The new math: $1 > $100,000

Sometimes it almost unnerves me when I pray specifically that God would draw my sins to attention under the Word and it happens almost like clockwork. Maybe that's the fear of God, recognizing that He can use someone who isn't speaking to me specifically to hit me where it counts from 1000 yards, so to speak. Or maybe it's just a "wow, He knows all that about me and still loves me anyways."

I have never, to my knowledge, heard a Mother's day sermon drawn from the story of the Widow's Mite.... until today. Drawn from the narrative of Mark 12:41-44, it tells the story of the widow that Jesus saw depositing her last few dollars, so to speak, into the temple treasury after observing many others, including the very wealthy, giving large amounts of money. As pastor Andy put it, Jesus was more interested in her state of mind [giving what she had to live on] than the amount, saying that her $1 was greater than the tithes of relative millionaires.

Pastor Andy went on to apply this example to mothers, who, at least in my case, put in a lot of largely unseen effort over a lifetime being a manager, waitress, teacher, counselor, and example to their children. I have the benefit of hindsight, but I'm sure I still don't quite see all that my mom has done over the years and continues to do.

He also gave the example of people from Time Mag's "power givers", very well making the point that Jesus does not condemn those rich He saw making their donations, as if somehow they must be doing it out of pride, self-righteousness or something worse. There are many rich that God has moved upon to support His church through their tithes and gifts. I'm sure that I'm not completely replicating the spirit in which he said those words, but I recall noting that he seemed to have hit the perfect balance of valuing and praising what the widow did without denigrating the similarly spirited gifts of those who have a lot more to give.

Take my silver and my gold
not a mite would I withhold
Take my intellect, and use
every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour
at thy feet it's treasure store
Take myself and I will be
ever, only, all for Thee

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