Prayers of the People: How We Mite ~ Proper 27, 25th Sunday after Pentecost '24 Yr B

For Sunday, November 10, 2024,  Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17, Psalm 127, Hebrews 9:24-28, 

Mark 12:38-44

I need to seek some security for you, so that it may be well with you. [Ruth 3:1b] 

Children are a heritage from the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is a gift. [Psalm 127:4]

Christ…will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those eagerly waiting for him. [Hebrews 9:28]

 Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes who like to...be greeted with respect in the marketplaces ...They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation... Truly I tell you, this poor widow...has put in more than...all of them contributing out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had... [Mark 12:38-40, 43-44]

   The Gospel appointed for this week is the story of the impoverished widow who gives her last two coins to the local treasury, in what we’ve come to know as “the widow’s mite.” A mite is a very small contribution. When I was a kid in Catholic school we were given “mite boxes” in Lent to give our coins to one cause or another. The contrast here is made between this widow giving her very last two coins and those who give large sums out of their wealth with plenty to spare. The wealthy, of course, ran no risk of hunger or homelessness as this piece implies about the unnamed widow. Whatever became of her ~ was she cared for by neighbors, did she truly lose everything in a last moment of supreme generosity? We don’t know. But, perhaps trusting it would be for good, she gave all she had.

   This small slice of Mark’s Gospel comes on the heels of Jesus warning about those who cannot be trusted, those who seek only honor for themselves and devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. Jesus is quick to say in effect, that God knows what we carry in our hearts and minds and the mere appearance of faithfulness will not help in the end.

    In the letter to the Hebrews, the writer is clear that Christ will come again ~ not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him as, we are told, Jesus is faithful to those who live in faith and trust.

    As part of the collection of writings for this week, the first sets the stage for the others as often happens. Ruth was a widow with no children to carry on their family lineage.  Because of Ruth’s faithfulness to Naomi, her loving mother-in-law, Naomi saw to it that Ruth found a new husband, conceived a child, and through her love Naomi becomes baby nurse and surrogate grandmother. Ruth trusted Naomi and was rewarded in many ways. Her child became the grandfather of King David, in the lineage of Jesus.

   The Psalm tells us plainly that Children are a heritage from the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is a gift. While not all wombs give birth to children, all of us are the children of parents present or not, good or bad, and of the always-present God who created us. We each are a gift from God called to live in faithfulness and to care for one another. It is not we who determine our lineage, who will become great, who will not. It is not up to us to decide which child, young or old, is worthy, as God lives within us all. We are to seek, expect, and honor the spark of God in everyone.

   Monday, November 11, 2024, is the 106^th Anniversary of the Armistice that formally ended WWI, the momentary peace in the world that has never lasted long because we humans deny God’s lineage in ourselves and in others. Abundance of wealth and privilege is not an antidote to the poverty of self-importance. When we fail to embrace the fullness of the Gospel message in how we live our lives, we may discover too late that very much is not enough. How we mite or much from what we don’t or do have and why, only we and God can know.     

 LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Lord our God, children are our heritage from You, the fruit of those wombs where hope blossoms in every birth and Your light shines through every tiny face. Guide us to live in ways that honor the You who lives deeply within all the children in this world, in each other, and especially in ourselves as the children of You that we are.

                                                    Holy and Faithful God

RESPONSE:               We put our trust in You 

~ O Lord our God, keep our hearts fearless to carry the words and actions of peace and equity to the halls of government in our World, our Nation, and our Community, to establish for all time that the rights and privileges of some are the rights and privileges of all. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Holy and Faithful God

                                                       We put our trust in You

~ O Lord our God, lay Your healing hand upon those weary of the pain, anguish, or fears of this life, and hold fast to those who offer caring help. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       Holy and Faithful God

                                                       We put our trust in You

~ O Lord our God, may our grief be calmed as we send our loved ones Home to the eternal splendor of new life in Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Holy and Faithful God

                                                       We put our trust in You

~  O Lord our God, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…add your own petitions

                                                       Holy and Faithful God

                                                       We put our trust in You    

~ O Lord our God, ease the path of all who are anointed to call us to Your Word and Sacraments and who inspire us to serve in this world together in Christ’s holy name, until His return. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       Holy and Faithful God

                                                       We put our trust in You

The Celebrant adds: Creator Lord, Spirit of Hope, 106 years ago tomorrow, Your people breathed a collective sigh of peace and promise for the future, as the misery of World War I was signed, sealed, and finished. But restive humans, never satisfied, keep destroying one another through wars on battlefields and wars of racial, religious, and economic divisiveness and violence. Release us from the poverty of self-importance and complacence, to joyfully accept the abundance of and openly embracing Christ’s Gospel of peace, truth, and justice for all, with all, every day, and everywhere. We ask through Jesus, our Divine Teacher; and through the Holy Spirit, our Wisdom Guide; who together with You are One, Infinite, Eternal God, now and forever.  Amen.   

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