NRSMark 12
41He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43Then 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. 44For 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."
NRS1 Corinthians 16
2On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save whatever extra you earn, so that collections need not be taken when I come.
Congratulations! You are among the most generous people on earth.
No kidding! Among all the nations of the world, Americans lead the pack in charitable giving. No one else comes close. Not surprisingly, our two leading candidates for president are both, by all measures, extremely generous men, reflecting well the spirit of this generous nation. By region, too, you live in one of the most generous areas of the United States. The Deep South includes five of the top ten states in percent of income given away. Louisiana missed the top 10, ranking 13th in charitable giving, edging out Texas at number 14, but way behind Mississippi who ranks third with an average of 7.2 % of income given. (Anybody want to guess who’s #1? Answer: Utah at 10.6%) Baton Rouge largely reflected statewide giving, making the top third of American cities in charitable giving. But even among Americans, Louisianans, and Baton Rougeans, you still lead in generosity. Studies consistently find that people, like you, who regularly attend church, give away proportionately much more of their income than those who don’t, and that’s not just giving to church. Across the board to all charities, churchgoers are among the most generous people in this whole great nation of givers. And that makes you awesome! High fives all around!
The same thing happens with my second resolution, to rest when I’m tired. Now I’m a person one of those people that need a reasonable night’s rest to function well the next day, and optimally, that means about 8 hours in the sack. I’m lucky to get six. I tell myself, “Get into a routine. Start getting ready for bed early. Allow yourself time to cycle down.” So fine, I’ll just read a little, or I’ll just watch an old movie, or I’ll just lie quietly in my bed, breathe deeply, and pray gently. Three hours later I’m looking at the clock and starting to panic because I have so much to do in what is already the next day.
I got most of those stats from a study on how America gives released by The Chronicle of Philanthropy in August of this year. While preparing this sermon on proportionate giving, I also scanned many other sources for what and how Americans share their wealth. After a couple of days of looking at various graphs, charts, and study methodologies, I was reminded of (I think it was) Harry Truman’s distinction between statistics and “darn” statistics. As often happens, the more numbers you look at, the harder it becomes to make great big generalizations. But from what I read, checked, and bounced off people in philanthropic circles, it’s a pretty safe bet to conclude that among Americans it’s often the people in the lowest income brackets who give proportionately more than any others. Of course, that’s just a statistical profile. There are stellar examples of vast generosity among all income brackets, but on the whole, statistically speaking, people who make $20,000 or less per year tend to give proportionately more than people making $200,000 or more per year.
Is anybody else surprised at that? I have to admit, it kind of caught me by surprise, but then I got to thinking. High proportionate giving in states like Mississippi and Alabama is often correlated to higher rates of churchgoing and conservatism, but it may also have something to do with the very high numbers of poor people in those states. I’ve also seen this phenomenon up close and personally. As a pastor, I’ve been blessed to know some of the most amazingly generous people in the world, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been absolutely floored when people of very modest means have made gifts that made my jaw drop and my knees knock. Apparently, this is not a new occurrence, since Jesus himself, 2000 years ago, also lifted up the example of a poor widow who put to shame the “big givers” of her day.
We all know the story of the widow’s mite. Especially during stewardship season, pastors love to preach on the widow as a model of proportionate giving. While her two copper coins, her “mite” in the King James Version, was a much smaller sum than the large amounts that far richer people put into the Temple treasury, her gift was proportionately out of sight, as in everything. But there’s much more to this story than just an illustration of proportionate giving. What’s amazing about this woman, and what makes her so interesting to Jesus, is, I think, the spirit out of which she gave her gift. With less than two cents to her name, she knew that her life depended entirely upon God. Her mite wasn’t going to provide her any safety net, and as a widow, she probably had no family to fall back on when times got tough, as they invariably do. Her sole help and salvation was the Lord, and her gift that day to the Temple treasury was her living out that truth.
Is it easier, then, for the poor to be generous than for the better off? From my research this past week, there seem to be a lot of factors that make for generosity, including where you live. When people making $200K or more per year live in a zip code where 40% of their neighbors are also making $200K, they tend, on average, to give barely half of what people in the same income bracket give who live in a more economically diverse zip code. I guess you could call that the “Keeping up with the Joneses” effect. When your neighbors have more and more, it’s easier to feel that you have less and less to give away.
Now I’m sure there are miserly poor, as there are miserly middle-class and miserly rich. On the other hand, when all you’ve got is five bucks, then fifty cents is still just fifty cents, but when you’ve got $50,000, then $5000 of that seems more like an arm and a leg. Wealth, or lack thereof, can have spiritual consequences, as Jesus testified in last week’s gospel on the camel and the eye of the needle. But when every bill every day convinces you that your back is to the wall and you’ve got no place to go except to the Lord, then I can see how you might be more likely to demonstrate that dependence in generous giving.
With more in the bank, or more in my wallet, or more under the mattress, it’s more tempting for me to believe that I don’t have to put all my eggs in the Lord’s basket. And even when those resources are less than robust, it’s just as easy to tell myself, “Well, I’ve got my health. I’ve got my education. I’ve got my family to fall back on.” But whether we have two dollars or two million, whether we have a Ph.D. or a GED, we are no less dependent on the same grace and mercy as the widow at the Temple. Whatever we may have in wealth, health, or character, nothing we can possess or control changes the equation of our complete reliance on the Lord’s goodness.
After the events of 2008, does anyone still believe that any economic edifice can’t be brought to the brink of collapse? Don’t tell the Wall Street Journal, but even the mighty, mighty Button Family Financial Empire has seen its shaky moments. (If only I hadn’t invested in those cheese pants! ) But again, is there any amount of fame or fortune that I can amass that will insulate me from the consequences of my own actions or even the actions of others? Before you answer that, consider first the situation of cyclist Lance Armstrong. After accumulating massive documentation, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has concluded that Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career, even as he issued denial after denial. Already Nike and his other sponsors have withdrawn their endorsement contracts with him. Last Thursday I read in the paper that he has stepped down as chair of his Live Strong Foundation. He’s already under a lifetime ban from cycling, and in the very near future it’s expected that he will be stripped of his many titles, including his seven consecutive victories at the Tour de France. People will say, “Well, he still has all that money!” True, but for as long as he lives, and I suspect for long after he dies, no matter what good he may yet achieve, the name Lance Armstrong will be associated with cheating and lying. Do you remember the words of David as he grieved over his dead friend Jonathan? “Oh, how the mighty have fallen …” (2 Samuel 1:25).
Proportionate giving is not simply an arithmetic calculation. It’s not just about figuring a percentage of your gross, or adjusted, or discretionary income. Proportionate giving begins with the realization that all we are and all we ever will be is in the hands of God. I’m grateful for the support I hope one day to receive from pension and retirement accounts, but God is still the one, the only, the unfailing safety net. When we give out of that awareness, then we give proportionately, generously, joyfully.
In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
