and online. As people of faith, we can work and pray for peace and unity among God’s people whether we are joyful, hurting, or afraid. Especially now, when we know of efforts by domestic terrorists and foreign adversaries to undermine our trust in institutions and in one another, we can combat the misinformation and fear by which the Enemy seeks to divide us from one another.
I give thanks for all the ministries in dioceses and congregations across the church that are tangible expressions of our belief in a God of compassion and mercy. In every season, this is the work that God has set before us.
The Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe
Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church
