In Nomine Iesu
Psalm 95:1-7
November 26, 2009
Thanksgiving Day
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus~
Psalm 95 teaches us that Thanksgiving comes in two sizes: big and small. But unlike the clothes that some of you shoppers will be trying on tomorrow morning, when it comes to thanksgiving, both sizes fit all. It’s not either big thanksgiving or small thanksgiving; it’s both and. For now, just remember, thanksgiving comes in two sizes: big and small.
Psalm 95 begins with big thanksgiving: O come, let us sing to the Lord, let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving, let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise. With those opening verses the Psalmist encourages us to be big and bold with the thanks we bring. We are to be assertive and exuberant and unafraid in our thanksgiving to God. And the primary expression of big thanksgiving is singing and songs of praise. And even if you can’t sing, you can at least “make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.”
But have you noticed that people don’t sing as much as they used to? Outside of the singing we do together here in this place, where else do you sing together with others? I think it’s happening less and less. Songs today are all in digital format. Songs today are downloaded. Songs today are listened to privately on headphones. Songs today are watched on Youtube and those links are e-mailed and facebooked and twittered. But if you yourself are opening your mouth to boldly belt out a tune, you stick out and stand out. That kind of big thanksgiving makes people sit up and take notice.
When we Christians unite our voices to sing the praises of our great God, that’s big thanksgiving. That’s why there’s so much singing here for every service. Those who feel guilty have a hard time singing. Those who are ashamed find it hard to carry a tune. Those who are weighted down by fear and anxiety are too timid to sound out their praises to God. But those whose sins are forgiven, they can’t help but sing. Those who’ve been redeemed by Christ the crucified, they can’t keep their mouths shut. Those who have turned over their worry and anxiety to the God who loves them, they’re ready to make music in their hearts. Those who are looking forward to the life of the world to come, they sing with boldness and beauty because they have been led to praise God with BIG thanksgiving.
But we have a reason for the singing we do. And our songs spell out the reason for that singing. We don’t sing to entertain or to be entertained. We don’t make music for music’s sake. Psalm 95 tells us why we sing with big and bold voices: For the Lord is a great God and a great king above all gods. The deep places of the earth are in His hand the strength of the hills is His also. The sea is His for He made it and His hand formed the dry land. Big thanksgiving always declares what God has done. Big thanksgiving is all about Him—that He’s a great God, that everything is in His hands, that He made the sea and the dry land. Big thanksgiving is third-person praise. It’s all about Him and not about me or you.
But we each have an Old Adam who knows the power of song and big thanksgiving. His chief aim is to make the music less about our great God and more about me and you—our feelings, our emotions, our likes, our dislikes, our tastes and preferences. Satan would love to take a congregation full of thankful singers and turn it into a congregation of customers and consumers, all demanding to have their personal tastes catered to. We all have our individual preferences. But it’s the degree of importance we attach to our preferences that can lead down a slippery slope to where worship revolves around me and my fellow customers, instead of around the God who is the Savior of sinners.
Big thanksgiving is bigger than any one of us individuals. And I’m guessing that the biggest thing the Psalmist ever saw was the ocean. The ocean is big and makes you feel small. In fact for most ancient people, the sea was big and scary. Those crashing waves and roaring waters came to symbolize all the things that threaten us—all the things that scare us—all the things that are way beyond our control. Our big thanksgiving might get interrupted today by all the threatening things that loom large over you. I know there’s something that scares you—something that strikes fear and worry in your heart—something that you can’t control or fix.
Psalm 95 remedies our fear with one simple phrase: “The sea is His for He made it.” In other words, the waves that threaten to wash you away, the frightening things, the things that keep you awake at night—know that your great God controls them. If He could make the sea and everything in it—if He could calm the wind and the waves with a word from His mouth, then this day you can shrink your fear and enlarge your thanksgiving to where it’s big and bold and un-afraid.
But remember, thanksgiving comes in two sizes: big and small. And if big thanksgiving is expressed by exuberantly and joyfully singing our heads off, then small thanksgiving must look and sound different. The Psalmist describes small thanksgiving like this: O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our maker. If big thanksgiving involves our voices, small thanksgiving involves our entire body from head to toe. This little verse about worshiping and bowing and kneeling is teaching us about small thanksgiving. Small thanksgiving doesn’t mean unimportant or insignificant Thanksgiving—far from it.
Small thanksgiving happens when we make ourselves small—when we set aside our big egos and our greedy appetites, and seek to serve the needs of others—when we literally do the little things that make all the difference. Let me demonstrate. The Psalm tells us to bow down and to kneel before the Lord. You know what it means to bow down. And you know what it means to kneel. But the word for worship in Psalm 95 makes us even smaller. The Hebrew word for worship literally means to prostrate oneself. To make yourself prostrate means to go down low like this . . . . When I’m lying prostrate I go from about six feet four inches all the way down to about 8 inches. That’s small thanksgiving.
I can tell you that when you get down on your hands and knees—when you make yourself small like that—you get dirty. And getting dirty is the essence of small thanksgiving. Small thanksgiving gets expressed when we aren’t afraid to get our hands dirtied in the nitty-gritty of the vocations God has given us. When you make yourself small to do the hard work that you’d rather not do—when you yourself do the dirty jobs that you’d rather not do—when you bend down to help your neighbor—when you work to forgive the person who has sinned against you—when you sacrifice for your spouse . . . that’s small thanksgiving. It’s small in the sense that no one may even notice—certainly not the way people notice when you sing out loud. But your God notices—sees all that you do in faith and in thanks to Him. And He delights in both your big and your small thanksgiving.
For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. He is yours. And you are His. It’s Jesus who makes that possible, of course. He’s the One who purchased and won you, not with gold or silver, but with His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death so that you might be His own. And later today, as you do your grazing on turkey and stuffing and potatoes, don’t forget that we are the people of His pasture. The plenty we enjoy is the plenty He supplies. Food and drink, house and home, wife and children—they are all good gifts from our giving God. As the sheep of His hand we know and believe that those hands have nail-scars in them—the deep marks of His deep love for us. Jesus made Himself small on the cross, but He promises to make us big and bold and unafraid in the joy of His resurrection life, which has no end.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
The Gospel According to Daniel
In Nomine Iesu
Daniel 12:1-3
November 15, 2009
Pentecost 24/Proper 28B
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus~
When it comes to the book of Daniel, I have a theory. Like most theories this one needs to be tested. I don’t know if it’s true. Right now it’s just a hunch. My theory is this: When it comes to the book of Daniel, I suspect that most members of this congregation can recall two major events from this major prophet. If I took a poll asking you to tell me about the contents of the book of Daniel, I suspect most of you would tell me about two things. At the top of the list: Daniel in the lions’ den. And a close runner up would be the account of the three men who get thrown into the fiery furnace. A fair share of you could even tell me that those three were named Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
We know those stories from Daniel because those are the stories that editors are sure to include in the children’s Bibles. Those are the stories that get rhymed and illustrated in the Arch book series. Those are the stories that will get taught in our very own Sunday school classrooms this Sunday and next. But this morning I want to expand your Daniel horizons. From now on, whenever you pull up the Daniel file, I want to be sure that it also includes the good news that we heard minutes ago in Daniel chapter twelve. For the next few minutes, allow me to acquaint you with the Gospel according to Daniel.
As a whole, the book of Daniel is challenging. Much of Daniel is what’s called “apocalyptic” literature. Like the New Testament book of Revelation, Daniel contains lots of unusual symbolic imagery, dreams and visions, with a heavy emphasis on the events of the End Times. But the three verses at the center of our attention today are clear and comforting, sure and certain. If you’re wondering what the end of the world will be like, Daniel—in these three verses—tells us almost everything we need to know.
“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise.” The Michael here called a “prince” is perhaps better known as Michael the Archangel. The archangels are sort of like the five-star generals of the armies of heaven. Michael the Archangel is perhaps best known for slaying the satanic serpent in Revelation chapter twelve, which is reflected in the artwork on the cover of today’s bulletin. The name Michael means “one who is like God.” And at the end of days, this mighty warrior archangel will be fighting for and protecting the people of God.
This mention of Michael is a wonderful reminder that God is working for you and for the benefit of His church even in ways that are mostly unseen. The Bible tells us, for instance, that angels are here among us this morning, in this place, as we gather around the Lord Jesus and His gifts. The words of the proper preface remind us of the unseen guests who join us for every Divine Service: angels, archangels and all the company of heaven. Martin Luther saw fit to remind us that we should begin and end each day asking God, “Let Your holy angel be with me that the wicked foe have no power over me.”
The angels of God are a daily reality in our lives. But because their presence is largely unseen, we tend to ignore and forget about this gracious dimension of God’s care for us. When tragedy is narrowly averted—when we walk away unscathed from twisted wreckage—when we turn away from shameful sin and vice at the last minute—does it even cross our minds that the holy angels of God may be at work on our behalf? Or are we more likely to conclude that dumb luck and chance simply landed in our favor?
Dumb luck and chance will get you nothing when it comes to the end of the world as we know it. You’ll be glad for the assistance of the angels at that time. Just how bad will it be? Daniel tells us: “There will be a time of distress such as has not been from the beginning of nations until then.” Just think of all the distressing times we read about in the history books: wars, famines, pandemics, natural disasters, revolutions, ethnic cleansing and mass murder. Daniel reminds us, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” In short, as the end approaches, know that things in the world and in the church will get worse, not better. Distress will increase, not decrease. We’re not evolving into a better world, but devolving into days of distress.
And do not be deceived—your government will not be there to rescue you. The false god of government will be rendered impotent as the end draws near. I love my country. I treasure the freedoms we enjoy because of those who pledged their sacred honor and their very lives to battle against tyranny. The United States Constitution is perhaps one of the finest documents ever penned by human authors. But big government is quickly replacing our great God in the hearts of many. Do we fear, love and trust in God above all things? Or is it Washington we look to for deliverance and rescue? Whether it be the economy or the flu pandemic or climate change or healthcare—the prevailing sentiment today seems to be that our government will bless us and keep us safe from all harm and danger.
To that Daniel would say, “Do not be deceived. Don’t bow down to that idol.” Daniel himself had been a citizen of Jerusalem—God’s holy city. But God Himself used the Babylonians to destroy it and burn it. And this is why Daniel found himself in Babylon. God’s people will be delivered, even as earthly kingdoms rise and fall. In fact, Daniel reminds us that it’s not your earthly citizenship that matters. Instead, “Everyone whose name is found written in the book will be delivered.” That’s a reference to the Lamb’s book of life, mentioned many times in the Bible.
There’s a great multitude of people whose names are in that book, who are saved by grace through faith for the sake of Jesus. It’s comforting to me that it’s always referred to as the “book” of life. The names of those who belong to the Lord are written down in a book. I like this metaphor because whenever something is written down and published as a book, there’s an air of finality about it. I routinely write things down on post-its. Post-its are colorful and sticky and I use them to record some fairly important names and numbers. But post-its aren’t perfect. They aren’t made to last forever. I lose them sometimes. I also write down important information in electronic format and store it on my laptop. I’m sure nothing bad will ever happen to the information I’ve got stored on my laptop (knock, knock, knock!).
But books have a little more staying power, don’t they? In God’s book, the names of those who trust in Jesus are written down, recorded, preserved. It shows that God means business when it comes to your salvation. He will never forget the promises He first made to you in your baptism. It doesn’t mean “once saved, always saved,” but it does mean that your salvation has been in the works since before the world began. And when your days in this world are winding down—or when this world itself is flaming out—what comfort and joy it will be to know that your name is inscribed in the Lamb’s book of life.
I told you moments ago that Daniel’s words about the end of time were clear and comforting. How’s this for clarity? “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.” On the Last Day God is going to raise up you and all the dead. Please note that all will be raised—believers and unbelievers—no exclusions. The believers in Christ will awaken to everlasting life; the unbelievers to shame and everlasting contempt. Or to put it in the language of the New Testament, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Some of you have been listening to my sermons for several years. You know that I’m not what you might call a “fire and brimstone” preacher. God hasn’t called me to scare people into heaven. But make no mistake. Those who foolishly reject God’s gracious gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ will face an eternity of shame and regret.
But those who are wise will shine, Daniel tells us. In the Bible to be “wise,” doesn’t necessarily mean to be smart or even highly intelligent. Those who are wise are those who hear the Word of God and keep it. Those who are wise are not perfect. They daily sin much and deserve nothing but punishment. Those who are wise believe that Jesus is their Savior—that His blood has cleansed them from all guilt and sin. Those who are wise view Jesus as their substitute—who kept God’s law perfectly on their behalf, and took the punishment they deserve.
Those who are wise will enjoy an eternity in God’s presence. They will shine like the brightness of the heavens. You are wise because you’ve got your eyes fixed on Jesus. And Daniel declares that by your words and by your witness, you can bring others along with you. “Those who lead many to righteousness [will shine] like the stars forever and ever.” You are wise and you enjoy the righteousness of Christ because someone cared enough about you to bring you to church, to teach you about Jesus, to bring you to baptism. Sinners can’t become wise on their own. They must be led. They must be brought. They must be invited, just as you were. Your God loves it when more are taught and more are brought to join in His feast of victory.
Here’s the good news from Daniel this day. God’s angels are watching over you today, and all the more as the Last Day draws near. Your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. On the Last Day God will raise up you and all the dead, and will give eternal life to you and all believers in Christ. That faith you’ve been given in Christ makes you wise. That wisdom isn’t always apparent today. Today you might feel like you’re in the lions’ den or about to get burned up in a furnace of fire. But that’s not the last word. God gets the last word. And according to Him, for all eternity you will shine like the stars, reflecting the glory of your great God. Here ends the Gospel according to Daniel. Amen.
Daniel 12:1-3
November 15, 2009
Pentecost 24/Proper 28B
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus~
When it comes to the book of Daniel, I have a theory. Like most theories this one needs to be tested. I don’t know if it’s true. Right now it’s just a hunch. My theory is this: When it comes to the book of Daniel, I suspect that most members of this congregation can recall two major events from this major prophet. If I took a poll asking you to tell me about the contents of the book of Daniel, I suspect most of you would tell me about two things. At the top of the list: Daniel in the lions’ den. And a close runner up would be the account of the three men who get thrown into the fiery furnace. A fair share of you could even tell me that those three were named Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
We know those stories from Daniel because those are the stories that editors are sure to include in the children’s Bibles. Those are the stories that get rhymed and illustrated in the Arch book series. Those are the stories that will get taught in our very own Sunday school classrooms this Sunday and next. But this morning I want to expand your Daniel horizons. From now on, whenever you pull up the Daniel file, I want to be sure that it also includes the good news that we heard minutes ago in Daniel chapter twelve. For the next few minutes, allow me to acquaint you with the Gospel according to Daniel.
As a whole, the book of Daniel is challenging. Much of Daniel is what’s called “apocalyptic” literature. Like the New Testament book of Revelation, Daniel contains lots of unusual symbolic imagery, dreams and visions, with a heavy emphasis on the events of the End Times. But the three verses at the center of our attention today are clear and comforting, sure and certain. If you’re wondering what the end of the world will be like, Daniel—in these three verses—tells us almost everything we need to know.
“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise.” The Michael here called a “prince” is perhaps better known as Michael the Archangel. The archangels are sort of like the five-star generals of the armies of heaven. Michael the Archangel is perhaps best known for slaying the satanic serpent in Revelation chapter twelve, which is reflected in the artwork on the cover of today’s bulletin. The name Michael means “one who is like God.” And at the end of days, this mighty warrior archangel will be fighting for and protecting the people of God.
This mention of Michael is a wonderful reminder that God is working for you and for the benefit of His church even in ways that are mostly unseen. The Bible tells us, for instance, that angels are here among us this morning, in this place, as we gather around the Lord Jesus and His gifts. The words of the proper preface remind us of the unseen guests who join us for every Divine Service: angels, archangels and all the company of heaven. Martin Luther saw fit to remind us that we should begin and end each day asking God, “Let Your holy angel be with me that the wicked foe have no power over me.”
The angels of God are a daily reality in our lives. But because their presence is largely unseen, we tend to ignore and forget about this gracious dimension of God’s care for us. When tragedy is narrowly averted—when we walk away unscathed from twisted wreckage—when we turn away from shameful sin and vice at the last minute—does it even cross our minds that the holy angels of God may be at work on our behalf? Or are we more likely to conclude that dumb luck and chance simply landed in our favor?
Dumb luck and chance will get you nothing when it comes to the end of the world as we know it. You’ll be glad for the assistance of the angels at that time. Just how bad will it be? Daniel tells us: “There will be a time of distress such as has not been from the beginning of nations until then.” Just think of all the distressing times we read about in the history books: wars, famines, pandemics, natural disasters, revolutions, ethnic cleansing and mass murder. Daniel reminds us, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” In short, as the end approaches, know that things in the world and in the church will get worse, not better. Distress will increase, not decrease. We’re not evolving into a better world, but devolving into days of distress.
And do not be deceived—your government will not be there to rescue you. The false god of government will be rendered impotent as the end draws near. I love my country. I treasure the freedoms we enjoy because of those who pledged their sacred honor and their very lives to battle against tyranny. The United States Constitution is perhaps one of the finest documents ever penned by human authors. But big government is quickly replacing our great God in the hearts of many. Do we fear, love and trust in God above all things? Or is it Washington we look to for deliverance and rescue? Whether it be the economy or the flu pandemic or climate change or healthcare—the prevailing sentiment today seems to be that our government will bless us and keep us safe from all harm and danger.
To that Daniel would say, “Do not be deceived. Don’t bow down to that idol.” Daniel himself had been a citizen of Jerusalem—God’s holy city. But God Himself used the Babylonians to destroy it and burn it. And this is why Daniel found himself in Babylon. God’s people will be delivered, even as earthly kingdoms rise and fall. In fact, Daniel reminds us that it’s not your earthly citizenship that matters. Instead, “Everyone whose name is found written in the book will be delivered.” That’s a reference to the Lamb’s book of life, mentioned many times in the Bible.
There’s a great multitude of people whose names are in that book, who are saved by grace through faith for the sake of Jesus. It’s comforting to me that it’s always referred to as the “book” of life. The names of those who belong to the Lord are written down in a book. I like this metaphor because whenever something is written down and published as a book, there’s an air of finality about it. I routinely write things down on post-its. Post-its are colorful and sticky and I use them to record some fairly important names and numbers. But post-its aren’t perfect. They aren’t made to last forever. I lose them sometimes. I also write down important information in electronic format and store it on my laptop. I’m sure nothing bad will ever happen to the information I’ve got stored on my laptop (knock, knock, knock!).
But books have a little more staying power, don’t they? In God’s book, the names of those who trust in Jesus are written down, recorded, preserved. It shows that God means business when it comes to your salvation. He will never forget the promises He first made to you in your baptism. It doesn’t mean “once saved, always saved,” but it does mean that your salvation has been in the works since before the world began. And when your days in this world are winding down—or when this world itself is flaming out—what comfort and joy it will be to know that your name is inscribed in the Lamb’s book of life.
I told you moments ago that Daniel’s words about the end of time were clear and comforting. How’s this for clarity? “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.” On the Last Day God is going to raise up you and all the dead. Please note that all will be raised—believers and unbelievers—no exclusions. The believers in Christ will awaken to everlasting life; the unbelievers to shame and everlasting contempt. Or to put it in the language of the New Testament, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Some of you have been listening to my sermons for several years. You know that I’m not what you might call a “fire and brimstone” preacher. God hasn’t called me to scare people into heaven. But make no mistake. Those who foolishly reject God’s gracious gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ will face an eternity of shame and regret.
But those who are wise will shine, Daniel tells us. In the Bible to be “wise,” doesn’t necessarily mean to be smart or even highly intelligent. Those who are wise are those who hear the Word of God and keep it. Those who are wise are not perfect. They daily sin much and deserve nothing but punishment. Those who are wise believe that Jesus is their Savior—that His blood has cleansed them from all guilt and sin. Those who are wise view Jesus as their substitute—who kept God’s law perfectly on their behalf, and took the punishment they deserve.
Those who are wise will enjoy an eternity in God’s presence. They will shine like the brightness of the heavens. You are wise because you’ve got your eyes fixed on Jesus. And Daniel declares that by your words and by your witness, you can bring others along with you. “Those who lead many to righteousness [will shine] like the stars forever and ever.” You are wise and you enjoy the righteousness of Christ because someone cared enough about you to bring you to church, to teach you about Jesus, to bring you to baptism. Sinners can’t become wise on their own. They must be led. They must be brought. They must be invited, just as you were. Your God loves it when more are taught and more are brought to join in His feast of victory.
Here’s the good news from Daniel this day. God’s angels are watching over you today, and all the more as the Last Day draws near. Your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. On the Last Day God will raise up you and all the dead, and will give eternal life to you and all believers in Christ. That faith you’ve been given in Christ makes you wise. That wisdom isn’t always apparent today. Today you might feel like you’re in the lions’ den or about to get burned up in a furnace of fire. But that’s not the last word. God gets the last word. And according to Him, for all eternity you will shine like the stars, reflecting the glory of your great God. Here ends the Gospel according to Daniel. Amen.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Pennies for Heaven
In Nomine Iesu
St. Mark 12:38-44
November 8, 2009
Pentecost 23/Proper 27B
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus~
From a practical standpoint, the widow’s offering did not matter. The two copper coins she tossed into the temple treasury would have amounted to less than a penny. It was an offering so small that it almost wasn’t worth the trouble of counting. The widow’s offering would do nothing to help pay down the temple debt. It would do nothing to impact work on the mission field. It would feed no hungry and clothe no poor. It would do nothing to help meet the temple working plan. It wouldn’t buy music for the choir or help improve the acoustics. To the eyes of the world, that widow’s offering was probably the least significant thing that transpired at the temple that day.
But to the eyes of Jesus—to Him who sees deep into the heart—that poor widow’s penny-sized offering meant more than all the gold in King Herod’s treasury. It is a little-known truth of the Scriptures that God measures the gifts of His people not based upon the amount that is given, but based upon how much remains, after the offering is given. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” The rich put in big amounts; but even bigger amounts remained in their pockets. The widow put in a microscopic amount; but the amount that remained in her purse was zero. It was a gift that totaled one hundred percent.
Most people—even most believers—would have said that the widow’s offering was foolish and foolhardy. From an investor’s perspective, you’re never supposed to put all of your eggs into one basket. But she put all she had into the offering basket. And what return would she ever get for that investment? She would never see those two copper coins again. What would she live on? How would she eat? I hate to say it, but there must have been some dementia setting in for this dear old widow. How could she do something so impractical, unwise and foolish?
But Jesus saw things differently. Jesus praised her gift. Jesus memorialized her gift. Her gift mattered to the Master. It’s because of Jesus that we’re talking about her offering today, two thousand years after it was given. Open up the pages of the Journal-Sentinel and you will regularly read about the generous gifts of local philanthropists—millionaires who give big bucks to revitalize neighborhoods and build arenas and libraries on university campuses. But the legacies of the Pettits and the Bradleys and the Zilbers and the Cudahays will not last. The brick and mortar that bear those names will disappear. But the sound of that widow’s two copper coins will echo on and on, for the Words of Jesus will never pass away.
But what, exactly, does the widow’s offering mean for us and for the gifts that we bring to this temple? Well, I would like to be able to tell you that since the widow put into the offering all the money she had, that you should put all the money that you have into the offering. She gave one hundred percent; and so should you. Be like the widow! Amen! But that’s not exactly what Jesus is teaching in this passage. And what’s more, my confirmation students doing sermon reports would be quick to remind me, “Pastor, I couldn’t find any gospel in that sermon you preached on Sunday.” And they would be correct on that. So let’s find a different angle.
Perhaps the widow’s offering leads to more questions than answers. Questions like, what percentage of my income should I return to the Lord? Because remember, it’s not the amount of the offering that matters in Jesus’ eyes; it’s the amount that remains. In other words, it’s the percentage that matters. Are we giving to the Lord out of our abundance, or are we giving out of our poverty? Or to rephrase the question, are we giving to the Lord a reasonable amount? A logical, sensible, practical, rational amount that we can spare? Or is what we’re giving unreasonable, illogical, impractical and irrational? Is our giving based on faith in the living Lord Jesus who has destroyed the power of death and the grave for us? Or is our giving based on the church budget, or worse, based upon the need to give something because that’s what’s expected? Do we give to “keep up appearances” or “for show?” Do we announce it with trumpets, or are we so discreet that our right hand doesn’t know what our left hand is doing? All of these are questions—questions that flow from the widow’s offering.
But there’s also a warning that flows from today’s text. “Watch out,” Jesus said. “Watch out for the teachers of the law.” The teachers of the law are the polar opposite of the widow who quietly gave one hundred percent. The trouble with the teachers of the law was that they did everything “for show.” Their prayers, their preaching, their piety—it was all done for popular consumption. It was all done so that other people would see it, and praise them and pay them and honor them and reward them. Watch out for them, Jesus says.
Watch out that, as you live out your faith in Jesus Christ in works of love and mercy, that you aren’t doing those things “for a show,” for other people to see and admire. The trouble is that we’re all teachers of the law in that respect. We each have an Old Adam who is a first-rate exhibitionist—saying good words and doing good deeds and giving good offerings, but only doing it for the love of the limelight—full of fake and phony humility.
The poor widow in today’s text teaches us to test our motives. She went to the temple and gave everything she had. She would get no receipt for her gift. She would get no tax deduction the following April. Nobody would praise her. Nobody would applaud her. Nobody in the world would see or recognize the incredible sacrifice she was making that day. Nobody, that is . . . except Jesus. For Jesus notices what we do not notice. Jesus always recognizes faith in action. What you and I might call irrational, illogical and unreasonable behavior—Jesus calls faithfulness.
When you stop and think about it, it really shouldn’t surprise us that the widow’s offering caught the eye of Jesus. The widow gave everything—all she had. It was an act of total devotion, motivated only for reasons of love. Do you see where this is heading? Do you see where this poor widow is pointing us? With her pennies for heaven she preaches a sermon more powerful than any preacher or teacher of the law ever could. For she is pointing us to Jesus—to the offering He Himself would give on Calvary’s cross. In the end it was Jesus who was punished most severely, for despite all the positive associations that we have for the cross, the cross was nothing but a Roman tool of torture and execution. There Jesus gave Himself for you, for your sins, in an act of total devotion, motivated only for reasons of love. Like the poor widow, Jesus gave one hundred percent. He held nothing back, but gave Himself up for your salvation.
No one can hear of what happened to the sinless Son of God on that dark Friday and not conclude that the love Jesus displayed that day was irrational, illogical and unreasonable. Nothing could justify the spillage of that innocent man’s blood. Unless of course you see that blood as an offering—an offering to God made on your behalf—for your forgiveness. In that offering is your redemption, paid out not with gold or silver or even copper coins, but with every drop of His holy, precious blood—every drop shed for you. Jesus poured into His passion ALL He owned, ALL He had to live on, ALL that He might make you rich.
Do you believe that? Do you believe that you are rich through faith in Jesus? I’m here to tell you, you are. Your every debt has been paid by Jesus. You have a pension plan to which you didn’t contribute, which will pay you eternal dividends. You are at least as rich as the poor widow whose offering was noticed by Jesus as the greatest gift given that day. If you do believe that, then watch out. That kind of faith has been known to cause irrational, illogical, unreasonable expressions of love and mercy and generosity. And each of those expressions is an offering—an offering done not for show, but out of love for Jesus who by His poverty makes us rich. Amen.
St. Mark 12:38-44
November 8, 2009
Pentecost 23/Proper 27B
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus~
From a practical standpoint, the widow’s offering did not matter. The two copper coins she tossed into the temple treasury would have amounted to less than a penny. It was an offering so small that it almost wasn’t worth the trouble of counting. The widow’s offering would do nothing to help pay down the temple debt. It would do nothing to impact work on the mission field. It would feed no hungry and clothe no poor. It would do nothing to help meet the temple working plan. It wouldn’t buy music for the choir or help improve the acoustics. To the eyes of the world, that widow’s offering was probably the least significant thing that transpired at the temple that day.
But to the eyes of Jesus—to Him who sees deep into the heart—that poor widow’s penny-sized offering meant more than all the gold in King Herod’s treasury. It is a little-known truth of the Scriptures that God measures the gifts of His people not based upon the amount that is given, but based upon how much remains, after the offering is given. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” The rich put in big amounts; but even bigger amounts remained in their pockets. The widow put in a microscopic amount; but the amount that remained in her purse was zero. It was a gift that totaled one hundred percent.
Most people—even most believers—would have said that the widow’s offering was foolish and foolhardy. From an investor’s perspective, you’re never supposed to put all of your eggs into one basket. But she put all she had into the offering basket. And what return would she ever get for that investment? She would never see those two copper coins again. What would she live on? How would she eat? I hate to say it, but there must have been some dementia setting in for this dear old widow. How could she do something so impractical, unwise and foolish?
But Jesus saw things differently. Jesus praised her gift. Jesus memorialized her gift. Her gift mattered to the Master. It’s because of Jesus that we’re talking about her offering today, two thousand years after it was given. Open up the pages of the Journal-Sentinel and you will regularly read about the generous gifts of local philanthropists—millionaires who give big bucks to revitalize neighborhoods and build arenas and libraries on university campuses. But the legacies of the Pettits and the Bradleys and the Zilbers and the Cudahays will not last. The brick and mortar that bear those names will disappear. But the sound of that widow’s two copper coins will echo on and on, for the Words of Jesus will never pass away.
But what, exactly, does the widow’s offering mean for us and for the gifts that we bring to this temple? Well, I would like to be able to tell you that since the widow put into the offering all the money she had, that you should put all the money that you have into the offering. She gave one hundred percent; and so should you. Be like the widow! Amen! But that’s not exactly what Jesus is teaching in this passage. And what’s more, my confirmation students doing sermon reports would be quick to remind me, “Pastor, I couldn’t find any gospel in that sermon you preached on Sunday.” And they would be correct on that. So let’s find a different angle.
Perhaps the widow’s offering leads to more questions than answers. Questions like, what percentage of my income should I return to the Lord? Because remember, it’s not the amount of the offering that matters in Jesus’ eyes; it’s the amount that remains. In other words, it’s the percentage that matters. Are we giving to the Lord out of our abundance, or are we giving out of our poverty? Or to rephrase the question, are we giving to the Lord a reasonable amount? A logical, sensible, practical, rational amount that we can spare? Or is what we’re giving unreasonable, illogical, impractical and irrational? Is our giving based on faith in the living Lord Jesus who has destroyed the power of death and the grave for us? Or is our giving based on the church budget, or worse, based upon the need to give something because that’s what’s expected? Do we give to “keep up appearances” or “for show?” Do we announce it with trumpets, or are we so discreet that our right hand doesn’t know what our left hand is doing? All of these are questions—questions that flow from the widow’s offering.
But there’s also a warning that flows from today’s text. “Watch out,” Jesus said. “Watch out for the teachers of the law.” The teachers of the law are the polar opposite of the widow who quietly gave one hundred percent. The trouble with the teachers of the law was that they did everything “for show.” Their prayers, their preaching, their piety—it was all done for popular consumption. It was all done so that other people would see it, and praise them and pay them and honor them and reward them. Watch out for them, Jesus says.
Watch out that, as you live out your faith in Jesus Christ in works of love and mercy, that you aren’t doing those things “for a show,” for other people to see and admire. The trouble is that we’re all teachers of the law in that respect. We each have an Old Adam who is a first-rate exhibitionist—saying good words and doing good deeds and giving good offerings, but only doing it for the love of the limelight—full of fake and phony humility.
The poor widow in today’s text teaches us to test our motives. She went to the temple and gave everything she had. She would get no receipt for her gift. She would get no tax deduction the following April. Nobody would praise her. Nobody would applaud her. Nobody in the world would see or recognize the incredible sacrifice she was making that day. Nobody, that is . . . except Jesus. For Jesus notices what we do not notice. Jesus always recognizes faith in action. What you and I might call irrational, illogical and unreasonable behavior—Jesus calls faithfulness.
When you stop and think about it, it really shouldn’t surprise us that the widow’s offering caught the eye of Jesus. The widow gave everything—all she had. It was an act of total devotion, motivated only for reasons of love. Do you see where this is heading? Do you see where this poor widow is pointing us? With her pennies for heaven she preaches a sermon more powerful than any preacher or teacher of the law ever could. For she is pointing us to Jesus—to the offering He Himself would give on Calvary’s cross. In the end it was Jesus who was punished most severely, for despite all the positive associations that we have for the cross, the cross was nothing but a Roman tool of torture and execution. There Jesus gave Himself for you, for your sins, in an act of total devotion, motivated only for reasons of love. Like the poor widow, Jesus gave one hundred percent. He held nothing back, but gave Himself up for your salvation.
No one can hear of what happened to the sinless Son of God on that dark Friday and not conclude that the love Jesus displayed that day was irrational, illogical and unreasonable. Nothing could justify the spillage of that innocent man’s blood. Unless of course you see that blood as an offering—an offering to God made on your behalf—for your forgiveness. In that offering is your redemption, paid out not with gold or silver or even copper coins, but with every drop of His holy, precious blood—every drop shed for you. Jesus poured into His passion ALL He owned, ALL He had to live on, ALL that He might make you rich.
Do you believe that? Do you believe that you are rich through faith in Jesus? I’m here to tell you, you are. Your every debt has been paid by Jesus. You have a pension plan to which you didn’t contribute, which will pay you eternal dividends. You are at least as rich as the poor widow whose offering was noticed by Jesus as the greatest gift given that day. If you do believe that, then watch out. That kind of faith has been known to cause irrational, illogical, unreasonable expressions of love and mercy and generosity. And each of those expressions is an offering—an offering done not for show, but out of love for Jesus who by His poverty makes us rich. Amen.
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