Where Are Our Hearts?

Sometimes our human hearts can play tricks on us. If you have ever changed your eating habits or even your exercise routine and created a new regimen it is very easy to suddenly think of ourselves as having reached a milestone while others are still way behind us.

One of my all time favorite old television sitcoms was the Jefferson's. This very funny television show was all about George and Louise Jefferson an African American family. George who experienced the marginalization of a racist driven society was once on the very bottom, trying to rise to the top. When George finally became the owner of his own successful cleaning company he had forgotten what it was like to be on the bottom of societies step ladder. How many times during the series where there hilarious exchanges about George being selfish and small minded about others? George had become arrogant and pig headed about people on the fringes of society and other races. He was often very rude and cold to Mr. Willis. The prejudice had shifted places.

No matter who we are, no matter how successful we are at a particular job, we can always be sent to the bottom. The causes for us falling through the cracks can be because of the economy (such as is happening to many people these days) or illness because of no or little health care (also happening in record numbers today) or just because life deals them or us a bad hand. Yet it is often not those on the top that have much to teach us about life, death or even charity, it is those who struggle from the bottom up.

Looking at today's readings it is easy to look upon the Religious leaders of Jesus' day as arrogant. However, such an attitude is a little self righteous on our part. All of us at one time or another think we are above others never to be taken down. We all have an abundance of something even if it is something other than money. We have talents, gifts, abilities, dreams, desires and fears. We all have those things that we keep completely to ourselves. There are also others with gifts who wish to use them to serve us, and how often do we refuse the service of others out of our own envy, prejudice or inferiority?

In today's Gospel from Mark 12: 38 to 44 we read of three groups of people. The Scribes and Pharisees who have everything, those who give out of an abundance and the widow who gave out of her poverty. I think every one of us in one way or another have something to give to God and the Church. Every one of us has something we can give to God for the benefit of others.

Our problem can be the limitations we place upon ourselves or the limitations that can be given by others. There are many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals who have much to give to society and the Church. However, due to the stereotypes often inflicted on LGBT individuals by society, the religious right and the media LGBT people are often kept from giving themselves to God out of their poverty. LGBT individuals, women and people of different races, national backgrounds, challenges and the like need to not wait for others to accept them before they put their best forward. LGBT and other individuals who are marginalized will do well if they will bring themselves to houses of worship as well as political and social establishments so that they can give their hearts to God in service of others. Many of us come with our wounds, rejections, illnesses, addictions and complicated family histories. God is the one who can best take those things and transform them to be used as witnesses of the power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in the world around us.

Where are our hearts? Are we prepared to offer ourselves, our entire selves regardless of how poor we are, how broken, the difficulty of our addictions and rejections to God? How are we allowing the opinions of others to affect our giving of ourselves to God? How are we willing to give ourselves totally and completely to the Holy Spirit and see how God makes use of all that we have and do not have? Are we the one's keeping ourselves from giving all that we have to God?

No matter who we are, how we love and who we love, where we've come from, what our racial beginnings are, what our challenges or abilities are, God can make use of the gifts we have to offer. There is no small gift given to God. There is nothing that we can give to God that God will not transform into something greater if we only trust in God to do the transforming. If we can only learn to understand that it is God who is building the house, then we could finally assist with the work of God and not try so hard to be the administrator.

As for those who have abundance to give, keep in mind that everyone starts at the bottom and at any moment we can all be put back there. When we have our abundance to give for the benefit of those who hardly have any poverty to give out of, God works with that in ways that you cannot imagine.

Let us pray for each other as we discern together what God is asking us to give. Let us ask God to help us to trust God with even the poverty of our Spirit so that we can gain a place in God's kingdom through God transforming us and using us for the good of God's Church and God's people. Amen.