God Over Possessions

“In times of drought, we need to limit our focus. We need to find whatever oil and flour still belongs to us and bake today’s bread—always trusting that God will provide bread for tomorrow.”

“Turning away from God means turning away from the source of life...If you turn away from the source of life, life is going to dry up”

“Connection to God leads to life. Connection to God is like having a garden of flourishing life. When we sever the connection with God what happens is drought, is lifelessness.”

“what he means is the old sacrificial system is now obsolete because the new temple has arrived which is his own person”

“Rather than throwing people away, we see Jesus treating all of us humans as, well, human. What can we learn from the example of our Savior?”

“Each one of us is a priest of the heavenly temple, called to be a sign of God’s mercy, called to give hope and consolation, meaning and value to those who seek the presence of God”

“she has put in her whole living. She has laid her life on the line in this gift. She has become an icon of Christ, a living image of the Saviour.”

“Was Jesus commending the widow and recommending his followers to imitate her generosity — or was he passing judgment on the Temple, for its power to exploit her innocence?”

“If the widow of Sidon soon discovers that God miraculously rewards her generosity towards his prophet, this is also a sign which looks forward to the redemptive generosity of God pouring forth upon humanity in the Pentecostal gifts of the Risen Christ”

“This widow is perfect discipleship material because...she gives her whole life to God. Tragically, she gives it to the wrong thing, a religious system that Jesus has just demonstrated exploits people just like her”

“To call on Christ is to open our lives to love, and love brings pain; yet without Christ we suffer alone”

“like Mark’s widow, widows banding together to support one another, to care for one another and to love one another are exemplars to us all of what it means to be the church: a community willing to struggle with one another and listen to one another with all our quirks and weaknesses”

“Our generosity to others especially the poor and abandonned is a powerful means of attracting God’s blessing...When we empty our jars and pitchers with and for others, God fills them to the full”

“Can anyone face the judgment of God? Only those who trust completely in him, and we call this trust “faith.””

“For God has first loved us, and he has given himself and he continues to give us his gifts, indeed, all that we have, so that we might recognise how much we are loved, so that we can dare to love God in return”

“So often we give, but we give from surplus. So often we sacrifice, but not enough to hurt.”

“We try to be faithful to what God has called us to do, but we are still subject to suffering and pain, to taking up our cross daily and following Christ. Are we reluctant to acknowledge our helplessness and pain and seek counsel and help?”

“Am I taking only what is truly essential from the Earth God created for us and using it in a thoughtful, responsible way? Do I give something back to the Earth in exchange for what I take from it?”

“Poverty is not a sin; but it can be a crime if the world (which means us) ignores the plight of the poor”

“As difficult as our trials may be, they can lead us to God. It is often our brokenness that allows the love of God in.”

“The danger is that we can become like the scribes and Pharisees, proud of our religious practices and commitment to the Church but blind to what is outside our door”

“When you are linked to God who is nothing but gift, then you can give and give out of that deep space and it will never run out”