March 23, 2022 – “Giving it All”

And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44

“Giving it All”

Once again Jesus turns conventional thinking on its ear – the widow who puts into the treasury such a small amount has, in the mind of Jesus, given so much more than the large amounts given by the many rich people who also put money in the treasury box. Why? Because when the poor can give generously out of their lack of resources, how much more important and meaningful will that be to G-d than the rich who give out of their wealth. For the rich to give to G-d, it is often out of their abundance. For the poor, it is out of all they have to live on.

The rich man is told to sell all that he has and give the money to the poor. When he leaves Jesus, he goes away grieving because he is rich, and cannot seem to fathom giving even a part of all that he has away. Yet, this is exactly what the poor widow does – she gives all that she has.

Not everyone can give a large amount of time or money to G-d – but we all have some sense of what “sacrificial giving” means in our lives. This is what our stewardship should be grounded in—sacrificial giving—making our giving part of our worship of and for G-d.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, you modeled sacrificial giving when you willingly went to the cross. And your sacrifice continues to be our model for sacrifice. I pray today for your help so I can give generously every day. Amen.

Pastor Dave  

March 22, 2022 – “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself”

 “And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.” Mark 12:28-34

In the conversation between the scribe and Jesus, the scribe asks Jesus, “Which commandment is the first of all?”  Jesus answers with Deuteronomy 6:4 – 5, what is commonly known as the Shema – the most important piece of scripture for the Jew: ⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. ⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.

The Shema is prayed in every worship service in the synagogue. It is so important because it defines Judaism as worshipping a monotheistic G-d – in the context of the pagans who have many, many G-ds. This aspect of Judaism, “Hear O Israel: the Lord our G-d, the Lord is one” was an important and defining aspect of Judaism – in the context of their surroundings. G-d, the One G-d, the only G-d, had chosen this people to be a special, priestly nation. Jesus, then, teaches that to “Love your G-d” and to “Love your Neighbor” are to be the central defining commandments for Christianity.

Let us pray,

Lord Christ, you command us to love. It is good that you did not just suggest us to love one another for loving each other could be the most difficult commandment to keep. Grant me your Holy Spirit as I move through this day learning to love. Amen.

Pastor Dave