SERMON for 11/8/2009, Carolyn Woodall, Mark 12:38-44

SERMON for 11/8/2009

Carolyn Woodall

Mark 12:38-44

Capo 3d fret: Intro Am

Am                                  G

They say that Richard Cory owns one half of this whole town

     Am                       E7

With political connections to spread his wealth around

D5

Born into society a banker's only child

       Am   G       C               E7

He had everything a man could want; power, grace and style

REFRAIN

C                    Am

But I -- work in his factory

      D5

And I curse the life I'm living,

And I curse my poverty

                            C                      Am

And I wish that I could be, oh I wish that I could be

     D5                D7                Am

Oh I wish that I could be   -    Richard Cory

     Am                             G

The papers print his picture almost everywhere he goes

         Am                        E7

Richard Cory at the opera, Richard Cory at a show

         D5

And the rumors of his parties and the orgies on his yacht

        Am     G       C          E7

Oh, he surely must be happy with everything he's got

REFRAIN

    Am                          G

He freely gave to charities, he had the common touch

               Am                                  E7

And they were grateful for his patronage, and they thanked him very much

      D5

So my mind was filled with wonder when the evening headlines read

Am      G         C                         Am

Richard Cory went home last night and put a bullet through his head.

REFRAIN

OK, so the Gospel reading for today reminded me of a song. Anyone surprised? That song is called “Richard Cory,” and it’s by Simon and Garfunkel – favorites of mine from years and years ago. The Gospel reminded me of this particular song because the song talks about the haves and the have nots, about form verses substance..

Richard Cory, you see, is a scribe – well, a modern variation on one. He is one of the favored in society. Dad was a banker so Richard was born into the higher reaches of society – not the top, necessarily, but well up there.

So were the scribes. A scribe, in this context, was not a secretary or clerk. Back then, scribes, even civil scribes, were high officials. The civil scribes had clerks and secretaries to write and keep documents for them. Archeologists have discovered that many of the civil scribes could not even read or write – except what they had to do to make documents official. They know this because they found a series of documents attested to by one particular scribe and a mistake crept into it along the way – and was faithfully repeated in every document that man did.

Nevertheless, that illiterate scribe was a big shot in civil society. The scribes in the temple were even bigger in their own realm. They could read and write. They were the teachers of the law. They wore long, fringed, white linen robes that reached almost all the way to the ground. Richard Cory probably wore thousand dollar suits.

The scribes had the most important seats in the synagogues – the ones closest to the “ark” that held the sacred scrolls – the seats where EVERYONE could see them. Kind of like Richard Cory getting the best seats at the theater, the head of the table at the board meetings, and the best seats at restaurants.

Richard wore his wealth and power conspicuously and everyone knew who he was. He cared about how he was seen by the public and he was publicly glamorous and publicly generous. But behind this wonderful image was a businessman who cared about the bottom line – not about the people who helped make the bottom line. That would be the singer of the song - the guy who works in Richard’s factory and hates his life.

Richard sounds just like the scribes in the Gospel. The scribes “like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers.” It’s a different setting, but, really, no difference in substance. The scribes made sure everyone knew they were big shots. They cared about their public image, yet they “devoured” widows houses. What that means is this - they weren’t paid a salary, you see, but relied upon the generosity of their patrons. Widows were a fairly easy and popular target for abuse. But people didn’t see that. They saw the public image the scribes wanted them to see.

Richard Cory was respected for his wealth, power, and generosity. The scribes were respected for their knowledge and piety. Both lorded it over others by their public actions. Hey everyone, I’m Richard Cory - you may admire me now. Hey everyone, I’m a scribe – you may admire me now.

What about the guy in the factory? His is an attitude we all know too well. He was jealous of Richard Cory. He was a poor, working stiff and life wasn’t easy for him. But he knew it would all be better if he only had money and power. He wanted to be Richard Cory. If he were in Richard Cory’s shoes then everything would be all right.

But no, it wouldn’t be all right. I think that’s the point Jesus was making in this Gospel reading. Jesus watched people put large amounts of money in the treasury but considered it not to be particularly significant. Why? Because it didn’t mean anything to them. It was what you did to be admired and loved and to fulfill your “duty” to God, but they really didn’t sacrifice anything. I’m sure the officials at the temple were delighted to get all that money, but that really wasn’t the point.

If Bill Gates were to offer to build us a nice, new church building I’m sure we would all be delighted, too. And maybe Bill would have some warm and fuzzy feelings for a few minutes, but it is not the kind of giving that would truly feed his soul because he wouldn’t even miss the money. And he gets to write it off for tax purposes. So Bill, come on down.

What about the widow? Let’s talk about her. The point Jesus made about her was pretty clear. Her giving was a pittance compared to that church building Bill Gates is going to give us – enough perhaps to buy a few communion wafers. But you know what? We need communion wafers, too. And that widow gave a tremendous amount – for her. All she had to live on.

There’s another widow it today’s readings as well. In the Old Testament lesson we learn that a widow was gathering wood for a fire to cook the last of her food for herself and her son. They were going to eat what they had and then she expected they would starve to death. When Elijah told her to take that food and cook it for him her initial response was to say, in substance, “I don’t think so.” But Elijah prophesied to her, which means he spoke on behalf of the Lord, and reassured her that she would have all she needed. She trusted in God, and it was as Elijah said.

Now you know, I suspect God did not fill the first widow’s purse with gold, but we can be sure that God gave her what she needed – in abundance. It isn’t about money or food, church buildings or communion wafers. Jesus was not telling the disciples to give everything they had to live on. It was a deeper lesson Jesus taught. That widow found favor with God because she gave to God what was important to her – everything. Both widows did. One gave money to the temple; one gave the last of her food to God’s prophet. But it’s not a question of what or how much we give to God in absolute terms. The lesson is that we give all that we have and all that we are to God.

We give to the church, yes. We give money, we give time, and we give the talents God has given us. But we also need to give ourselves to God – our hearts, minds, and souls. That is truly giving all we have.

Now what about Richard Cory? In a twist to the song that was very typical of Simon and Garfunkel, Richard Cory knew that his life was only fabulous on the outside. It had no substance, no meaning, and he didn’t know how to bring those things into his life – he didn’t read today’s lessons. He couldn’t stand to live a life with no substance or true meaning, and he committed suicide. And the guy in the factory STILL wanted to be Richard Cory. He didn’t understand why Richard Cory killed himself, but HE would be fine if he had that money and wealth, if only he could be Richard Cory.

But we know that’s not true - not even for Richard Cory. The widow who put all she had in the treasury, and the widow who trusted the word of the Lord and went to make bread for Elijah, with the only food she had left in the house - for them it was fine. They didn’t have much, but they gave all they had - money, food, themselves- to the service of God. Their faith sustained them and gave their lives meaning and substance such that they could trust God to take care of their physical needs. When we give all that we are to God, then whether we are the haves, the have nots, or are somewhere in between, we are wealthy. Our lives then truly have substance and our lives are worth living because we know God.

But beware of Richard Cory for he likes to ride around in limousines, party on his yacht, and get his picture in the paper. He oppresses others to get what he needs, but it’s OK because he gives generously to charity. Beware of Richard Cory, because Richard Cory had all the riches of the world that he wanted, yet because he did not know God, Richard Cory went home last night and put a bullet through his head.. Let’s be like the widows, instead. Let’s give all that we have, all of ourselves, to God and enjoy true wealth.