Good Morning
Here is the sermon from last Sunday. Please keep looking for God in your everyday life!
Pastor Marie
Grace and peace to you from God our father and our Lord and savior Jesus Christ Amen You know, this could have been a very simple sermon: The widow is good she gives everything she has to the temple. The scribes are bad even though they gave a lot, they only gave from their abundance. We should be like the widow not like the scribes Amen But there is so much going on here that we often don't see. Jesus starts with the scribes, warning the disciples of the corruption and avarice of the scribes devouring widow's houses and stealing form the temple treasury. And then Jesus sees someone the others don't see. We can't blame the disciples for not seeing her, they are overwhelmed by the sight of all the rich important people in the temple I don't think much of anyone was noticing the widow, except Jesus. They were focused on the scribes with their long robes. People were bowing before them and offering them the best of everything. Jesus has been watching this scene all day when he notices the widow. He sees her, He even calls the disciples and points her out to them. Why is she so important? Is it that Jesus identifies with her? He like she will soon give everything he has For people who really don't deserve it. Jesus is trying one last time to teach the disciples that power and wealth and status are not part of the kingdom of God. It's not that different today. The powerful and famous are assumed to be good people, we want to be like them. The poor and helpless like this widow are looked down upon If they are even noticed. We sure don't want to be like her! So what are we to learn from this story? It isn't simply that the scribes were bad. It isn't simply that the widow is good either. Jesus is calling us to see that life is more complicated than putting labels on people. Maybe we should be noticing the poor, oppressed, and outsiders just as much as we notice the rich and famous. In fact, maybe it's time we see everyone the way God sees them, because God is all about relationships not labels. One of the most troubling things I have noticed with all the division we are going through these days, is it's all too easy to slap a label on people and not see them for who they really are, republican or democrat, progressive or conservative, racist sexist whatever, because it's easier to hate someone you see as less than human. God does not see us that way. We know this because Jesus came to show us how much God loves us. Love is about being in relationship. It's hard to label someone when you are in a relationship with them. Jesus didn't label people. Even though he complained about the scribes in this gospel story, he also ate with scribes and Pharisees. He cared for Roman soldiers, healing the servant of one and the child of another. Jesus even went to a place Israelites avoided at all costs; to Samaria where he shared God's love with all kinds of people It is good that leaders on both sides of the divide are now calling on people to be more civil with each other, but I don't think civility is enough. We are called to do more than be civil to one another. We are called to love one another as God loves us And give everything we have, do everything we can to lift each other up by being the hands and feet of God with everyone. Amen Love God, love your neighbor, be the body of Christ in the world Rev. Marie Meeks Dobbs Ferry Lutheran Church preachymarie@gmail.com