Pentecost 23              Mark 12:38-44                           11/12/06

                               “It’s All About…”

 

After the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the late l960’s, there were race riots in a number of cities around the country.  Baltimore was one of the cities visited by this mindless destruction.  At one point during those days an elderly African American man suggested that the city invite Billy Graham to hold a revival.  He felt that a good strong dose of religion could restore sanity. 

 

Unfortunately, Billy Graham was booked up years into the future.  The committee of religious and civic leaders that had been formed to carry out this revival idea looked for another evangelist, and in due course the media proclaimed that a revival led by an evangelist named “Haggai” would take place at our civic center downtown.

 

Our young adult group decided to attend.  Our group was large enough that we took up a good part of an entire row at the civic center.  And we weren’t the only ones.  The center which was used for professional hockey games, rock concerts and other types of shows was packed.

 

The revival got under way with some old favorite hymns of the gospel circuit and then Haggai came on stage to preach..  I don’t remember anything that he said.  What I do remember is that the sermon was long and emotional. 

 

When Haggai was finished preaching he had the audience sing a hymn and while we sang he started an altar call.  He invited, commanded, beseeched and begged sinners to come forward, confess their sins and accept the Lord. (“Come on, brother, give up that drink and accept Jesus.”  Come down here sister, you’ve been trying for too many years to do it on your own.”  “Mother, this day you could meet your Maker.”)  This went on for what seemed like hours and while Haggai continued his exhortation, we continued to sing the same hymn over and over.

 

I must admit that something about that altar call was compelling, but in good German Lutheran tradition I resisted the urge to go forward.

 

Finally, when all who were going to be saved that day had been prayed over by local ministers at the foot of the stage and had returned to their seats, the altar call (and the hymn) ended.  Haggai had a prayer and announced that the offering would be taken.

We were to sing “Bringing In The Sheaves” while ushers passed the plates.

 

This would have been fine if it had not be for the fact that Haggai launched into an exhortation almost identical to his altar call…”Come on brother; your family can get by without that paycheck this week.  Come on mother, you can get by this month without that social security check.  The Lord needs your money more that you do.”

 

We continued to sing for some time and the plates were being passed for a second go-round.  Finally, a snicker was just barely muted at the end of our row.  Driven by a force stronger than Haggai’s exhortations, that snicker worked its way up the row.  It became over-powering – far more so than Haggai’s altar call – and we decided we’d better leave before we were asked to leave.

 

This story of my young adult years came to mind when I read the gospel for today.  Just as Haggai seemed to be all about his getting, the scribes seem to have been all about getting also. The temple system had developed rules that God never intended.  By Jesus time, no one could enter the temple for required religious rites unless they contributed at least two “lepta” – about one sixth of a cent in our money.  These are the “pennies” referred to in our lesson. 

 

Originally, offerings were intended in part to help widows and orphans.  A woman back then was helpless if her husband died and she had no family to take her in.  She would have to sell herself or beg to survive.  Surely, God couldn’t have intended that this woman give all she had and be left to starve. 

 

Yet, Jesus lifts up her act as an example and contrasts it with the giving of the scribes who gave of their abundance – meaning they gave what they had left over after securing a reportedly rather lavish lifestyle for themselves.  I don’t believe the writer of Mark or Jesus ever intended this story to be used to talk people into giving so much they couldn’t adequately provide for themselves or their families.

 

Rather, the story should stir us to consider the issue of “need” versus “want” and whether in satisfying our wants we are being like the scribes – giving only the leftovers to God.  This is something that we need to give deep and frequent thought to.  Our culture with its high pressure advertising, easy credit/hard repayment and “me first-ism has nearly destroyed our understanding of the difference between need and want.  It has taught us that what we may want we must therefore need.

 

If you are anything like me, you don’t pay attention to TV advertising.  You choose to tune out during commercials.  But that doesn’t mean you don’t hear that push to buy all those nice objects, services, gizmo’s and accessories.  In fact, ad agencies have employed learning experts and done all kinds of tests so that they can develop advertising that will implant an unconscious urge in you to buy even the most unnecessary items on the market.  For them, it’s all about profit, profit, profit.

 

Little by little over the years people have been brainwashed into believing that we actually need fancy gas guzzling new cars, MP3 players and Ipods, homes big enough to be hotels, and all the other stuff people think they can’t live without.  They have convinced parents that children absolutely require rooms full of toys, designer clothes and lessons or activities that take up all their time and all a parent’s money. 

 

Most people under the age of sixty or maybe even seventy don’t know what it’s like to get by with what is just necessary to meet one’s real needs.  Younger folks may be amused or amazed by the stories of how their elders got an orange and a few pieces of candy and maybe some piece of clothing for Christmas.  That these elders looks back at those days as the good times is beyond understanding to many.

 

Even Christians have been sucked into this consumerist mentality.  It can even affect the way a church conducts its life as a community of faith, but I’ll leave that to your later reflection.  What is most important is that we recognize the danger of becoming the scribes in today’s gospel lesson – giving only of our leftovers to a God who has given us His all.

 

For what we most need to be aware of is the placement of this story in the gospel’s larger story.  Jesus is in Jerusalem.  He has had His pivotal confrontation with the religious leaders.  He is within just a few days of being arrested, tried and crucified.  Thus, in this story,  it’s all about God’s total giving versus scribal giving of excess treasure. 

 

It is intended to motivate us to give – not our all, because only God can do that – but to give from hearts made generous by the knowledge of what God has given us. 

 

As we look toward the end of the year, as we start being inundated with buy-me Christmas advertising, as we consider our budget shortfall and the ministry of our church, let us reflect on how God doesn’t bludgeon us with demands for all we have, but hopes to see hearts made generous by awareness of His grace.  Amen