Pastor John Wright

Obviously the OT reading and the Gospel reading hang together by the character of nameless widows. Rather than moralizing the behavior of these widows, it might be helpful to read the texts from the perspective of what they are doing. Of course, when we are talking about widows, we are talking then, as now, a group that lives a very precarious economic life. Minimal income, minimal protection from intruders, very vulnerable in every way, especially to males and larger institutions -- we must remember this as we approach this passage.

I guess that the status of a widow comes to me in light of my Grandma Bridenbaugh. She was widowed before I was born; I remember when about 8 someone broke into her isolated farm house and beat her up and left her for dead, and her life subsequent life in a small Ohio town. Perhaps you have stories of the vulnerabilities of widows that you have known in your life that might help us understand the social background to these stories so that we might hear the offense of these readings.

1 Kings 17:8-1

Given your discussion above, discuss the social status of the widow from Zarephath. Given this social condition, what do you think of God's instructions to Elijah -- and Elijah's willingness to follow it through. What do you think of Elijah's demands? We need to understand as well that at this time, Elijah is a refugee, an immigrant, an Israelite that has had to leave his land because of political oppression who has no family or cultural claim on the woman. How does Elijah talk to her initially? Does God tell Elijah that he will provide for her over time? From the perspective of the "right now", what does God's instruction and Elijah's demand feel like? To whom is God sending Elijah for support during his exile?

Mark 12:38-44

Notice the sayings of Jesus that begin the reading. Who do the Pharisees abuse in order to gain their honor? Yet what is happening in the treasury of the temple? Why would Jesus commend the widow in the Temple? What is the Temple offering doing to her? What does this say about Jesus' concept of justice and economics?

We might (meaning, I might) be offended at what these passages suggest about the economics that these passages suggest about the widow. Why? What must we presuppose to make sense of these passages? What makes the widows admirable, persons to imitate, not fools? What does this suggest about economics, the poor, giving, and God?

Maybe you can conclude the night by reading the Hebrews passage. It has its own beauty:

Hebrews 9:24-28
Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.