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"What Counts?" In our reading today, Jesus sat down opposite the treasury. There in the temple. Opposite the collection plates. And he watched. Just sat there, and watched. Does that make you uncomfortable? Jesus sitting opposite the place where the offerings are dropped, watching. What is he watching for? Who is he looking at? Watching as people put their money into the treasury. Watching as they drop their check, their envelope, their folded money into the collection plate. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want anyone watching when I give. “It’s between God and me…” Have you ever heard someone say that? Ever say that yourself? So I palm my gift, holding my hand over the plate to block the view. I have spent considerable time with this text over some 18 years of ministry. This lectionary reading rolls around every three years, often right around the time many churches are in the midst of their stewardship drives, just as we are. Most of the time, I have focused right away on the widow, and her extraordinary gift. “We should all have the faith of the widow,” I might say. “We should come before God withholding nothing. Reserving nothing. Putting our all in.” But as I prepared for this message today, I was struck by something else. The image of Jesus sitting there, watching. Not glancing and pretending to be doing something else. Watching. Staring at those who came to make their gifts. Watching until he had something to show his disciples. Or, perhaps I should say, someone to show to his disciples. A poor widow who comes forward and puts everything she owned in the coffers. Then he calls them over. “See her?” he says. I didn’t want you to miss her. I been here watching, waiting, and I wanted you to all see her. I was afraid she might get by without you seeing--without you learning. Thank goodness Jesus was watching. We might never have seen her. Would we? We might have paid attention to the rich people putting in large amounts. But if Jesus hadn’t been watching, she would have escaped our attention. I’m pretty sure we would have missed her. Do you know how I know? Do you remember when Ted Turner, they guy who owns CNN and WTBS, and a large share of Time-Warner, and now Ted’s Buffalo Restaurants made all the news by giving a billion dollars to the U.N. for humanitarian aid? To feed children, to help bring food and water to underdeveloped countries, remove land mines, help refugees and the very poor, and support a global study of climate change that sort of thing. One billion-- that’s billion with a “B.” And boy, did he get noticed. Every newspaper and news organization carried the story. “Ted Gives a Bill,” the headlines screamed. He made the cover of Time and Newsweek because of his gift. Ted got noticed. Bill Gates, richest man in the world. Bill and his wife Meliinda have created a foundation which is giving away over 1.3 billion dollars in 2005, and is on target to give even more this year. Warren Buffet, often one of the richest persons in America even grabbed headlines when he pledged a portion of his own fortune to the Gates' Foundation. Bill, Melinda, Warren, they all get noticed. Ray Kroc’s widow, the heir of the McDonald’s fortune, has made quite a name for herself by giving to charity. After floods in 2002 hit the Midwest, she gave $10,000 checks anonymously to those who were recovering. Or at least it was anonymous until the total figure hit 10 million dollars and someone leaked that it was Mrs. Kroc who was the benefactor. And the world took notice. When someone gives large gifts, we take notice. Our State Universities announce million dollar gifts with some regularity now. We can’t help but notice when people give away large amounts of money out of their abundance. But Jesus is looking in a different direction. Calling our attention to someone else. While we’re watching the rich and the famous give some of their fortune away, Jesus is watching the widows--giving away what little they have. Jesus sits and watches, as those who have much file by and give their tenth. Now, notice he does not scorn them. No. He sees nothing wrong with what they are doing, what they are offering. He does not call them hypocrites or vipers or hard-hearted. In face, he makes no comment at all about them. Just watches them. They do nothing offensive. But in Jesus’ sight, they do nothing worthy of recognition either. He doesn’t say anything, he doesn’t call us to take notice...until the widow comes forward. And then it’s just a simple comparison. The rich give their portion, the widow, her all. And he says only that the widow has given more. More? In fact, Jesus says, more than all the others. Not just more than any other, but more than all of the others. While we measure “more” by what is given, Jesus measures “more” by what is held back. We don’t see the way Jesus sees. Jesus looks at things differently than we do. We put Bill Gates and Warren Buffet and even Bono on the cover of Newsweek for their charitable giving…but if Jesus were the editor, things would be different. Jesus' cover story would be "The Widow Who Gave All." We often don’t see what Jesus sees. We look for a stopping point. Jesus watches for the point when we cannot stop. We look for limits, Jesus watches for those who go beyond the limits. We look out for ourselves. Jesus watches out for those who give themselves away for others. You see it isn’t about the money, after all. It’s the principle of the thing. And the principle is this: In Jesus' economics, its not what’s in our pocketbooks that matters, it’s what’s in our hearts that counts. And what was in the widows heart, that Jesus saw, was gratitude. The sort of gratitude that unlocks one’s spirit. Eugene Lowry was my preaching professor. Gene tells a story I think gets at the heart of the widow’s offering. When he was a young pastor in his first pastorate, it came time for the annual pledge drive. As the pledge cards came in, the financial secretary came to the young pastor with a concern. An old widow in the congregation had pledged what was surely too large of a sum . “I looked at that card, and with the woman in my mind, I found it unbelievable that she could come up with that amount in the coming year.” Soon, Lowry was driving over to the widow’s small home. He was welcomed inside with open arms. Tea was put on, and the old woman seemed delighted with the company. Finally, the young pastor got around to his business. “Mrs. Eldridge, I’ve come to talk to you about your tithe,” he began. “Oh, I sent the card back, right away,” she said. “No, no, we received your card.” “There is a problem?” “Um, well, if you’ll forgive me for asking, but I am concerned how you can afford such a large pledge. I know you are on a fixed income, of very limited means. I was wondering if we shouldn’t mark your pledge down to a more manageable size.” To which the old woman replied: “You will not! I know exactly how much I plan to give.” “But you won’t have enough left to live on,” Lowry argued. “Reverend, I don’t have to worry about that. Don’t you see? Everything I ever need, I know the church will see me through. When I lost my husband, my strength and meals for weeks on end came from my church. When I was in the hospital, my church sent cards and made visits to make sure I was alright when I came home. They modified my bathroom, and found me this walker. When my porch was falling down, who do you think came to fix it for me? Reverend, I don’t need money, I’ve got my church. The Lord takes good care of me through my church.” The young pastor swallowed hard, thanked the old woman for her time and her wisdom, and started for his car. On his way out, he saw a large, black, Lincoln Town Car parked by the curb nearby. On it were vanity plates. Lowry maintains that as he read those vanity plates, he finally came to understand the biblical widow’s mite and why Jesus was watching her. You see, on the Lincoln, the license plate read, “EARNED IT.” The man who thought he had earned his own way, would never be moved to give sacrificially, not in the way the widow did. The widow on the other hand knew that all that she enjoyed was a gift, a grace of God. There was nothing she earned. So it was only too easy to let go of all that she had, in certain trust that her needs would be met. Lowry knew then, what was in the widow’s heart in the Gospel story. Just as Jesus knew. It’s what he was looking for after all. He was watching for it. The heart of gratitude. Watching for a heart that knows God’s goodness, and understands grace. In a bit more of you are going to return your Victory cards, as an act of faith this morning, joining the more than 100 households that have already done so. During our last hymn, you will be invited to bring them to the altar where they will be dedicated at the end of the service. (By the way, I like Garrison Keillor’s idea to make sure that those who skip the annual stewardship consecration Sunday won’t ever skip it again. He suggests sending a note to all those absent from worship on a day like today, that says, “We’re sorry you couldn’t be with us in worship on Stewardship Sunday this past week. Since you were not present to fill out a pledge card, we completed one for you. Thank you for being so generous!”) Seriously, as you return your Victory cards and as you honor your promise in the coming year, I want you to remember just one thing. Don’t give because you believe the church needs your money. Don’t give to pay the salaries, or the light bill. Don’t give to get the Mission and Ministry caught up. Don’t give because some worthy and important ministry needs funding. Give because you have received. Give because God is generous with you. Give because it will do far more for your heart than it will for the church’s budget. Give because you want to live as a Christian. Give because you desire to be a follower. Give because you long to be a disciple. Give, knowing that Christ watches....our hearts. Thanks be to God.
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