“Just then he looked up and saw the rich people dropping offerings in the collection plate. Then he saw a poor widow put in two pennies. He said, ‘The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today. All these others made offerings that they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford — she gave her all!’” Luke 21:1-4
Jesus recognized the value and sacrifice of the widow’s gift. Prior to this, (Luke 20:45-47) Jesus called out the leaders who have taken advantage of widows and others who are marginalized. So even in the midst of the systemic injustice, she resisted the notion of not having enough and gave. The widow teaches us the characteristics of giving with all of our might.
Giving is an act of resistance —
Giving resists the belief that in order to get ahead, it needs to be all about us. Giving resists the notion that we need to keep it all to ourselves. Giving resists the notion that if my life is in transition, I need to put my giving on hold. I learned this in my first visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Mbandaka. Through the outside lens, people may see the economic and political factors that affect the country. But my theology of giving was transformed during my journey. During the offering, the congregation sang and danced their way up as they put their offering into baskets, which would take almost an hour. I witnessed the church explode into a higher level of praise. After service we asked our translator about the offering. He responded, “God gives us life and ability to be with each other. God brought you safely here to us from the United States. The God who gives us everything, gives us the chance to give back to God! We are grateful. But his next statement silenced us, when he said, “But as blessed as you are in America, your offering must take two hours during your services.” That taught me the next lesson.
Giving is an act of worship —
Giving is worship with not only our treasure, our talent and our time. Worship happens when you give your time to study and service. Worship happens when you walk in your gifts and talents.
“ Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship,” Romans 12:1-2
During my second visit to Mbandaka, I preached at a church. After the sermon, they placed a huge basket on the altar and placed fruits, vegetables and other tangible gifts. When I asked my translator, she said that this basket was for me. The pastor shared, “ You have come into our community and you will not leave out of this community without us giving to you. How dare you step into this place and we not bless you. Generosity always goes beyond the four walls of a church building.” That leads to my third lesson.
Giving is an act of community —
Giving is an act of community which calls us to go into the world around us. Giving is both an individual and a team effort. Giving can take the form of volunteering at a local shelter, tutoring after school, visiting those in hospitals or home bound. Giving is an act of community when we speak out against policies that harm and marginalize others. Giving is an act of community because justice is what love looks like in public. My Congolese sisters taught me this when they formed a Micro-Credit program. They offer loans to women in the community so they can start a business or make a needed investment. The loans are paid back and the interest becomes income to women who have invested with the group. They lived out giving as an act of community.
This is the legacy of the widow who gave all she had … resisted the notion and gave, it was an act of worship with her whole being and for the benefit of community. However there is another characteristic of giving with all of our might.
Giving is an act of our Spiritual Ancestry:
God made an initial investment in all of us. God modeled this act of giving in John 3:16
“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Blessed to be a blessing to you,
Sheila P. Spencer
Minister Sheila P. Spencer is an author, educator, poet and speaker. She can be contacted at CustomMadeInspiration@gmail.com, and her website is sheilapspencer.com.
