And He called His disciples to Him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."[Mark 12:43-44]
Years ago one of the churches at which I was a pastor was trying to raise funds for a much-needed addition to our school. We received many large gifts, which amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was a wonderful outpouring of Christian dedication and stewardship.
Still, the gift I remember the most came from a second-grader. She emptied her bank and gave 87 cents. Her parents explained she believed in the school and had given every penny she had. In contrast, we adults gave a larger figure, but not a better or a more God-pleasing amount.
The reason I tell the story is because, last month, First United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, received an envelope in their Sunday collection plate. Inside the envelope were a nickel, a dime, and three pennies.
Eighteen cents.
On the outside of the envelope this was written: "Please don't be mad. I don't have much. I'm homeless. God bless."
The gift from that person of faith is a wonderful thing and a beautiful story. It makes all of us recall the story of the widow who put her two mites into the temple treasury. As Jesus noted, she put in more than everyone else because she gave what she had, not what she thought she ought, or could.
There is only one thing about this story that bothers me: the four words of the homeless individual: "Please don't be mad." Now I can tell you the folks at First United were moved, not mad. That reaction would be the same at any Christian church worth its salt.
The problem arises with the question, "Why did that contributor think it would be otherwise? What had happened in his or her past that would give credence to such a suspicion?" I can only guess that the individual might have been overawed by the dress of the worshippers and the vehicles they drove to church.
Still, it may be possible that somebody, at some time, maybe quite unintentionally, had made him feel second rate.
That possibility is something of which God's people need to be constantly aware. It is something we dare not let happen.
Jesus came to seek and save the lost, to be a Friend to those who were friendless, to be the Savior to all who were helpless sinners. He has freely given us forgiveness and salvation and wishes us to freely share His eternity-changing life with others -- all the others.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, Paul told the Corinthian church that we have freely received His grace so we might abound in good works (see 2 Corinthians 9:8-9). Even as we have freely received, may we freely share and thereby glorify our Savior. In His Name we pray. Amen.
Years ago one of the churches at which I was a pastor was trying to raise funds for a much-needed addition to our school. We received many large gifts, which amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was a wonderful outpouring of Christian dedication and stewardship.
Still, the gift I remember the most came from a second-grader. She emptied her bank and gave 87 cents. Her parents explained she believed in the school and had given every penny she had. In contrast, we adults gave a larger figure, but not a better or a more God-pleasing amount.
The reason I tell the story is because, last month, First United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, received an envelope in their Sunday collection plate. Inside the envelope were a nickel, a dime, and three pennies.
Eighteen cents.
On the outside of the envelope this was written: "Please don't be mad. I don't have much. I'm homeless. God bless."
The gift from that person of faith is a wonderful thing and a beautiful story. It makes all of us recall the story of the widow who put her two mites into the temple treasury. As Jesus noted, she put in more than everyone else because she gave what she had, not what she thought she ought, or could.
There is only one thing about this story that bothers me: the four words of the homeless individual: "Please don't be mad." Now I can tell you the folks at First United were moved, not mad. That reaction would be the same at any Christian church worth its salt.
The problem arises with the question, "Why did that contributor think it would be otherwise? What had happened in his or her past that would give credence to such a suspicion?" I can only guess that the individual might have been overawed by the dress of the worshippers and the vehicles they drove to church.
Still, it may be possible that somebody, at some time, maybe quite unintentionally, had made him feel second rate.
That possibility is something of which God's people need to be constantly aware. It is something we dare not let happen.
Jesus came to seek and save the lost, to be a Friend to those who were friendless, to be the Savior to all who were helpless sinners. He has freely given us forgiveness and salvation and wishes us to freely share His eternity-changing life with others -- all the others.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, Paul told the Corinthian church that we have freely received His grace so we might abound in good works (see 2 Corinthians 9:8-9). Even as we have freely received, may we freely share and thereby glorify our Savior. In His Name we pray. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
Psalm 64: (0) For the leader. A psalm of David:
660 Mason Ridge Center Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63141 United States
1-800-876-9880
www.lhm.org
____________________________
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
Psalm 64: (0) For the leader. A psalm of David:
2 (1) Hear my voice, God, as I plead:
preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
3 (2) Hide me from the secret intrigues of the wicked
and the open insurrection of evildoers.
4 (3) They sharpen their tongues like a sword;
they aim their arrows, poisoned words,
5 (4) in order to shoot from cover at the innocent,
shooting suddenly and fearing nothing.
6 (5) They support each other’s evil plans;
they talk of hiding snares
and ask, “Who would see them?”
7 (6) They search for ways to commit crimes,
bringing their diligent search to completion
when each of them has thought it through
in the depth of his heart.
8 (7) Suddenly God shoots them down with an arrow,
leaving them with wounds;
9 (8) their own tongues make them stumble.
All who see them shake their heads.
10 (9) Everyone is awestruck —
they acknowledge that it is God at work,
they understand what he has done.
11 (10) The righteous will rejoice in Adonai;
they will take refuge in him;
all the upright in heart will exult.
Psalm 70: (0) For the leader. By David. As a reminder:
2 (1) God, rescue me!
Adonai, hurry and help me!
3 (2) May those who seek my life
be disgraced and humiliated.
May those who take pleasure in doing me harm
be turned back and put to confusion.
4 (3) May those who jeer, “Aha! Aha!”
withdraw because of their shame.
5 (4) But may all those who seek you
be glad and take joy in you.
May those who love your salvation say always,
“God is great and glorious!”
6 (5) But I am poor and needy;
God, hurry for me.
You are my helper and rescuer;
Adonai, don’t delay!
John 6:1 Some time later, Yeshua went over to the far side of Lake Kinneret (that is, Lake Tiberias), 2 and a large crowd followed him, because they had seen the miracles he had performed on the sick. 3 Yeshua went up into the hills and sat down there with his talmidim. 4 Now the Judean festival of Pesach was coming up; 5 so when Yeshua looked up and saw that a large crowd was approaching, he said to Philip, “Where will we be able to buy bread, so that these people can eat?” 6 (Now Yeshua said this to test Philip, for Yeshua himself knew what he was about to do.) 7 Philip answered, “Half a year’s wages wouldn’t buy enough bread for them — each one would get only a bite!” 8 One of the talmidim, Andrew the brother of Shim‘on Kefa, said to him, 9 “There’s a young fellow here who has five loaves of barley bread and two fish. But how far will they go among so many?”
10 Yeshua said, “Have the people sit down.” There was a lot of grass there, so they sat down. The number of men was about five thousand. 11 Then Yeshua took the loaves of bread, and, after making a b’rakhah, gave to all who were sitting there, and likewise with the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 After they had eaten their fill, he told his talmidim, “Gather the leftover pieces, so that nothing gets wasted.” 13 They gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.
14 When the people saw the miracle he had performed, they said, “This has to be ‘the prophet’ who is supposed to come into the world.” 15 Yeshua knew that they were on the point of coming and seizing him, in order to make him king; so he went back to the hills again. This time he went by himself.
16 When evening came, his talmidim went down to the lake, 17 got into a boat and set out across the lake toward K’far-Nachum. By now it was dark, Yeshua had not yet joined them, 18 and the sea was getting rough, because a strong wind was blowing. 19 They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Yeshua approaching the boat, walking on the lake! They were terrified; 20 but he said to them, “Stop being afraid, it is I.” 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and instantly the boat reached the land they were heading for.
The Lutheran Hour660 Mason Ridge Center Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63141 United States
1-800-876-9880
www.lhm.org
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