Readings:
1 Kings 17: 8-16;
Psalm 146;
Hebrews 9: 24-28;
Mark 12: 38-44

Collect:
God of widows and strangers,
you protect the oppressed and forgotten and feed the hungry with good things.
You stand among us in Christ, offering life to all.
Give us open hearts and minds to respond with love to the world,
caring for those for whom you care.  Amen.

Reflection

Over the last few months people have been on a pilgrimage/journey to Glasgow for COP26.  Some people walked, some made the journey by train whilst others flew.  Some are poor and some rich, some are powerful and some are weak, some are famous and others aren’t but all are coming together to discuss, to plan, to challenge and ultimately to make a commitment to reverse the effects of climate change and bring healing to our world.  The importance of this gathering cannot be understated as many have said it’s our last chance to bring about some real change.

The process, from what I understand, is that the delegates gather around the table and negotiate what each country is prepared to do to help keep the rise in global temperatures below +1.5 °C.  As part of these discussions are questions about cost – whether that’s the financial costs of moving to a low carbon economy or costs of dealing with the current changes in the climate.  It is these discussions that make me think about our readings this week and in particular the story of the widow’s mite. For it all boils down to what people give, each watching what the other is doing, some proclaiming from the rafters their generosity whilst others quietly give.

In Mark’s gospel we hear how Jesus was sat near the offering box in the temple watching what people gave.  Many rich people giving lots of money and often making a show of it, then along comes a widow who quietly drops her two coins into the box.  On seeing this Jesus turns to the disciples and explains to them that it was the widow who gave the most.  She didn’t give out of what was left over, she gave sacrificially.  The same can be said of the widow in the reading from Kings. 

Their sacrificial giving, for me, is so relevant to the discussions taking place in Glasgow.  With the eyes of the world watching we have the wealthiest nations, who have grown rich through the burning of fossil fuels and exploiting the earth’s resources, debating how much of their wealth they can sacrifice in the name of arresting the climate.  Often comparing what they’re doing, from a position of power and privilege, with what others are not doing. 

Meanwhile, less developed countries and those most vulnerable to the effects of climate change such as the small island states of the Pacific or those countries who have not contributed as much to our current predicament, are being forced to take proportionately greater action.  We therefore have the richer nations giving out of their abundance and the poorer countries giving all that they have.  

We in the West are already making the switch to renewable energy but countries like India who currently depend on fossil fuels, have 27 million people who don’t even have access to electricity.  Like the people in front of Jesus, countries today have differing capacity to change and different starting points, but the key issue is giving sacrificially and not just for show.  If we are to begin to make a difference to what is happening to our climate then all of us will need to become like the widow – and give sacrificially.  The cost is too great to not do this!  The question is are we willing to take this step, are those rich countries willing to make take the risk and make a sacrificial commitment to deal with climate change.  The world is watching.  God is watching.

As we look to our world leaders to make a sacrificial agreement, may we to be prepared to make sacrifices in our own lives to help save our planet.  Let us look at how we travel, what we buy, what we eat, how and where we take our holidays.   Let us look at our lifestyles and make those changes necessary to save our world for future generations. 

Mike Morris