Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B

Donna G. Joy

Mark 12:38-44

Today we gather, as we do each and every Sunday, to worship God, who has sacrificed His own Son for us, and who sustains us with the gift of the Holy Spirit as we answer Jesus’ call to follow his way of self-sacrifice and peace. This central theme within the Gospel message is emphasized, yet again, in our passage this morning from the Gospel according to Mark, where we heard the story of the poor widow, selflessly giving away – sacrificing – everything she had. In Mark’s gospel Jesus juxtaposes this story with his previous challenging comments about those who strive for places of privilege and importance – people who make a spectacular display of impressive public prayer while at the same time taking advantage of those who are poor – in particular – widows. Widows – at that time and in that culture - were extremely vulnerable (somewhat invisible) members of society.

In Mark’s Gospel, so much of what has led up to this morning’s passage has emphasized the full and complete sacrifice Jesus is about to make on the cross, with countless reminders that those who follow Him are called to sacrifice for others the way he has sacrificed for us. That is, to sacrifice our own comfort, our own agenda, and if need by our own lives … all for the sake of others. The woman in this passage serves as an important vision of what faithful discipleship looks like. “This woman” says Jesus, “gave – sacrificed – everything she had; she held nothing back.”

So, today as we gather and – once again – acknowledge the sacrifice Jesus – all for the sake of humanity, as we gather to continue the lifelong process of discovering what it is to sacrifice for others as He has done for us… we remember those whose very lives (and, all too often, deaths) serve as profound examples of what this kind of full and complete sacrifice looks like. Role models for this brand of full and complete sacrifice are not exclusive to the church.

Today we remember the countless men and women who, like Abraham and Sarah have sacrificed everything in an attempt to make the world a more peaceful place. We remember the kind of extreme living conditions men and women have endured – the intense training that prepared them for such sacrifice – the fear as well as mental, spiritual and physical hardship they have endured. This remembering helps illuminate what the individual sailor, soldier and airman/woman has experienced and continues to experience – all so that others may live in peace. Whatever our views may be regarding the reality of war – and I know there are many diverse views within this gathering here today – it is faithful to gather in this way to remember and to pray. So, today we remember those who have sacrificed everything and often their lives – all for the sake of others. We remember and we pray for those who are currently deployed; those who are currently sacrificing so much – so that others may live in peace . . . “This woman, this man” says Jesus, “gave – sacrificed – everything she had, everything he had, and held nothing back.”

We remember and we pray for family and friends who mourn the death of those who have sacrificed their lives. We remember and we pray for those who continue to live with the physical, emotional, spiritual and psychological scars from having experienced the terrors of war. We remember and we pray for their families and friends who live with the pain of watching their loved one suffer.

And today we also remember others – in various different contexts - who serve as important role models in terms of what it looks like to make significant sacrifices so that other may live in peace. Just this past week I was reading about Rebecca Joshua Okwaci from Sudan. She is a woman who has suffered through bloodshed, war and death and has decided to sacrifice everything in order to work toward peace. She works as a journalist as well as the Secretary General of Women’s Action for Development in South Sudan; she also works with an organization known as Sudanese Women’s Empowerment for Peace. She is committed to providing education for women and communities so that they may develop the skills necessary to promote peace in Sudan and South Sudan. She has been quoted to say, “During the war, when we were on the run and fighting to stop the bombing of our villages, our people often gave us eggs and chicken to eat. Now we are giving them a hope for peace.” She is sacrificing everything and devoting her life to the process of building peace. “This woman” says Jesus, “gave – sacrificed – everything she had; she held nothing back.”

This week I found myself thinking, yet again, of Romeo Dallaire. He is known widely for his leadership and his challenges in the midst of the Rwanda genocide, and for his book ‘Shake Hands with the Devil.’ Now, he has made it very clear that he will devote the rest of his life urging the U.N. to eradicate the use of child soldiers. Currently there are 300,000 child soldiers, so Romeo Dallaire makes the point that if there were no child soldiers, it would be impossible to sustain many of the wars that currently exist. His latest book, ‘They Fight Like Soldiers. They Die Like Children’ offers a devastating account of the horrible abuse that is inflicted upon these children. Romeo Dallaire has also been involved in establishing the Child Soldiers Initiative – to develop an integrated set of tools that can be used to prevent the recruitment of children into armed groups. Romeo Dallaire has proven over and over again that he is prepared to make extraordinary sacrifices so that others may live. “This man” says Jesus, “gave – sacrificed – everything he had; he held nothing back.”

Another person whose life has always both intrigued and inspired me is a courageous woman by the name of Mary Harris Jones, otherwise known as ‘Mother Jones’. She was a poor widow who sacrificed everything in order to establish a more just and peaceful world. In the mid 1800’s her husband and children died from a Yellow Fever epidemic, and she spent the rest of her life as a trade union activist and strong opponent of child-labour. Her children were taken from her while they were still babies, so she spent the rest of her life improving conditions for the children of others. She said, “The employment of children is doing more to fill prisons, etc. than all the efforts of reformers attempting to improve society.” She could see that being subjected to the abuses of horrific and strenuous labour, often as early as six years old, was taking these children into a lifetime of violence and crime . . . so as we remember the work and passion of this remarkable woman we recognize her as one who was working toward a more just and peaceful world in which the dignity of every human being was honoured. At her funeral the preacher said, “Wealthy coal operators and capitalists throughout the United States are breathing sighs of relief while toil-worn children, women and men are weeping tears of bitter grief. The reason for this contrast of relief and sorrow is apparent. Mother Jones is dead.” “This woman” says Jesus, “gave – sacrificed – everything she had; she held nothing back.”

It is interesting to note that while Mother Jones was raised a Catholic she never claimed allegiance, feeling that the organized church had abandoned the revolutionary nature that Jesus espoused. She saw Jesus as one who ministered to and stood in solidarity with the poor – one who chose to die rather than betray the poor.

So, today we remember:

• all those, in various different contexts, who make extraordinary sacrifices in order to build and promote peace.
• those who sacrifice so much – all so that others may live in peace.
• those who have sacrificed their comfort, safety and often their lives within the context of the terrors of war.
• those who currently sacrifice in this way.
• their families and their friends.
• those who make sacrifices in order to build peace in various different ways – people like Rebecca Joshua Ikwaci; Romeo Dallaire; Mother Jones…
• those who are committed to building peace within the context of their own families, their communities and neighbourhoods and work places; within the life and ministry of their church… 

Let us remember and give thanks and pray for all those, past, present and future who sacrifice so much in order to help build a more just and peaceful world. For those whose lives have been sacrificed so that others may live in peace, may they rest in peace.

The following is the creed which establishes the mandate for our Canadian Military Search and Rescue Team:

Without regard for my personal comfort or self-advancement, to the best of my ability and the limitations of my physical and psychological endurance I solemnly pledge to make every effort to return to safety, those victims of disaster entrusted to my care by the mission to which I have consented. These things I shall do: that others may live.

Although this creed is not ‘Christ centered’ it does articulate – at some very significant level – the kind of selfless-sacrifice Jesus has made for us and we are called to make for others.

May we, as followers of the Prince of Peace, sacrifice for others as He has sacrificed for us. “This woman, this man” says Jesus, “gave – sacrificed – everything she had, everything he had and held nothing back.” May Jesus say this of each of us.