A Woman Who Gave Her All Preached on November 11th, 2018 At Wollaston Congregational Church Scripture: Mark 12:38-44 Today I want to tell you about Violet. Violet was a woman at my own home church in England. I cannot remember a time when she was not there. Violet was a middle aged woman when I was a teenager, a part of that generation of women who experienced a dearth of suitors during the second world war. I don’t know if Violet had ever wanted to marry, or whether she ever had a sweet heart. A number of the single women I knew in my childhood had lost their beaus in the war. But this was rarely discussed. Violet was a petite and quiet woman, who generally dressed in brown: dress, shoes, coat and hat. When she smiled, which was often, her eyes twinkled. Violet lived a modest life, in a small home rented from the local council. I picture her small brown teapot on the counter; a table and two chairs, one for Violet and one for a guest; and a comfy chair set in front of the rented TV. Many evenings were taken by church activities, but when Violet was alone she’d enjoy a little entertainment. Her community was the church, and a small extended family who lived elsewhere. The married women in the church were known as “Mrs.” There were several Mrs. Scott’s (including my grandmother) and then Mrs. Steel, Mrs. Meadows, Mrs. Grimes … Mrs. Barron. Both the adults and children generally called the unmarried women by their first names. Except, of course, me, since my mom insisted I called Violet “Miss Dixon” which felt awkward because no one else did. Now Mrs. Barron was Violet’s best friend. They were more or less joined at the hip. They taught Sunday School together and ran a youth group out of the church. Violet was also “Brown Owl” to the village Brownie troop that met in the fellowship hall. Violet and Mrs. Barron had a heart for the youth of the community. The teenaged girls would confide in them. The ones who did not have care and support at home depended on them. Unfortunately, the duo had little control over the youth group shenanigans. Windows were broken and property was smashed. There was evidence of drinking, smoking, and other inappropriate activities. The church leaders despaired and fretted over the property damage. And yet, Violet and Mrs. Barron, soldiered on, hoping the best for their beloved youth. As years went by, the impact of the church in the community diminished. The youth group closed. Mrs. Barron died and Violet became smaller in old age, as osteoporosis took its toll. The last time I saw Violet she was coming into church one Sunday when I was home on a visit. We hugged and I felt her tiny frame in my arms. She smiled, eyes twinkling, to see me again. When I asked how she was, she said “I’m fine, thank you … but I miss Mrs. Barron.” The church had owned two adjacent buildings when I was a child. The church itself: “chapel”, and the fellowship building next door. After I had moved away the chapel was sold, and the congregation moved into the fellowship hall. This was adequate for their needs, with classrooms, a full kitchen and room for a sanctuary. And still, it was an old and expensive place for the small group to maintain. They struggled on, committed to providing a place for Christian worship and witness in the village. Then, as so often happens, a major building expense landed on them. The little remnant of church members gathered with the minister for the area to talk about what they were to do. What the minister lacked in eloquence he made up for in passion. “We’ve gotta pray like stink, work like stink and give like stink,” he announced, paraphrasing John Wesley. The group shifted uncomfortably in their seats. People examined their fingernails or checked their calendars. How much more could they pony up? Then Violet spoke “I suppose I could give up my television” she said. In our gospel story today, Jesus is teaching in the temple in Jerusalem. We are reaching the end of Mark’s story, this is the final week leading up to the crucifixion. Jesus has hard things to say about the temple and the cooperation of the religious leaders with the Roman rulers. He is outraged by the lack of consideration for the vulnerable poor of the community, especially the widows. He has seen some of the religious elite, the scribes, flaunting their robes and taking the best seats in the synagogues and social events. He sees that those who have the responsibility to care for the poor are enjoying their power and privilege instead. For Jesus, there is a rotten-ness about the power structure of the temple. No matter that this temple is the center of religious life - the dwelling place of God - Jesus will predict that soon the whole place will be destroyed. For now, though, Jesus sits and watches people come to the treasury, the place where donations are being made. And he notices someone who usually goes unnoticed: a poor, stooped widow. I imagine her dressed all in brown, as she passes by quietly and deposits her two little coins. They are the last of her savings, and now her pocket is empty. She has given every last drop of herself for the sake of the religious institution. Jesus contrasts this with the ostentatious giving of the wealthy. They have deposited large sums, but they can afford it. They don’t sacrifice, they are giving out of their abundance. But, the widow gives out of her poverty, she has nothing left to live on. I don’t know what kind of a fundraiser the temple was running. I don’t know who had instilled this widow with the idea that she should give her very last tiny coins to the treasury. But I do see some parallels between Violet and the widow. For Violet the church was her home and her family. She had already given her all, in the care of the youth, the leadership of the little brownies and in teaching in the Sunday School. She has shown up for every service, every potluck supper, every concert and every meeting. Violet was willing to give up her one small luxury: her TV set to help the church, but I hope that she didn’t have to. What kind of loving community would require this sacrifice from someone who had already given so much? The area minister was not at all like the scribes Jesus was describing. The Methodist ministers in my home-town took a very modest salary, and they took care of several small churches at one time. And this particular minister did not have any airs and graces. Nor did he have much sensitivity for the circumstances of those he was asking to “give all they could.” Violet didn’t live much longer after that last time I saw her. Members of the congregation checked in on her as her health deteriorated. And they knew how to put together her funeral service when the time came. “Blest be the Ties that Bind” would be sung. This was Violet’s favorite hymn. You see, Violet wasn’t actually bound up in the bricks and mortar of that aging fellowship building. Her attachment was for the living breathing fellowship: the teenagers she counseled, the children she taught, the little ones she recited the Brownie promise with, and her dear friend Mrs. Barron. Here’s Violet’s favorite stanza of that hymn: “When we are called to part, it gives us inward pain; but we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.” Violet did not live to see her congregation depart the aging building and take a weekly rental in the modern community building on the main street. Church meetings are not so anxious now that they have been able to let go the worries of maintenance and repair. And no elderly single woman is put in the position of having to give up her television. And I wonder, is this what Jesus was getting at, when he criticizes the scribes and the wealthy people? They have no clue, do they, of the plight of the widow. They’re too busy counting the large gifts. It happens that the temple will come to an end. And the faithful people will be devastated. And yet, out of this destruction there will be the birth of new groups of faithful people. Rabbinical Judaism will begin, with the focus on the small local synagogues and the home and family. And the Christian church will branch out from the synagogue. Sometimes something has to end for the thing that God is doing to begin. And so, I ask you to remember Violet, as you decide how you will support our church in the coming year. If you have the resources will you give so that others do not have to turn out their last coins from their pockets. And if you’ve given all you can financially, perhaps you can invest yourself in the community of the church. Violet would tell you that this is the wisest investment of all. It is a gift that keeps on giving long after the bricks and mortar have crumbled away. May all God’s people say Amen.
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