Year B, Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost
November 10, 2024
Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17, Psalm 127, Hebrews 9:24-28, Mark 12:38-44
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“Faithfulness in Small Things: Trusting God’s Abundance”
The Very Rev. Kathleen Murray, Rector
Historic Beckford Parish, Mt. Jackson & Woodstock
Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 27B
November 10, 2024
This week has been filled with emotions—deep emotions. Some are grieving, angry, or even afraid, while others are thrilled and hopeful. The presidential election has stirred up feelings across the spectrum, as it always does. I want to say something that was said several times at Diocesan Convention. No matter where you stand politically, know this: Jesus is not a Democrat. Jesus is not a Republican. Jesus transcends our earthly divisions and calls us into a Kingdom where power, wealth, and politics are not the measures of value.
It is tempting to believe that the world’s fate hinges on the rise or fall of leaders, and yes, earthly leadership matters—a lot. But today, in the wake of an election, Jesus directs our attention somewhere very different. He invites us to step away from the noise of the world and look at something—someone—most people wouldn’t notice.
In the Gospel today, Jesus sits across from the temple treasury, watching as people offer their gifts. Many wealthy people give large sums of money, but Jesus notices a poor widow who contributes two small coins worth barely a penny. Turning to his disciples, he says, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For they gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”[1]
This might seem like a story about generosity or stewardship, and it is. But it is also a story about who matters to God. In Jesus’ world, widows were among the most vulnerable. Without a husband or son to provide for them, many faced poverty and isolation. Yet Jesus sees her—not her poverty, not her marginal status, but her—a person of deep faith and trust in God.
This moment in the temple reminds us that Jesus aligns himself with the overlooked, the outcast, and the forgotten. He touches lepers, eats with tax collectors, welcomes children, and, today, lifts up a widow’s offering as a model of faith.
The Kingdom of God is not built on the powerful or the privileged. It is built on small acts of trust and faith from people the world often ignores.
And here’s the truth we need to hear, especially in small churches like ours: the work of Jesus does not depend on large numbers or grand gestures. The widow’s two coins were small, yet Jesus declared her gift greater than all the others. In the same way, small churches—churches without 50, 100, or 200 people in the pews—can and do extraordinary work for the Kingdom of God.
Chris Hartmann, Shelia Helsley, and I joined Alan Spear and Marcia Brownfield from Saint Andrew’s at our Diocesan Convention from Thursday evening through Saturday. We joined with 800 or so other Episcopalians, all doing God’s work for the kingdom. I was so proud that we could get our Grandparents as Parents booth up and show the people of the Diocese how we roll in Shenandoah County. I was so proud that our region filled two tables at dinner on Friday evening, including the five college delegates from around the Commonwealth and the youth delegate from our region. We’re the smallest region out of sixteen – we do kingdom work.
Our stewardship as a community is not measured by how much money we raise or how many people fill our building. It is measured by our faithfulness to the work of Christ. When we feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, or pray for the broken-hearted, we offer more than just two coins—we offer the fullness of our trust in God. Of course, it does take money to do those things, but it is not the amount that matters most; it is the spirit in which we give. Faithful stewardship is about aligning our hearts with God’s mission, trusting that even the smallest, most faithful offering can bear fruit beyond what we can imagine. It reminds us that God multiplies our generosity, turning our collective efforts into a reflection of divine abundance and grace.
Small churches like ours embody the widow’s faith when we give from the heart, trusting that God will take what we offer and multiply it for the good of the world. Jesus doesn’t need massive budgets or crowded sanctuaries to do his work. He needs faithful disciples who will give what they have, trusting that it will be enough.
In this story, Jesus also challenges us to think deeply about the people we overlook today. Who are the outcasts in our society? Who are the widows of our time, left behind or silenced by systems that prioritize wealth, privilege, and power? Jesus sees them, values them, and calls us to do the same. He gathers the broken-hearted, the marginalized, and the grieving—the poor struggling to make ends meet, the immigrant seeking safety and opportunity, the hopeful dreamers longing for justice, and the disheartened left behind by inequities in healthcare, education, and employment. Jesus calls us to look beyond our comfort zones, to recognize the humanity and dignity of those on the margins, and to bring them into the heart of God’s love. In doing so, we are reminded that the kingdom of God is built on justice, compassion, and inclusion, where the least among us are given a place of honor.
And so, whether we are joyful, angry, or weary after this election season, let us remember that the Kingdom of God does not rest in political victories or defeats. It rests in the faith of those who trust God enough to give everything, even when it feels small.
As a small but faithful community, let us continue to embody the widow’s trust. Let us give what we can, love those the world forgets, and know that Jesus is with us—not as a political figure, but as the One who gathers us all into the abundance of God’s love.
Amen.
[1] Mark 12:43-44, New Revised Standard Version (“NRSV”)