This gospel we just heard about the widow giving away her last pennies in the temple offering might seem like it is a gospel about money and generosity. You might even be fearing that this could easily turn into a fund-raising homily, this gospel gets used a lot for that. But you’re safe on that front, in 30 years no one has ever asked me here to take on that assignment. At least not so far. So rest assured we’re not doing that today. In fact, let’s think of it today not as a gospel about money at all, the money here stands for something else. This is a gospel…

This gospel about the poor widow who gives everything she has to the temple has probably been the most popular scripture for fund-raising in the history of church fund-raising, no matter what denomination you’re a part of. After all, how could you not use a gospel where the message seems to be, even if you think you don’t have a lot to give, dig down, and make a real sacrifice with what you have. And it’s paired with yet another reading from the Old Testament, about yet another widow, who serves the prophet Elijah with her last scrap of flour and oil. The question of how much to give away,…