"The Widow and the Monarch"

One of the most memorable experiences I had in my previous church was being involved in a capital campaign and the building of a new nave.

St. Timothy’s had almost 1,000 members, but its original nave was smaller than ours here at St. Dunstan’s, seating at the most 200 people.

Not long after I started as the assistant priest there, the rector, David, went on a sabbatical. Planning for the capital campaign started while he was away, and he asked me to attend the meetings.

The first thing I noticed is that I was the only woman in the meeting. The second thing I noticed is that the men were only talking about making calls on other men.

“What about the wives?” I asked. “Shouldn’t they be consulted, too?”

“We don’t need to worry about them,” I was told. “It’s the men who make the financial decisions for the family.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” I responded. “And what about the single women?”

“We’ll send them letters later,” I was told dismissively. “Right now, we’re focusing on the big money.”

That focus soon turned to one “big money” person in particular, a man who was reputed to be quite wealthy, and who was also reputed not to be in favor of building a new nave.

Quite a lot of discussion ensued about how best to approach this man.

“Well, his number is in the church directory,” I said. “Why don’t you just call him?”

“You can’t just call him!” one man told me. “He’s a very important business man. You know, he refers to himself as ‘the monarch.’”

“You’re kidding,” I said with a laugh.

The men looked at me with wide eyes. “We’re not kidding,” one assured me. “It’s true; in his world he is a monarch.”

“Well, that may be true for his world,” I said. “But in the church’s world there are no monarchs. He’s a member of the church and a child of God, just like everyone else – male and female.”

My comments were ignored, and the discussion continued. The concensus was that “the monarch” was the key to the entire capital campaign. If he gave a substantial gift -- $1 million was the hope – we would be able to build a new church. If he didn’t, the campaign would fail.

Well, the campaign didn’t raise the entire amount needed to build a new church; it came about $700,000 short. But the vestry decided the need for new worship space was great enough to take a leap of faith and go into debt. Contracts were signed, plans were drawn, ground was broken, and construction got underway.

Months later, still in the middle of construction, David called me into his office. He was sitting at his desk with a stunned look on his face.

“I just got off the phone with an attorney,” he said. “Margaret Phillips died.”

“Who’s Margaret Phillips?” I asked.

She was an old woman, a widow, who had not been to church in at least two decades. David had tried once to visit her, and she told him to leave her alone. He called her later and she repeated that request. The church had not even been contacted when she died.

But in her will, she left to St. Timothy’s the contents of a suitcase in her closet, a suitcase filled with stocks. Those stocks, the lawyer said, were estimated to be worth about $800,000.

Ten years ago this fall, St. Timothy’s consecrated its new, fully-furnished, debt-free nave and eight new classrooms, paid for by the generosity of many members, not the least of whom was the forgotten widow Margaret Phillips.

The monarch, by the way, never made a contribution.

In some ways, Margaret Phillips is a descendant of the widow we hear about in today’s gospel reading.

Widows, or any women not connected to a man, are among the most neglected and overlooked segments of the population – both in Jesus’ time and in our own.

The story we know as “the widow’s mite” occurs in the Temple. Jesus is there, watching as people put money into the treasury, not unlike our placing money in the collection plates each Sunday.

Many wealthy people place large sums of money in the plate. Then a poor widow comes forward and drops in two small coins.

Most of the people present in the temple that day probably didn’t even notice the woman. If they did, they were most likely dismissive of her. As a widow, and a poor one at that, she had no social status. She was the kind of person who probably spent her life blending into the background.

But Jesus notices her. And he tells his disciples that her two small coins are the most significant contribution that the temple received that day.

“She out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on,” Jesus says.

The widow is the most generous person in the temple that day. She doesn’t give what is left over after she has paid all her other bills and put money aside for savings, she doesn’t give because it is the socially acceptable thing to do, she doesn’t give so that others will be impressed by her largesse.

Instead she gives out of generosity, and out of gratitude to God. The widow shows us that one does not have to be wealthy to give from the heart.

A commentary I read this week about this scripture passage notes the time of the church year when it is read.

“I can almost hear the sounds of bodies slouching in the pews as the reading of the morning gospel is complete,” the commentator writes. “Worshippers will likely need to find a position to brace themselves against the inevitable call to ‘dig deeper’ and ‘give more’ in light of the widow’s mite.”

Indeed, I think it is not a coincidence that this story of a poor woman’s astounding generosity appears in our schedule of Sunday readings now. Surely those who prepared that schedule know that this is the time of year when all churches are asking members to contribute to the coming year’s budget.

The story of the widow’s mite serves as an example of stewardship in two ways.

First, it is a reminder to church officials – to clergy and treasurers and stewardship committees and vestries – that all of God’s children, rich and poor, male and female, young and old, have a contribution to make to the kingdom of God.

In God’s kingdom, and in God’s church, there are no monarchs and there is no one who is insignificant. The contributions of each and every one of us, whatever they may be, are needed and valued.

Second, the widow is an example to all of us of generous giving. Generosity does not have a dollar amount attached to it. Jesus cites the widow’s generosity not because of the amount she gives, but because she gives a generous portion of her income. She gives her best to God.

It is time now for us to decide how we will give generously to God at St. Dunstan’s in the coming year. What portion will we give? How can we give our best to God?

When everyone gives their best, like the widow in the Temple and the widow who shared her last food with Elijah, there is enough and more left over to share.

St. Dunstan’s has been blessed throughout its history with parishioners who have given their best to God in this place. We are here today because of the generosity of those who have gone before us, those who have worked hard to ensure that God’s work, and worship of God, continue in this place.

Now we are blessed with a beautiful church and a community of faith that comes together to worship and study, to support one another in good times and in difficult ones, and to spread God’s care and love beyone our walls – across town and across the world.

And we plan and pray for those who will follow us here, even as we respond to the call of Christ in our time.

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Readings

1 Kings 17:8-16

The word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, “Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.” As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.” She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

Hebrews 9:24-28

Mark 12:38-44

Teaching in the temple, Jesus said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” 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.”

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