Unselfish Sacrifice

Pentecost 25 – November 10, 2024

1 Kings 17:8-16
Psalm 146
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44

We don't talk about sacrifice much these days. When we do it is in a negative light. We believe that we should not have to give up something to get what we want. Many believe that what they want should be given to them without struggle. I believe that we have been taught that by our overly consumer-driven society. From parents who give their children anything they want to constant television ads telling us that we deserve what they are selling, we are constantly being bombarded by this message. As a result, we have become a selfish society. We don't want to share what we have with others. We are stingy with our gifts and expecting one in return. We have been brain-washed to believe that what we have is ours, gotten by our own power and abilities and we don't need to share. As Christians we should know that this is wrong. Our Bible texts for today tell us that.

Our lesson from Kings is about a drought and there was little food. So God did two things. He sends Elijah to Zarephath and commands a widow who has nothing to take care of him. For Elijah the message was clear but for the widow it must have been vague because she questioned Elijah about it. “Are you sure I am to do this?” She asked because she had nothing to provide, and yet she was willing to give him some of the last food she had. That is unselfish sacrifice.

We read that text today because of our Gospel reading. There Jesus talks about sacrifice for he sees one example of it as he watches the people give to the temple treasury. He first comments on the giver who gives out of his abundance. Not sacrificing anything. This to show those who contribute only for show. They have sacrificed nothing, Jesus says, and will receive the greater condemnation. While the widow gave all that she had, sacrificing everything.

We contemplate the widows who have given all they have. For they knew what it meant to be in need in the male dominated society where women were second-class citizens. Being a widow could mean object poverty. That is why the Bible always reminds God’s people to take care of the widow as well as the orphan and alien in your land. This is a lesson we seem to have forgotten these past days. We are constantly being bombarded by the false narrative that what you have is yours to have for yourself. Although those who tell you this are usually trying to get you to give them what you have so they can have more. The truth of the matter is that what you have is actually God’s. God has given it to you and called you to take care of it so that it will support life, love, and hope in the world.

Please note, the two widows who sacrificed in our stories today did so knowing that their gift could mean the end of their lives. They gave from all that they had. Which brings us to the greatest sacrifice of all. To give your life up for others. That sacrifice for us is God’s own Son. He gave his life so that we could become the children of God answering God’s call to share what God has given to us - not out of our abundance but out of love. We were not made by God to be selfish or to say who can and who cannot share the wealth that God has showered upon the world. We are called to share what God has given true sacrifices so that all the world may live and prosper within God’s creation.