Every Penny Counts
a sermon based on Mark 12:38-44
by Rev. Randy L Quinn

Every November I am reminded of the one time I ran for public office. You probably remember seeing my name in the newspapers that year, don’t you? I ran for a Water District Commissioner position; I ran un-opposed and lost – to a write-in candidate who received 100% of the vote.

We were just forming the North Whidbey Water District, and Washington State law requires there to be at least three Commissioners in every water district. The Commissioners must live within the District and can only be voted on by residents of the District.

At the time, our family’s home was the only residence in the North Whidbey Water District – there were other property owners and soon there were additional residences, but at the time, we were the only people who resided there. Since it was a new District, we had three open positions and four eligible voters.

One was a six year term, one was a four year term, and one was a two year term; in succeeding elections, they would all be six year terms. Dad was running un-opposed for the six-year term; I was running for four years; my brother Kelly was running for two. But after the ballots were printed, we realized that I would be graduating from college before the end of my four-year term. So we all agreed to write Kelly’s name on my position and my name on his.

So, in the same election that I lost, I beat an un-opposed candidate as a write-in candidate myself.

We didn’t ask for a recount. We knew all the voters and how they voted.

Still, I am a little surprised no one remembers it. J

Our text today reminds me of a part of the election process that not many people consider – the Federal Elections Commission disclosure statements. All candidates for public office fill out a form stating their assets and income.

The form has its history in the stories of abuse by previously elected officials. It is an attempt to make public a person’s financial status so that potential conflicts of interest can be identified.

And on occasion there been stories in the press that come from those “public” disclosures of candidates. Of course the question I want to ask is if their publicly professed faith shows up in their charitable giving. But I only remember one time in recent history when the press specifically reported about a candidate’s charitable giving. That candidate gave a tenth of his income to charity. His name was Joseph Lieberman.

I’m not sure that should be the only measuring rod we use for political candidates, but it does make me wonder how many of us would pass the test of public scrutiny.

Before I became a pastor, I attended a church that posted a list every month of the people and the amounts of money each had given. (As a pastor, I’ve never suggested doing that – and have personally tried not to know how much is given by individuals or families in the church.) It made me feel a little uncomfortable knowing that what I gave was a matter of public record – even though I knew I was giving what I felt was an appropriate amount for me.

I think that kind of public knowledge of giving must have been a part of the culture of Jesus’ day, though. The offering boxes were hung along the walls of the temple and people would deposit their offering in full view of the crowds.

While it was possible to make offerings at a time when fewer people would notice, it was not possible to write a check and there was no paper money. Everyone could hear how many coins dropped into the boxes, and with a little practice, I’m sure people learned to distinguish between the “mite” and the “denarius”.

I also imagine there were some who waited until the major festivals to make their offerings – that way more people would witness their ‘faithful’ giving – even if some people gave smaller amounts more often, providing a cumulative amount that was even larger.

I remember one woman in a church who wanted me to know how generous she was as she provided a sizeable check to the church. What I didn’t tell her was that I had personally given more than that over the course of the year. Her check didn’t impress me the way she had intended it to impress me.

The story in Mark suggests that people must have made a big show of giving in the temple. They dressed up in fancy clothes. They probably had their family follow them, so that it looked like a parade. Maybe there were people who had larger families who would make a show of their giving by letting each family member make a contribution in the Temple offering boxes.

I know when we were younger we each wanted to put money in the offering plate when it came by. So mom and dad would ‘divvy up’ their offering between my brothers and me so we could each put something into the plate.

(I also remember an embarrassing moment when mom forgot to bring her purse to church. She told us she didn’t have any money for the offering – so I was quick to tell the usher that we didn’t have any money.)

The truth is that mom didn’t want to be noticed for how much or how little she put in the offering plate. She was simply trying to teach us the importance of giving.

But those who made a show of giving in the temple weren’t trying to teach their children how to give or the importance of giving. They wanted to be noticed by others.

I suppose there were also those who gave because the temple needed their gifts to keep operating. It must have been an expensive process to maintain the buildings and programs – no less then than it is now in most churches.

The widow, on the other hand, was giving because she knew she needed to give. It wasn’t a matter of the people around her noticing her gift or even the needs of the temple treasury. It was her own recognition of a spiritual and emotional need to give something away.

Her story always reminds me of one of my pastors who told the story of a church building project he participated in years earlier. One of the wealthier members of the congregation wanted to donate a significant sum for the project – but he wanted his family’s name put into the stained glass windows in acknowledgement.

Allen Mayes, the pastor, responded by pointing out an older woman – whose name I no longer remember. “For over forty years, this poor little woman has brought a quarter to church every week. It’s her quarters that built the foundation of this church, and without her gift, there would be no place for your windows. I won’t put your name on the windows because her name doesn’t appear on the foundation walls.”

Some years ago, I heard a children’s story about the animals in the forest who were arguing over how much a snowflake weighs. No one seemed to know. So they thought it must weigh nothing.

But the wise old owl pointed out a branch nearby. It was full of snow. But one snowflake would eventually land on it and cause the limb to break.

A snowflake by itself doesn’t weigh much. But when it combines with other snowflakes it makes an incredible difference.

Like the widow’s mites, our gift alone can do nothing. But combined with the gifts of many, many others, our contributions change the world.

But it can’t happen that way if our focus is on what people will see us do. No one who tries to become a hero in battle helps win the battle, but those who work hardest to win the battle become the heroes.

We each need to do our part, no matter how small that part may seem. And together we make an incredible difference – in our church, in our community, in our world.

I thank you, for the part you have played in the past and I invite you to continue bringing what little you might have. God can take your gifts and multiply them in ways you never dreamed possible.

And I give thanks to God for multiplying our gifts.

Amen.