The Worst Sermon

Mark 12:38-44

This morning, all across the country, pastors of various backgrounds woke up with determination, energy, and joy.  They hopped out of bed.   They may have even bypassed the coffee!  And they sped off in their cars, making a beeline for their churches, knowing that something had lined up favorably in the universe.  That’s right: It’s Year B in the Revised Common Lectionary, and that means that the scripture lesson today is about the widow who gave everything she had.  Yes!  That’s the text that the universe placed smack dab in the middle of Stewardship Seasons all across our nation.  Thank you, universe! (And parenthetically, thank you creators of the Revised Common Lectionary!) Slam dunk!

Pastors will stand in their various pulpits today, and they’ll uplift Jesus’ observations about this poor widow.  They’ll call attention to the great sacrifice that she made.  And putting my humor and sarcasm aside for a moment, let me say there will be something great to learn and experience in those sermons.  Those sermons will remind the people in the pews that we too are called to give deeply of ourselves and to trust God with all that we have and all that we are.  Those sermons will be convicting and meaningful.

And thanks to the universe, many pastors will draw parallels to the Stewardship Season.  They’ll say that these rich leaders gave so much, but it cost them so little.  Meanwhile, this poor widow gave everything she had.  They’ll tell their parishioners that we too should give deeply and sacrificially to the Stewardship Campaign and the ministries of the church.  Now let’s be honest: We do know that some of these sermons will be terribly manipulative.  But not all of them.  Some will draw great parallels and inspire church members to greater giving, ministry, and vision.

Thanks to the universe, those sermons will be happening all across our country today.  A lot of pastors are grateful for such favorable synchronicity.

I’ve heard those Year B sermons, and I’m grateful for them.   I’ve even preached in that direction myself.  But this time, I’m thinking a bit differently because I also think that there might be a problem here.  Maybe this text doesn’t line up in the way that some might hope, at least, not in the exact way I’ve outlined.  Maybe Jesus’ observations about the widow aren’t really celebratory at all.  I imagine that Jesus is moved by the widow’s commitment and sacrifice, but I wonder if his observations are really about a tragedy that is taking place in front of his very eyes.

So let’s take our own eyes to that scene, and let’s try to imagine what Jesus and his disciples observed on that day.  First, Jesus observed the scribes, and he saw great hubris, enormous self-pride that surrounded them in all they were doing.  The scribes were experts and teachers of the Jewish Law, but it’s clear that these scribes weren’t practicing the same laws they were teaching.  I wonder what caught Jesus’ attention first.  What moved him so strongly that he shared words of warning when he voiced his observations to his disciples?  Was it how the scribes were dressed?  Was it how they interacted with others?   Jesus was deeply affected by what he saw: He said, “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and be greeted with respect in the market places and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets!”  Jesus saw something so dangerous that he warned his disciples.  But it wasn’t just the scribes’ robes or their desire to have others fawning all over them.  It was more than that. “They devour widows’ houses,” Jesus said.  And their prayers weren’t ultimately for widows, the poor, or others who were struggling.  Jesus said these particular scribes gave long prayers for the sake of appearance.  “They will receive the greater condemnation,” Jesus tells his disciples.  They’re in the wrong here.

And then Jesus and his disciples sat down opposite the treasury and watched.  Let’s imagine the scene together along with them: Some rich people came and put in enormous sums of money, and these enormous sums didn’t go unnoticed.  The sound of them clamored through the air.  The treasury of the temple had long, metallic receptacles that were shaped like trumpets, and people placed their offerings inside.  Sometimes, they flung their offerings inside these receptacles, and when all those metallic coins made contact, the sound went before the givers, and all took notice.  So what happened when Jesus saw the rich, the powerful, and the leaders of this religious institution making spectacles of themselves only to be followed by the little tinkle of two copper coins given by a vulnerable widow?

Jesus saw her.  He called attention to her and voiced his observations perhaps because the others said nothing and noticed nothing.  They were too busy making spectacles of themselves.  Why would they value the great sacrifice of this widow?  But the tragedy is actually greater than ignoring her: These were the people who had the resources to help her and come alongside her and yet, they were spending their time “devouring widows’ houses.”  This woman – this child of God – was giving all she had to live on to the very people who were willing to destroy her.  And this is the tragedy of this text.

And that’s why I’m unsure if those universe-favoring, Year B sermons are most authentic to what’s happening in this story.  But let me be clear: They aren’t “The Worst Sermon” as my sermon title indicates today.  No, “The Worst Sermon” is the one that I preach too often – the one that we all preach too often with our very lives – the one that bypasses those who are poor and suffering, sometimes because we ignore them and we ignore their great contributions, but other times it’s even worse.  “The Worst Sermon” we preach as the Church of Jesus Christ is the one where our lives fortify and serve the very institutions and situations that are devouring and destroying those who are most vulnerable.  That is our very worst sermon.

And it’s a tragedy.  It’s one that should give us pause, and it’s one that should provoke our prayers.  How can we repent?  How can we turn around from living this way?

It’s not easy, but good news today is that this doesn’t have to be our sermon.  And it doesn’t have to be our church.  We have a grace-filled opportunity right here to be a place and a community of faith that lives differently in the face of need.  First of all, we can’t ignore it anymore.  Do you know that 30% -- 1/3 – of children in this zip code live in poverty?  I live in this zip code.  I live in this neighborhood, and I am almost completely insulated from that reality.  And you know other needs and other struggles that you observe in your lives, in this city, in this nation, and around this globe.  The fact that you know them is in and of itself a grace-filled opportunity, and you yourselves are a grace-filled opportunity when you bring these concerns into our sanctuary and into the life of our community through your prayers, your voice, and your actions.  You do that here.  I see it, and it is a grace-filled gift of God.  Thank you.

Our doors and the buildings of our campus don’t have to be an edifice – certainly not a fortress of power, might, and tribute to ourselves.  You know, of the most important ministries of this church will happen in just a few minutes actually.  We need to pay greater attention to it.  When we walk out of these sanctuary doors, and when our Spanish Language service finishes in the chapel, some of its members will go into the Fellowship Hall to faithfully serve people who are struggling: There will be a hot meal, and the God Loves You Food Ministry will distribute groceries to individuals and families who are in a tough place in this economy.  That is a vibrant ministry of this church, and yet, it can only be our Best Sermon when you and I become personally involved with it – yes, that means bringing food and contributing funds – but even more, it coming to know those who are receiving and even more than that, coming to realize their strengths and leadership and great sacrifice.  You and I can do that.

Our doors and the buildings of our campus don’t have to be an edifice at all.  We can open them up.  In fact, we do open them up to a large number of support groups and anonymous groups throughout the week.  A large number of people come to these meetings, looking for direction and support as they make some of the most important and empowering decisions of their lives.  We can pray for them.  We can greet them and welcome them when we see them here at our church.

Our doors and the buildings of our campus don’t have to be an edifice, but to many of the young residents who live in these nearby apartment buildings, the church has seemed like nothing else but an edifice to them.  People of the millennial generation often believe that the institutional church hates those who are outside its doors – that it hates those who don’t have Christian commitments and that it certainly hates those who are gay and lesbian as our nation battles so called “culture wars.”  But this church doesn’t hate.  It has great love.  We believe differently than that.  And now, a ministry team at PPC has started a weekly Evening Worship Service in the hopes that we can connect with these residents, that we can build relationships with them and welcome their gifts and talents here.  You can support that ministry as well.

There are so many ways that Pasadena Presbyterian Church can preach and live its Best Sermon – a sermon of welcome, love, and empowerment.  There are so many ways right here.

So guess what?  This turned out to be a Stewardship sermon after all!  It is true that your money and contributions help us preach our Best Sermon here.  But I actually want to say something deeper than that today: You help us preach our Best Sermon through these ministries.  Your yourselves are the resource.  And so this week, I pray that God will give us the stewardship of good eyes to see the value and contributions of those who are in vulnerable places.  And I pray that God will give us love and strength to come alongside those very people.  We don’t want to preach our Worst Sermon.  We want to preach our Best Sermon.  And we do that when we serve those that Jesus notices and loves.  How will you contribute to this great proclamation in the days ahead with your very lives? 

I can’t wait to find out.

So let’s start now with proclaiming what the Christian Church believes.  I invite us to stand and speak the Affirmation of Faith together. . .

-Renee Roederer, Associate Pastor of Pasadena Presbyterian Church