Where love is, God is. That’s your hope, and why you are the hope of the world.
Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
The Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Lect. 32 B
Texts: 1 Kings 17:8-16; Mark 12:38-44; Psalm 146
Beloved in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
It’s really a matter of what you want to focus on today.
Do you want to consider Elijah’s context, where he’s fleeing from a narcissistic evil tyrant who abuses his people, a king furious at Elijah for daring to speak God’s Word to him?
Or Jesus’ context, occupied Palestine under imperial oppression, where some of the wealthy religious leaders are manipulating the system and crushing people to enhance their wealth, “devouring widow’s houses,” as Jesus says?
Today we’re dealing with deep grief, anxiety, disgust, anger, and dread at what has happened. We legitimately fear for our neighbors’ safety, some of us even fear for ourselves. A lot of people are going to be hurt in the next years, people we love and people we don’t know, if the promised written plan for our country is now executed by those coming to power. That resonates with King Ahab, and Rome, and these wealthy elites.
But they’re just not the important thing here. We sang in our psalm not to put our trust in rulers. They’re just not worth it. And if we don’t focus on them, what we see in both stories is a shining ray of hope.
We see a poor widow act with empathy against all reason.
She and her son are nearly finished. She has enough flour and oil to make one bit of so-called bread, and when they eat that, what’s left is the long, excruciating process of starving to death.
And this prophet wants her to share. Says God will make her jug of oil and jar of meal never run out, if she helps him. Now, there’s no chance she’s ever seen magic food storage bins. No reason to think Elijah’s not just saying this so she’ll feed him.
But she does. This woman with nothing to do but die and watch her son die, shares what she has with this crazy man.
It’s an awesomely beautiful thing to see, the light of this love.
And look – there’s another poor widow acting against all reason.
Maybe she’s one of those widows cheated by the leaders Jesus just condemned, but however she became so poor, she’s down to two chips of copper that aren’t worth a penny.
And she comes into the treasury, where there are thirteen containers with metal trumpet shaped tops that people noisily throw their money in as an offering. Josephus says seven were labeled, designating commanded offerings for doves or sacrifices, or for incense, and so on, and six were labeled for voluntary offerings. Others say only one or two were voluntary ones. But given that Jesus praises her choice, this widow surely went up to the “voluntary” chest.
And she gives all she has. We don’t need to know why to be dazzled by the light of such beautiful, willing generosity.
Our psalm doesn’t trust rulers. But it does invite us to trust and sing praise of God, who cares for all in need.
A God who, we sang, gives justice to those who are oppressed and food to those who hunger, who releases captives and gives sight to the blind, who lifts up all who are bowed down. A God who cares for the stranger and sustains those on the margins of society. And who frustrates the way of the wicked, we sang.
This is the God to whom these beautiful women belong. A God who empowers them to act as God’s love, even if it seems ridiculous and irrational to others.
In these women, you can see the shining light of God’s love in the world. And find hope.
So here and now, can you also see God with us, in our world?
I see God right here, in all of you. Grieving, struggling with fear and anger, worrying who won’t survive this new future, and whether there’s anything we can do about it, you came here anyway. To be with each other, love each other. Even if it’s your first time, you came looking for God. To see if God has a word of hope for you, for the world. You being here is a shining ray of hope that God is here.
And we’re baptizing a little boy today, a sure sign of God’s presence. God will claim Adam and bring him through the waters into the family of Christ. But notice how we frame God’s action. His parents and sponsors will promise to make sure he’s part of a community of faith so he can learn, as we do here, to trust God, proclaim Christ in his words and deeds, care for others, and work for justice and peace. To join us to proclaim Christ, care for others, and work for justice and peace, as we say at the end when we welcome him “into the mission we share.” Today we see in Adam another blessing who will bear God’s creative and redeeming word into the world with us. Oh, this is a shining ray of hope that God is here and will always be here, if God keeps finding people to share this mission.
And you will come to God’s table today, our sure and weekly sign of God’s grace. And yes, it’s a Meal of forgiveness and God’s love for you. But it’s also food for the journey, waybread, strength and filling to help you and me have courage for what we can do today and the next days. It’s God’s lifting up of our hearts to see that even we are God’s grace in this broken world. This shining ray of weekly hope is a certain sign that God is with you and me and all God’s children. For the long haul. For the hard work. For the healing of all things.
The 8th century Christian who wrote the hymn our choir will sing this morning saw what we see today.
Where charity and love are, that’s where God is. In every act of love in a world filled with hate, a world where plans for hate are written and ready to be executed, in every act of love God frustrates the wicked. With us. With you. How can you stop millions of people acting in God’s love in every part of this world?
These two wonderful women gave their all, and that’s your invitation. To pour your heart and love into God’s mission, to care, as God does, for all who are vulnerable and lost and afraid, for all who are hungry and homeless and oppressed. Don’t be discouraged if you think you don’t have much to offer, that your love surely can’t make a difference. A tiny bit of flour and oil, a couple chips of copper, the world disdains as nothing.
But God knows better. Your love, your offering, is as powerful as anything in this world. Because where love is, God is. Let that be your shining ray of hope today, even as God shines from you as you go out into the world.
In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
