Giving

Dr. Jon Burnham preached this sermon from Mark 12:38-44
at Batesville Presbyterian Church on November 12, 2006

Survey the New Testament and you will find Jesus and money mentioned 30 times in the gospels. The references begin with Jesus birth when Wise Men from the East presented gold to baby Jesus and perhaps were granted the blessed opportunity to hold him and kiss his tiny head. The references to money end when Judas Iscariot receives gold for betraying Jesus with a kiss. Money was an essential ingredient in Jesus' life and teaching.

Consider, for instance, the story of the widow's mite. The disciples and Jesus are in the temple in Jerusalem. They are in the part of the temple called the court of women. A crowd of people are standing in line waiting to put their offering in a trumpet shaped receptacle at the treasury. The scene looks similar to how it will look next week when you are standing in line waiting to put your pledge card in an offering plate on top of the communion table. Now Jesus does something extraordinary. He sits down opposite the treasury and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Remember that next week when you walk forward to put your pledge down. Jesus sat down in the temple in Jerusalem and watched what people were putting in the offering plate. He saw some rich people put in large sums of money. Then a poor window came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Suddenly Jesus jumped up and in his excitement he called his disciples and said 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 short, the widow threw it all away and it made Jesus' day.

It made his day because Jesus practiced the same spiritual path as this widow. He practiced the path of kenosis, the path of self-emptying love. Jesus practiced self-emptying love from the moment of his conception in Mary's womb. In his life, Jesus horrified the prim and proper by dining with prostitutes and sinners, telling parables about extravagant giving; by teaching always and everywhere, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth." John's disciples disapproved of him for drinking and banqueting; the Pharisees disapproved of him for healing on the sabbath. But he went his way, giving himself fully into life and death, losing himself, squandering himself, "gambling away every gift God bestows." Finally, Jesus practiced kenosis , self-emptying love, when he humbled himself and became unto death, even death on a cross. (For a fuller discussion of kenosis see Cythia Bourgeault, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening, pp 83-88)

There is another woman in the gospels who practiced the path of kenosis, the path of self-emptying love. Once, when Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper, while he was eating dinner, a woman came up carrying a bottle of very expensive perfume. Opening the bottle, she poured it on his head. Some of the guests became furious among themselves. "That's criminal! A sheer waste! This perfume could have been sold for well over a year's wages and handed out to the poor." They swelled up in anger, nearly bursting with indignation over her. But Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why are you giving her a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me. You will have the poor with you every day for the rest of your lives. Whenever you feel like it, you can do something for them. Not so with me. She did what she could when she could—she pre-anointed my body for burial. And you can be sure that wherever in the whole world the Message is preached, what she just did is going to be talked about admiringly."(Mark 14:3-9, The Message)

A modern movie, Babette's Feast, illustrates the principle of kenosis . Babette is a famous chef in Napoleon's Paris when she has to flee the country due to being caught on the wrong side of a political debate. She flees to Denmark where she takes up residence with a couple of older widow women. These women run a small church of about 20 members that has been continually declining since their father, who had been pastor of the church, died. Babette gets involved with the little church and finds it to be full of bickering, dissension and unrest. One day Babette gets notice she has won the lottery back in France. Shortly thereafter she receives a check for one million dollars. She uses the money to throw an elaborate feast and cook up the finest food available on the planet. The conflicted congregation slowly melts into the moment and over the course of Babette's exquisite seven course meal a healing takes place between the members of the congregation. After the feast, the congregation assumes she will be leaving them since she is now rich. Babette says, "What? Leaving? Rich? I don't have any money. I blew it all on that feast I threw for you all. I'm not going anywhere." Thus does Babette practice the path of kenosis, self-emptying love, throwing it all away in service of others. This is the kind of extravagant giving Jesus practiced. Giving that is way beyond expectations. Beyond the call of duty. All encompassing giving. Time and talents and money. Cheerful giving. Radical giving.

We will each have the opportunity to bring the gospel to bear on our money in the coming wee. You will receive a letter from the church this week. The letter explores our stewardship theme, Noah's Ark, and asks for your commitment via the enclosed pledge card. As you consider your response to Christ's invitation to give, remember the widow in the temple. As you fill out your pledge card and bring it next Sunday for our stewardship dedication. Pray about your giving this week. Ponder the story of the widow in the temple. Remember the story Babette's Feast. Remember that hymn we sometimes sing, "Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe." Then you'll know what to give. It will be very clear to you.