On Give and Take
November 10, 2024
Traceymay Kalvaitis
Psalm 146
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long. Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish. Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord!
Mark 12:38-44
As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
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Today’s sermon is titled On Give and Take.
I was recently gifted with a few hand-me-downs from a colleague in ministry. She brought over a few shirts designed for clergy collars. Some clergy refer to these as “dog collars” and even though it does not sound very nice, I have to admit that it is apropos to the relationship of service to an unseen but very present Presence on the other end of the invisible leash.
I call these shirts my “come-right-this-way” shirts. I mostly wear them at ecumenical gatherings of faith leaders, or to go to the hospital, especially when I expect I may be turned away for not being a member of an immediate family. When I am wearing the clergy collar, it’s as if I have my own leash in hand and the world opens up for me in ways that are surprising. Emergency room doors are buzzed open instantly, people make way for you as if you need more space to walk down the aisles of the grocery store; the level of deference is almost embarrassing. I can see why Jesus has a special condemnation reserved for the religious leaders who, according to his words, “like to walk around in long robes and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers.” Who is it that they are serving? God? Or their own ego?
To drive the point home, Jesus lifts up the example of the woman who gave so much of what little she had, compared to those who “contributed out of their abundance.” Now, Friends, even though this is our season of raising funds to support the church in the coming year, and it would be so convenient to expound on this passage in order to appeal to your generosity, I have something different in heart and mind this morning.
I’d like to think about the various ways we give of ourselves, our time, our attention, and our energy. I am sure we are all aware of the difference we feel when we give of ourselves obligingly as opposed to how we feel when we give of ourselves because we are compelled from a place within. Neuroscientists published a paper through the National Institute of Health showing their finding of brain scans of people giving care and people receiving care. * Apparently, neuroscientists have more often studied the effects of receiving care and how receiving improves overall health. Certain areas of the brain are activated when we receive care and different areas are activated when we give care. The scientists were surprised to find that in giving, the areas of our brains that are activated include the amygdala, which is the part of our brain that develops first in life; the amygdala governs our emotions, behavior and memory. They found that the amygdala actually inhibits stress responses, even under stressful conditions, when caregiving was necessary. To summarize: even in times of great stress, the act of giving can cause our brains to release endorphins that reduce our stress response.
Perhaps that woman in our scripture reading really did give all she had to the temple treasury. Perhaps it was in her giving that she found peace of mind. Perhaps it was in her giving that she found the strength to face another day.
In closing, I will leave you with words from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran:
“Then said a rich man, Speak to us of Giving.
And he answered:
You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow?
And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the overprudent dog burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the holy city?
And what is fear of need but need itself?
Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, the thirst that is unquenchable?
There are those who give little of the much which they have—and they give it for recognition and their hidden desire makes their gifts unwholesome.
And there are those who have little and give it all.
These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty.
There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.
And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is their baptism.
And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue;
They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space.
Through the hands of such as these God speaks, and from behind their eyes. He smiles upon the earth.
It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding;
And to the open-handed the search for one who shall receive is joy greater than giving.
And is there aught you would withhold?
All you have shall some day be given;
Therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not your inheritors’.
You often say, “I would give, but only to the deserving.”
The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture.
They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish.
See first that you yourself deserve to be a giver, and an instrument of giving.
For in truth it is life that gives unto life—while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness.
And you receivers—and you are all receivers—assume no weight of gratitude, lest you lay a yoke upon yourself and upon him who gives.
Rather rise together with the giver on his gifts as on wings;
For to be overmindful of your debt, is to doubt his generosity who has the freehearted earth for mother, and God for father.”
Friends, may we be blessed in our giving and gracious in our receiving. So be it. Amen.
*https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4851591/
Pastoral Prayer
Source of love we call God, we are in dire need of your guidance. It is so difficult to care for one another in a polarized atmosphere, where the expression of opinions and beliefs run roughshod over the call for civility. I pray your help, Lord, in steering us towards a better way, whatever that may be. Perhaps one in which we can see one another without labels and the judgement that comes along with labels; perhaps one in which we can both oppose the practice of war and still hold those who have served are are still serving in high esteem. We are all suffering in various ways, and there is healing to be found in helping those whose sufferings are greater than our own. For the victims of war everywhere, we pray for you. For the Veterans that are waiting for medical care, counseling and treatment, we pray for you. For the leaders of our local, state and national government, we pray for you. May the light of peace and the pull of hope and the warmth of compassion guide us today and always. In Christ’s name, I pray. Amen
Benediction
I leave you now with these words from Philipians 4:6
“Have no anxiety, but in every prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God. And may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds.”