Sharing From Poverty
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series IV, Cycle B
Sharing From Poverty
He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then 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." (vv. 41-44)
When I was a student at Oklahoma City University, I participated in the United Methodist Student Fellowship, a college Christian organization for study and service. Each spring break we went on a mission trip to Corpus Christi, Texas, to work in a local soup kitchen named Loaves and Fishes. We also would take one day to travel further south. We would cross the border into Reynosa, Mexico, to visit an orphanage ran by the Salvation Army. Moreover, we would see how far we could stretch our college budgets in the Mexican shops.
On one such trip to the orphanage in 1986, we took various supplies to donate to the children. It wasn't much. After all, we were college students, but we scraped together some blankets and pillows. We also took with us some candy to hand out to the kids. We shared a bag of Smarties -- the small round multi-colored candy that had fifteen pieces wrapped in a cellophane wrapper.
As we were playing soccer and Frisbee with the children in a courtyard, one little girl about four or five years old came up to me to share her candy. I was stunned, shocked, and greatly touched. I knelt down to look her in the eye, and in my limited Spanish said, "No gracias." She insisted, so I reluctantly and graciously accepted her offer.
This little girl barely received the basic necessities in life -- food and toiletries. Candy was a luxury that appeared once in a blue moon. It wasn't like with my kids now. We never buy candy, and yet we always have an endless supply. We can't seem to eat what we receive at each school holiday party before the next sack or pumpkin load comes in. We have more candy than our teeth can handle.
When this little girl came up to me to share her candy, she was not sharing out of her wealth. Like the widow, she was giving out of her poverty. Both faithfully sacrificed -- showing generosity, gratitude, and faith. Sacrifice in giving shows the value of faith. There is a spiritual truth that the level of our generosity is equal to the level of our faith. When the little Mexican girl was generous, like the widow in scripture, we can clearly see that faith.
He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then 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." (vv. 41-44)
When I was a student at Oklahoma City University, I participated in the United Methodist Student Fellowship, a college Christian organization for study and service. Each spring break we went on a mission trip to Corpus Christi, Texas, to work in a local soup kitchen named Loaves and Fishes. We also would take one day to travel further south. We would cross the border into Reynosa, Mexico, to visit an orphanage ran by the Salvation Army. Moreover, we would see how far we could stretch our college budgets in the Mexican shops.
On one such trip to the orphanage in 1986, we took various supplies to donate to the children. It wasn't much. After all, we were college students, but we scraped together some blankets and pillows. We also took with us some candy to hand out to the kids. We shared a bag of Smarties -- the small round multi-colored candy that had fifteen pieces wrapped in a cellophane wrapper.
As we were playing soccer and Frisbee with the children in a courtyard, one little girl about four or five years old came up to me to share her candy. I was stunned, shocked, and greatly touched. I knelt down to look her in the eye, and in my limited Spanish said, "No gracias." She insisted, so I reluctantly and graciously accepted her offer.
This little girl barely received the basic necessities in life -- food and toiletries. Candy was a luxury that appeared once in a blue moon. It wasn't like with my kids now. We never buy candy, and yet we always have an endless supply. We can't seem to eat what we receive at each school holiday party before the next sack or pumpkin load comes in. We have more candy than our teeth can handle.
When this little girl came up to me to share her candy, she was not sharing out of her wealth. Like the widow, she was giving out of her poverty. Both faithfully sacrificed -- showing generosity, gratitude, and faith. Sacrifice in giving shows the value of faith. There is a spiritual truth that the level of our generosity is equal to the level of our faith. When the little Mexican girl was generous, like the widow in scripture, we can clearly see that faith.
