SERMON, PROPER 27B, MARK 12:38-44

There are a few stories that everyone seems to know regardless of their church attendance: Jonah and the whale (although it’s a fish, but that’s another story), Noah’s ark, the feeding of the 5000, the four horsemen of the apocalypse, and the widow’s mite. There’s probably even one of those Arch Books (like the one about Blind Bartimaeaus) that some of us read in Sunday school.

If you are like me, you probably only heard one interpretation of this story. That interpretation goes something like this:

Look at the widow. Isn’t she a wonderful person because she put in her
last two cents? Just think of what this parish could accomplish if every-
one were as generous as she.

But there is so much more in this passage than that common interpretation. There is the value of the gift. There is the discrepancy between outward appearances and inward depth or spirituality. There is the issue of living by the law rather than by grace. There is the thought that, next to Jesus and John the Baptist, the widow is the only other person to give her entire life for God. And there is the issue of becoming a self-martyr.

Because we are beginning to talk about pledges for 2007 (and yes, I’m about a month behind in that department), I want to focus on the institution we call church and why we pledge our treasure to that institution.

One way to look at this passage is that people give to the church because it’s required. Everyone is expected to give regardless of their income level or what kind of undue burden that would place on the individual. A system is set up in which your membership and the survival of the church are both based on whether or not you pledge money.

Pledging as a way to ensure the survival of the church makes it a business proposition. It’s a business we need to support. Bills are paid and salaries are met. If the desired amount isn’t raked in, people are simply told to give more and they are hounded until they do. They are probably also reminded that God loves a cheerful giver. And no matter the income level of the church, people are always “encouraged” to give more. If people don’t give enough, they are reminded that the failure of the church rests with them.

Another aspect of this is membership and the rise of a class structure within the church. People who pay $1 - 100 are labeled “guests.” $201 - $500 are labeled “prospective members.” $501 - $1000 are labeled “associate members.” $1001 and up are full members. Notice that the institution expects everyone to pay, but only those who pay at acceptable levels receive the benefits of being a member.

It is the full members who are invited to special events, sit on planning boards and govern the church. Or maybe they get the special polo shirts with the parish logo embroidered on them. It becomes a status symbol that allows a person to be recognized as “important” by others.

This type of forced giving, or giving strategy, is ultimately very selfish. And that’s what makes it ultimately unhealthy for everyone involved. A person gives because they have to. Or they give because it gives them a status symbol to hold onto, or puffs them up in other people’s eyes. Giving is done for show. “Look at me, look how generous I am.” That outward showiness can also be a smokescreen used to diffuse scrutiny of a suspicious private life.

We need to turn that around. Instead of giving as a requirement to support the system, or as a way to gain membership and status, giving needs to be based on our level of priorities and values.

Instead of the church taxing its people and setting up an internal class system, what if the people made offerings that allowed for effective ministries? Pledging in a way that invited all people in, not just the right kinds of people with the right amount of money. The motivation moves from giving out of fear or expectation to giving out of thankfulness and Christian values.

What do we want the church to accomplish and how can we help spread the good news? How much do we actually value the mission of the church? This is the difference between giving because it looks good to outsiders and giving because you value the church and its mission. I give not because I have to, but because I want to and I believe in what we can accomplish.

In other words, it's not just about the money. Last week I received a packet from another church asking me if I would be interested in being part of their search process for a new rector. This church has an active children's program, 218 average Sunday attendence, $1.6 million in assets, $0 liabilities and at least double my current salary. It's a very attractive place to be. But there are things that still need to be done here, and we have just started working on them. I am here because I want to be here and I value the possibilities of what we can do together. So I sent the search committee a letter thanking them for their interest and respectively declining to be in the search process. It's not just about the money.

This story of the widow’s mite is as much a condemnation against forced giving as it is about giving because you believe in what God can do. It’s not about supporting the church system. It’s not about how much money you give. It’s about quality, not quantity.

People tend to pay good money for things of quality and things they value. Do we value the message of the gospel and the role we can play in this valley enough to pledge likewise?