Brown's Daily Word 11-11-11

Good morning,

Praise the Lord for this Friday. It is 11/11/11. We will not pass this way again. May the Lord bless us in every way to redeem the time we have upon the earth.

We tend to underestimate the smaller things in life. Jesus drew the attention of His listeners and even to His disciples to a poor widow whose meager offering was all she had. He held her up as an example to his listeners. Those were difficult words for them to hear. They knew a widow's economic standing was barely above that of a slave. Widows received charity; they were allowed to glean after the reapers had finished a field. They were also routinely swindled by the more powerful. Far from having a big name, this woman's name wasn't even known.

First of all, this story forces us to recognize that our temptation is to stand with the powerful. It is relatively easy to hear this story from the standpoint of those who stood besides Jesus. They looked at the widow, perhaps praising her for her generosity, but kept them at a safe distance. They were on the other side, looking down. They probably exhorted one another to be more generous in their contributions to the temple based on this woman's gift. They may also have felt good about their own level of giving, which was considerable more than the widow's. They may even have resolved to do something about the widow's plight.

However noble their intentions may have been, they could have done or thought all these things without changing their self-understanding and the protection of their own interests. Did they allow the woman, or the situation, or their master's words to speak to their heart and invite them to change? Our human tendency is to fail to hear that which we do not want to hear. Our temptation, as human beings, is to stand with the powerful, but our challenge is to stand with

the widow.

The crux of the issue is that, in God's economy, the widow was more powerful in her weakness and poverty than all the others were in their strength and wealth. In contrast to those who watched the scene and gave out of their abundance, relying on themselves, the widow gave all she had, knowing that God would provide, and that her only hope was in God's mercy. This woman committed all that she had to divine keeping.

This widow did not stand alone in her faith. In I Kings 17 we read the story of another woman who gave her all into divine keeping. She and her son had no food and no money. All she had was a handful of flour and a little oil in a jar. She was going to make a small loaf for herself and her son to share, and then expected both to die of starvation. The prophet of God (Elijah) came and asked her to make him a loaf first and then one for herself and her son. Despite the fact that she barely had enough for two, she obeyed, and in the end, her oil and flour did not run out until the famine that had pervaded the land ended.

There is also the familiar story of the small boy who gave his 5 loaves and 2 fish to Jesus and the miracle of feeding of 5000 that Jesus performed with it. It is truly amazing what God can do with what we have once we give it to Him, no matter how little or insignificant it may seem to. God multiplies back to us what we give to Him or commit to His care. More often than not, it is the tendency of humanity to be like squirrels and "save up for the winter", so to speak. However, when our meager resources are at an end we find that our Father's full giving begins.

The same principal applies to all areas of our life: God calls us to give our all -our time, our talents, our resources, our self. Until we give all to Christ, we rely on self. All of our delusions of prestige and self-sufficiency may blind us to what God has for us until we reach the point where, as the hymn says, "all other helpers fail and comforts flee." Then we know that our help is in the Lord.

Standing with the widow means coming to the realization of our own neediness. and acting upon it, abandoning self-protective strategies in favor of a radical obedience that follows Christ's example. It also means doing so with humility and thanksgiving, trusting in the Lord's purpose and promise rather that human gain.

What step of obedience is God calling us to today? Remember the widow's mite - the widow's might is the providence and love of almighty God. That is where our might is, also. Let us stand together with the widow in giving our all to God and following through with radical obedience, knowing we are held in His love.

In Christ,

Brown



Saturday , November 12, 2011

Harvest Banquet: Traditional Turkey dinner with Home Made pies, Home Made cooking, "best in the Country". Donation $7.00

Serving at 12 noon

At Wesley United Methodist Church.

1000 Day Hollow Road, Endicott, NY 13760

Come Share Rejoice

For Information: 607-748-6329





Saturday , November 12.2011

Praise and Worship Service

First United Methodist Church , Endicott

Sponsored by Union Center UMC

6 PM Gathering- Coffeee- Fellowship

6.30 PM Worship

Music: Laureen Naik

Speaker: Rev. Brown Naik







NYC RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL CHRISTMAS SHOW

Dec. 6th is our planned trip to NYC to see the Radio City Christmas show. We need to confirm the bus and show tickets so must have all reservations and money into the office by Thursday, Nov. 10. You don’t want to miss this great opportunity, a bargain at $90 for transportation and the show. Call 748-6329 for more information or to confirm your reservation.