Floyd Thompkins, Jr. - "Empty Jars and Bills to Pay" (November 25, 1990)

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-	Welcome to this service of worship	0:24
	at Duke University Chapel	0:26
	on this day when we celebrate Christ the King.	0:28
	Our guest preacher is	0:32
	the Reverend Mr. Floyd Thompkins, Junior,	0:34
	Associate Chaplain of the Memorial Church	0:37
	at Stanford University in Stanford, California.	0:41
	Mr. Thompkins is a member of the National Baptist Church	0:45
	and a graduate of Bethany College and Princeton Seminary.	0:49
	He has served churches in New York and in New Jersey.	0:54
	We're delighted to welcome Mr. Thompkins to our pulpit.	0:58
	May we continue our worship.	1:03
	The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.	1:07
Congregation	And also with you.	1:12
-	The risen Christ is with us.	1:13
Congregation	Praise the Lord.	1:16
	(majestic organ music)	1:20
	(congregation sings "Crown Him With Many Crowns")	2:07
	♪ Crown him with many crowns ♪	2:09
	♪ The Lamb upon his throne ♪	2:12
	♪ Hark how the heavenly anthem drowns ♪	2:17
	♪ All music but its own ♪	2:22
	♪ Awake my soul and sing ♪	2:28
	♪ Of Him who died for me ♪	2:33
	♪ And hail Him as thy matchless King ♪	2:39
	♪ Through all eternity ♪	2:44
	♪ Crown him the Lord of life ♪	2:51
	♪ Who triumphed o'er the grave ♪	2:56
	♪ And rose victorious in the strife ♪	3:01
	♪ For those He came to save ♪	3:06
	♪ His glories now we sing ♪	3:12
	♪ Who died and rose on high ♪	3:17
	♪ Who died eternal life to bring ♪	3:22
	♪ And lives that death may die ♪	3:28
	♪ Crown Him the Lord of peace ♪	3:35
	♪ Whose power a scepter sways ♪	3:40
	♪ From pole to pole ♪	3:45
	♪ That wars may cease ♪	3:47
	♪ Absorbed in prayer and praise ♪	3:50
	♪ His reign shall know no end ♪	3:56
	♪ And round his pierced feet ♪	4:01
	♪ Fair flowers of paradise extend ♪	4:07
	♪ Their fragrance ever sweet ♪	4:13
	(majestic organ music)	4:19
	♪ Crown Him the Lord of love ♪	5:07
	♪ Behold His hands and side ♪	5:11
	♪ Rich wounds yet visible above ♪	5:16
	♪ In beauty glorified ♪	5:21
	♪ All hail, Redeemer, hail ♪	5:27
	♪ For Thou hast died for me ♪	5:33
	♪ Thy praise and glory shall not fail ♪	5:38
	♪ Throughout eternity ♪	5:44
	(majestic organ music)	5:50
-	Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is	6:05
	to restore all things in your well beloved Son,	6:09
	the King of kings, and Lord of lords.	6:13
	Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth,	6:17
	divided and enslaved by sin,	6:20
	may be freed and brought together	6:25
	under Christ's most precious rule,	6:26
	who lives and reigns with You,	6:29
	and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, amen.	6:32
	Would you be seated.	6:39
-	Let us pray together the prayer of illumination.	6:49
	Open our hearts and minds, oh God,	6:54
	by the power of your Holy Spirit,	6:58
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed,	7:01
	we might hear with joy what you say to us this day, amen.	7:04
	First lessons comes to us from the book of Second Kings.	7:12
	The wife of a member of the prophetic brotherhood	7:17
	appealed to Elisha, "Your servant, my husband, is dead."	7:21
	She said, "And you know your servant revered God.	7:28
	"A creditor has now come to take my two children,	7:32
	"and make them his slaves."	7:37
	Elisha said, "Well, what can I do for you?"	7:40
	"Tell me, what have you in the house?"	7:42
	She replied, "Except a pot of oil."	7:50
	Then he said, "Go outside,	7:54
	"and borrow jars from all your neighbors.	7:56
	"Empty jars, and not too few.	8:00
	"When you come back, shut the door on yourself	8:05
	"and your sons, and pour the oil into all these jars.	8:09
	"Putting each aside when it is full."	8:17
	So she left him, and she shut the door	8:23
	on herself and her sons.	8:26
	They passed her the jars, and she went on pouring.	8:30
	When the jars were full, she said to her son,	8:36
	"Pass me another jar."	8:42
	"There are no more."	8:45
	Then the oil stopped flowing.	8:48
	She went and told the man of God,	8:51
	who said, "Go and sell the oil,	8:53
	"and redeem your pledge.	8:56
	"You and your children can live on the remainder."	8:59
	This is the Word of the Lord.	9:05
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	9:08
Cantor	Let us sing responsively Psalm 23,	9:19
	found on page 754 in the hymnal.	9:21
	♪ The Lord is my shepherd ♪	9:34
	♪ I shall not want ♪	9:36
	♪ The Lord makes me lie down in green pastures ♪	9:39
	♪ Leads me beside still waters ♪	9:45
	♪ Restores my life ♪	9:50
	♪ Leads me in right paths ♪	9:53
	♪ For the sake of the Lord's name ♪	9:57
	♪ Even though I walk ♪	10:02
	♪ Through the darkest valley ♪	10:03
	♪ I fear no evil ♪	10:06
	♪ For you are with me ♪	10:10
	♪ Your rod and your staff ♪	10:13
	♪ They comfort me ♪	10:15
	♪ You prepare a table before me ♪	10:19
	♪ In the presence of my enemies ♪	10:23
	♪ You anoint my head with oil ♪	10:27
	♪ My cup overflows ♪	10:31
	♪ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me ♪	10:36
	♪ All the days of my life ♪	10:41
	♪ And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord ♪	10:45
	♪ As long as I live ♪	10:50
	♪ All glory be to you ♪	10:55
	♪ Oh God ♪	10:57
	♪ And to Jesus Christ our savior, ♪	10:58
	♪ And to the Holy Spirit ♪	11:02
	♪ Christ lived in me ♪	11:05
	♪ As it was since time began ♪	11:09
	♪ Is now and will be forevermore ♪	11:13
-	This reading is taken from the gospel	11:31
	according to Saint Matthew.	11:33
	When the Son of Man comes in His glory,	11:36
	and all the angels with Him,	11:39
	then He will sit on the throne in His glory.	11:41
	All the nations will be gathered before Him,	11:45
	and He will separate people, one from another,	11:48
	as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.	11:51
	And He will put the sheep at His right hand,	11:55
	and the goats at the left.	11:58
	Then the King will say to those at His right hand,	12:01
	"Come, you that are blessed by my Father,	12:04
	"inherit the kingdom prepared for you	12:07
	"from the foundation of the world.	12:09
	"For I was hungry and you gave me food.	12:12
	"I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.	12:16
	"I was a stranger and you welcomed me.	12:19
	"I was naked, and you gave me clothing.	12:22
	"I was sick, and you took care of me.	12:25
	"I was in prison and you visited me."	12:28
	Then the righteous will answer Him,	12:32
	"Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry	12:34
	"and gave you food, or thirsty,	12:38
	"and gave you something to drink?	12:40
	"And when was it that we saw you a stranger	12:42
	"and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?	12:45
	"And when was it that we saw you sick	12:49
	"or in prison and visited you?"	12:51
	And the King will answer them,	12:54
	"Truly, I tell you, just as you did it	12:55
	"to one of the least of these who are members	12:58
	"of my family, you did it to me."	13:00
	Then He will say to those at His left hand,	13:03
	"You that are cursed, depart from me	13:06
	"into the eternal fire prepared for the devil	13:09
	"and his angels, for I was hungry	13:11
	"and you gave me no food, I was thirsty,	13:13
	"and you gave me nothing to drink.	13:17
	"I was a stranger and you did not welcome me.	13:19
	"Naked, and you did not give me clothing,	13:22
	"sick and in prison, and you did not visit me."	13:25
	Then they also will answer, "Lord, when was it	13:28
	"that we saw you hungry or thirsty	13:32
	"or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison	13:35
	"and did not take care of you?"	13:40
	Then He will answer them, "Truly, I tell you,	13:42
	"just as you did not do it to one of the least	13:45
	"of these, you did not do it to me."	13:48
	And these will go away into eternal punishment,	13:52
	but the righteous into eternal life.	13:55
	This is the word of the Lord.	14:00
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	14:03
	(joyful organ music)	14:30
	(choir sings Handel's "Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates")	14:39
	♪ Lift up your heads ♪	14:40
	♪ O ye gates ♪	14:41
	♪ And be ye lift up ♪	14:44
	♪ Ye everlasting doors ♪	14:46
	♪ And the King of glory shall come in ♪	14:48
	♪ Who is the King of glory? ♪	14:53
	♪ The King of glory ♪	14:58
	♪ Who is the King of glory ♪	15:00
	♪ Who is the King of glory ♪	15:03
	♪ The Lord strong and mighty ♪	15:05
	♪ The Lord strong and mighty ♪	15:07
	♪ The Lord mighty in battle ♪	15:09
	♪ Lift up your heads ♪	15:12
	♪ O ye gates ♪	15:14
	♪ And be ye lift up ♪	15:17
	♪ Ye everlasting doors ♪	15:19
	♪ And the King of glory shall come in ♪	15:21
	♪ And the King of glory shall come in ♪	15:26
	♪ Who is the King of glory? ♪	15:31
	♪ Who is the King of glory? ♪	15:33
	♪ Who is the King of glory? ♪	15:35
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	15:38
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	15:43
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	15:48
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	15:50
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	15:52
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	15:54
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	15:55
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	15:57
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	16:00
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	16:02
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	16:07
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	16:09
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	16:18
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	16:20
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	16:22
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	16:33
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	16:36
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	16:39
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	16:40
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	16:43
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	16:44
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	16:45
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	16:46
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	16:48
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	16:49
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	16:50
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	16:58
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	17:00
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	17:04
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	17:06
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	17:08
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	17:09
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	17:10
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	17:11
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	17:12
	♪ King of glory ♪	17:19
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	17:23
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	17:25
	♪ Of glory ♪	17:30
-	Good morning.	17:52
	Peace from God our Mother and God our Father.	17:55
	It is a joy and it's very special pleasure	18:00
	to be with you here this morning.	18:04
	As I left the airport in San Francisco,	18:07
	I left two people lancing with envy.	18:11
	They were Bob and Mary Lane Gregg,	18:16
	who as you know were, some of you may know, taught for,	18:19
	Bob taught at Duke Divinity School for some 14 years.	18:24
	And I thought, they're probably the only two people	18:30
	in California who are envying me	18:34
	going back to the south during the winter.	18:37
	I appreciate the fact that you have allowed	18:44
	a California preacher to come to this chapel	18:46
	right after Thanksgiving.	18:53
	For in California, we are known	18:56
	as people who have nothing in common	18:58
	with the rest of the nation.	19:00
	We also have nothing in common with each other.	19:03
	So to come after Thanksgiving,	19:09
	where we had a time of commonality,	19:10
	a time where, which is the biggest, excuse me,	19:14
	which is the biggest travel day of the year	19:17
	for airlines and bus terminals and train stations.	19:21
	People are going to go home.	19:26
	A time of great commonality, the commonality	19:30
	that we share together, you guessed it, is turkey.	19:35
	It matters not who you are, in America,	19:40
	this week in November, you ought	19:45
	to be able to get some turkey.	19:47
	Even if you're a vegetarian, you will be offered turkey.	19:50
	If you're of the highest status in America,	19:54
	or if you're one of the people who have	19:56
	the least, and the less in America,	19:59
	this time of year there is a commonality.	20:03
	Good feelings will surround you,	20:08
	and the food on your table, and the thing you set before you	20:12
	will be roughly that of every American.	20:16
	But it is after Thanksgiving, now,	20:20
	and that glorious pristine period of Thanksgiving	20:25
	is now receding to the regular state	20:28
	that America finds herself in.	20:32
	Which is that there are haves and have nots,	20:35
	and there are a number of us who are caught	20:39
	in the vast financial gulf between the lower class	20:41
	and the middle class, and for these people,	20:48
	those of us who live there,	20:52
	we are especially vulnerable	20:56
	to the conditions of life.	20:59
	For the presence of sickness and disease,	21:02
	or the death of a loved one often means for us	21:05
	that a bad living situation has only gotten worse.	21:11
	To be on the margins of poverty,	21:17
	or to be in the middle class, is to be without	21:19
	that which you need to protect yourself	21:22
	from the basic enemies of life.	21:25
	For some, it is a state where you must continually	21:28
	be choosing between the essential things	21:31
	as if they were luxuries.	21:35
	Well, how can one sensibly choose between eating or shelter?	21:38
	Between shoes or clothing?	21:44
	One staves off the threats of one predator,	21:48
	with partial payment,	21:52
	while pleading with another for mercy.	21:54
	One always rents, never buys.	21:59
	Pays interest, never gets interest.	22:05
	Knows that the family needs more health	22:11
	and home and car insurance than we can afford.	22:15
	However, as bad as living on the edge can be,	22:23
	it at least leaves one with some power over one's life.	22:27
	Poverty is even more devastating.	22:32
	It doesn't even leave one with choices.	22:38
	The essentials just aren't there.	22:41
	Food, clothing and shelter are completely absent.	22:43
	In either situation,	22:50
	the working poor or those in poverty,	22:54
	it seems as if all humanity has conspired against us.	22:57
	And for those who are born into poverty,	23:02
	there is a numbing weariness	23:05
	that accompanies this condition.	23:07
	As one struggles to rob Peter and pay Paul,	23:11
	or find a way to accept a handout with dignity,	23:16
	an attitude of anger and frustration grows.	23:20
	For every person who becomes poor, is born into poverty,	23:26
	knows that America, deep within themselves,	23:30
	that they are a victim of a cosmic injustice.	23:32
	They know that there is no difference	23:39
	between themselves and those who have plenty.	23:40
	They are aware that life itself has become	23:46
	one massive and violent assault against the quality	23:49
	and character of their existence.	23:55
	Working people, who become poor, and those born into poverty	23:59
	are always struggling against the world around them.	24:04
	And it is a testimony to the human spirit,	24:07
	all things being equal, that people win most of the time.	24:10
	Laughter, joy, and fun, is wrestled away	24:17
	from despair and hopelessness.	24:21
	And therefore it is a particularly cruel event	24:26
	when death and sickness and disease	24:30
	settles in the lives of the poor,	24:34
	those on poverty, or weak while working, just to get by.	24:38
	An even more violent and sinister ax	24:44
	overcomes us who are sick and who have disease	24:48
	and who have death in our family,	24:51
	is when these kinds of things can bring the terror	24:53
	of becoming poor or falling into poverty.	24:58
	These forms of terror are financial attacks	25:03
	as well as physical attacks.	25:09
	Both financial and physical hardships	25:13
	possess the same terrifying dimensions of destructions,	25:15
	of one's self, and those whom we believe and love.	25:20
	So in this story, of the widow,	25:27
	we have a woman who has fallen into poverty.	25:32
	For this story is a part of a national epic of a people,	25:36
	for the widow and her son who had fallen into the battle	25:40
	with poverty brought about by the death of the husband.	25:42
	This is just a sideline.	25:47
	For the book of First and Second Kings,	25:50
	together comprise a history of a people	25:54
	from the perspective of those who were religious.	25:57
	For the authors of First and Second Kings,	26:01
	this woman is simply an interesting tale.	26:04
	In point of fact, she, her story,	26:09
	was a part of the miracle stories	26:11
	that establishes the identity of Elisha.	26:14
	She is not at the center of First or Second Kings,	26:18
	but the widow's story is monumentally important	26:25
	even though it is forgetfully short.	26:29
	She is described as a widow	26:32
	of one of the prophetic brotherhood of Bethel.	26:34
	We never find out her name, nor the name of her husband.	26:39
	Rather, he is only known by his title and position.	26:43
	And immediately, we know that she is a woman of status,	26:49
	but not necessarily wealthy.	26:54
	She was not used to obscurity.	26:58
	She was not used to a handout and begging.	27:00
	The prophetic brotherhood were neither poor	27:04
	nor were they especially rich,	27:06
	but they did have status.	27:09
	But one's position in a healthy society	27:12
	is quite often not determined by wealth,	27:14
	but by the job and the work that you have.	27:18
	Often, what we do is how we are known.	27:22
	To lose one's job is to become peculiarly invisible.	27:27
	Our titles, our positions and jobs	27:32
	are so much a part of our identity	27:34
	that they communicate class and status and position.	27:36
	Indeed, jobs are about more than money.	27:44
	They represent a societal acceptance.	27:47
	Some people have even taking a lower paying job	27:51
	for a position of higher status.	27:54
	If we are good for nothing else,	27:59
	we can at least work.	28:02
	And at the very core of our ability to work	28:05
	represents our most basic form of making a living,	28:06
	the loss of a job or the ability to work	28:11
	represents a great danger	28:13
	to the ways and means of our lives.	28:16
	And in a different way, jobs, titles and position	28:20
	also produce many of our friends.	28:24
	In sheer time allotment, at both ends of the scale,	28:28
	the working rich and the working poor,	28:31
	we spend most of our lives with the people we work with.	28:33
	We spend most of our day fulfilling	28:37
	our roles assigned by our jobs.	28:39
	And despite our best efforts to the contrary,	28:42
	jobs and titles and positions often define	28:45
	much of our feelings of worth.	28:49
	Therefore, the writer's description of the woman	28:52
	as the wife of one of the brotherhood, a priest,	28:54
	is probably as understandable today	28:58
	as it was when the writer first penned this description.	29:02
	We don't have to know his character.	29:06
	Just let us know that he was of the prophetic brotherhood,	29:08
	and we know a whole lot about him.	29:14
	What may not be as telling today,	29:17
	although it is probably even more revealing	29:19
	than we like to admit, is the writer's description	29:23
	of the wife as a widow.	29:27
	For widowhood is a major category of concern	29:31
	for the writers of the history of the Old Testament,	29:34
	for the Mosaic laws made widows	29:37
	a protected category in their society.	29:40
	Widows, in this meaning, was always women, never men.	29:44
	But it would be a misinterpretation	29:50
	to simply say that widowhood	29:52
	was about not having a man in your life.	29:54
	In the rules of this gender segregated society,	29:58
	where men were the legal providers for the family	30:00
	and the legal voice for the household,	30:03
	this meant a great deal.	30:09
	For it was a man who made all of the decision,	30:11
	and even if the woman was capable	30:14
	of making them, she could not.	30:18
	Therefore, much of the identification	30:20
	and status of women in this society were derived from men,	30:22
	and therefore, men, not surprisingly,	30:28
	were especially vulnerable for the inflation of egos,	30:32
	something that may not have changed very much.	30:37
	But they were also vulnerable to the	30:41
	weight of worry	30:45
	about the financial welfare of their households.	30:48
	Their physical health, emotional wellbeing	30:52
	involved the welfare of their whole family.	30:55
	However, this is not so strange.	31:00
	It's not just in gender segregated society	31:03
	that people worry what would happen	31:06
	if I fell sick or if I died.	31:09
	In our pseudo gender integrated economic system,	31:13
	we have brought the strains of widowhood	31:18
	and worries of the plight of loved ones	31:20
	due to the loss of life or the ability to provide	31:23
	to women as well as to men.	31:28
	This is why life insurance policies	31:32
	are seen as almost a necessity.	31:34
	To die or become incapacitated	31:37
	without providing for your loved ones,	31:39
	whether you were a man, a woman,	31:42
	is seen by some as a criminal act.	31:44
	And in fact, one disease, one illness,	31:48
	one accident can kill the whole household.	31:51
	In a country with no national healthcare system,	31:56
	such as America, these risks are almost always	31:59
	on the mind of every worker.	32:03
	The death of one can mean the economic death of many.	32:06
	And this is the same disposition and desperation	32:13
	that the widow experienced at the death of her husband.	32:17
	For his death made her poor and threatened the welfare	32:21
	of children, for it was a common legal practice	32:25
	to take the children into slavery	32:28
	for the death of their parents.	32:31
	Her household of faith had become a household of disgrace.	32:33
	She had been robbed of her sense of security.	32:38
	Death had taken her husband away,	32:41
	and now poverty and the bill collectors	32:44
	were about to take her children away.	32:48
	She had much to mourn.	32:51
	Her house had been invaded by the presence of poverty,	32:53
	and she was left alone to face a world of no choices.	32:58
	Strangely enough, the text does not mention her family,	33:04
	but it was fairly common practice	33:07
	for the widow to join the household	33:09
	of her husband's oldest brother,	33:12
	further, because she was a widow, remember,	33:15
	the nation should have made provisions	33:18
	to care for her and her children.	33:19
	All the usual systems of compassion and care	33:22
	had broken down for this woman.	33:26
	Familial and national support were simply not there.	33:30
	This absence was truly tragic.	33:36
	It ensured her position of poverty,	33:40
	but the widow had one remaining resource.	33:44
	Her family had failed her.	33:47
	Her nation had failed her.	33:49
	She hoped that the people of faith would not fail her,	33:51
	for it was time to appeal to God.	33:55
	She approached the prophet Elijah.	33:59
	He was one of the husband's prophetic brothers.	34:02
	In fact here, it may have been the case	34:05
	that Elijah knew her husband.	34:07
	Therefore, she reminded him of the faith of her household.	34:09
	Remember your servant, my husband?	34:14
	Regardless of who else had failed her,	34:19
	she expected him and the God he represented to do something,	34:22
	and Elisha was stunned by her request.	34:27
	Doubtless, he was surprised to find	34:32
	a widow of the brotherhood in such a position,	34:34
	and suddenly, at this juncture in the story,	34:37
	the writer focuses attention to the woman.	34:42
	What she was required to do in order to experience	34:46
	her economic miracle is explained meticulously.	34:48
	The writer relays in great detail	34:52
	all the elements that she had to assemble.	34:53
	And it is clear that Elijah was not there	34:57
	when the miracle occurred.	35:01
	It was her, her children, a bunch of borrowed empty jars	35:04
	from her neighbors and a little oil.	35:09
	These are the essential elements to stave off	35:13
	unwarranted and unmerited economic disaster	35:16
	in the time of death or sickness or disease.	35:19
	To become poor, to fall into the prison of poverty,	35:23
	as the widow fell, one has to be radically abandoned	35:26
	by all those who should have cared, all the people.	35:30
	The institutions and the traditions	35:35
	that she and her husband had upheld in her lifetime	35:37
	had to have left her, her neighbors had to	35:41
	have become utterly uninvolved with her.	35:44
	The creditor had to believe that she was without resources.	35:47
	Well, sisters and brothers, sickness and disease and death	35:53
	have the power to create pain and suffering,	35:57
	but they have no power to create poverty	36:01
	unless compassion and care and support flee.	36:04
	If these are absent, homelessness,	36:11
	malnutrition and vagrancy	36:16
	move in to claim yet another victim.	36:17
	These symptoms of poverty are always an indication	36:21
	of a failure on someone's part	36:25
	to provide for the needs of the suffering.	36:26
	The presence of poor people, and those who fall	36:30
	into the disaster of poverty because of sickness	36:32
	or disease or death of a loved one	36:35
	are indication of a larger sickness in that society.	36:38
	Someone, some system, has failed them.	36:43
	For sickness, disease and death should not have this power.	36:47
	They possess enough terror already.	36:51
	So when Elijah asks, "What do you have?"	36:55
	She said, "Nothing.	36:59
	"Well, some empty pots and a little oil in the cruse."	37:02
	She could have just as easily answered	37:05
	that she had nobody who was willing	37:07
	to be her brother or a sister.	37:10
	For God must answer for sickness,	37:13
	God must answer for disease, and God must answer for death,	37:15
	but the community of believers must answer	37:18
	if a widow becomes poor or falls into poverty	37:21
	because of these things.	37:25
	This is what's so hurtful.	37:27
	After giving to others, paying taxes	37:30
	or even paying one's insurance premium,	37:33
	one still finds one's self abandoned.	37:36
	The agencies say you are not poor enough,	37:39
	the federal government says that it's broke and	37:42
	doesn't have any money for research	37:45
	on the drugs to combat the disease	37:46
	or sickness ravaging your body.	37:49
	The insurance company has hired a lawyer	37:52
	to try to find a loophole to cancel your policy.	37:55
	A massive failure of compassion	37:58
	and justice and fairness is going on.	38:01
	These are not God's faults, so the name of God	38:06
	is never mentioned in this text.	38:10
	And when Elijah hears that she has an empty jars,	38:15
	and a little oil, he instructs her	38:17
	to go to her neighbors and get some of their empty jars.	38:19
	Involve them in this miracle.	38:24
	She and her family are sent to coerce,	38:26
	cajole and contend for the jars of their neighbors.	38:29
	This is an unfair thing to ask them to do.	38:35
	And we're asked to believe that these neighbors,	38:38
	looking upon the face of a poor woman	38:41
	and the face of poor children facing slavery,	38:44
	we're asked to believe that they didn't help her,	38:49
	that they simply gave her empty jars.	38:53
	A skeptic of the miraculous might contend	38:59
	that every jar that they gathered	39:01
	came with a little oil in it, such that	39:04
	by the time they had collected all the jars,	39:06
	there was enough oil to pay their bills.	39:09
	For the ambiguity of the story lends itself	39:11
	to such an interpretation, so does common sense,	39:14
	not to mention the Mosaic law.	39:17
	However, since we have now seen	39:20
	that people can be mean, we can now believe	39:23
	that people gave this widow nothing but empty jars.	39:26
	Since we have now seen a presidential administrator	39:31
	literally watch thousands of people die of AIDS,	39:36
	while they did nothing, we can imagine	39:40
	that human beings can give their suffering	39:41
	and neglected brothers and sisters nothing but empty jars.	39:44
	Because we have now seen the denial of treatment	39:49
	in some hospitals, but to those who have the privilege	39:54
	of insurance, we know that it is highly possible	39:57
	that people can give other people only empty jars.	40:01
	Since we now live in a country where the richest among us,	40:06
	at the time of a monumental homelessness	40:09
	and staggering malnutrition in our nation's children,	40:12
	still fight in Congress and state legislatures	40:17
	not to pay an equal amount of taxes	40:20
	as those of the working class.	40:22
	We are fully aware that widows	40:24
	can receive nothing but empty jars.	40:27
	But there is another interpretation of this text,	40:32
	an interpretation in keeping with what we now know	40:36
	about humanity and our ability to give a widow empty jars.	40:38
	It is also in keeping with the religious tradition	40:45
	of those who wrote this text.	40:47
	It simply is to say, God will make a way somehow.	40:50
	Magic? Yes.	40:55
	But poor people have to rely upon magic	40:57
	to put food on their table.	41:00
	Economic survival in such a time of failure	41:02
	on behalf of the people of faith	41:05
	is as much a matter of faith as that of the sickness itself.	41:06
	Oil in this context has both an economic interpretation	41:11
	and a religious meaning.	41:15
	In the culture of the widow,	41:17
	it is a symbol of the presence of God.	41:19
	The image here is literally one of God	41:21
	pouring God's self out, to meet the needs of his servant.	41:23
	No one should have empty jars in their house.	41:30
	Humanity can do something about the injustice	41:33
	from sickness and disease and death.	41:36
	The loss of the ability to work and the bills that arise	41:39
	from medical care are the whole community's responsibility.	41:43
	Neighbors are there to help, however,	41:48
	if people only extend empty jars to the widow,	41:52
	she still has the promise of oil.	41:56
	The anxiety of the situation is at least met	41:59
	by the faithful presence of God	42:02
	and the fear of poverty is laid to rest.	42:05
	It is written, so that the writer can say	42:10
	God does not fail, but it is also written	42:13
	so that the writer can say that God should not fail,	42:17
	for if God fails in these situations,	42:21
	then perhaps there is no God.	42:25
	For the very foundations of what is meant	42:28
	to be a believing community is based upon God	42:30
	being present in such a time in our lives.	42:33
	The integrity of God is on the line	42:37
	every time the sun rises,	42:39
	but our integrity as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ,	42:43
	or believers in any religious tradition,	42:46
	is on the line every time a child raises his or her voice	42:49
	and cries out in need.	42:54
	The Scriptures promises every widow	42:58
	who has fallen into poverty, that it matters not	43:00
	whether the political battles of national healthcare	43:03
	or taxes are resolved, as long as there's somebody	43:06
	in the temple of the tabernacle,	43:09
	who possesses to know the law, something will be done.	43:11
	So such people will always respond to others,	43:16
	for each of us have more than an empty jars	43:20
	and bills to pay, each of us who sit in tabernacles	43:22
	and temples around this country,	43:27
	who profess to know the Lord, each of us must	43:28
	simply must give to the widow	43:32
	something other than empty jars.	43:38
	We must give to her a little oil.	43:42
	Shalom.	43:49
	(lofty organ music)	43:55
	(congregation sings "O Worship The King")	44:28
	♪ O worship the King ♪	44:29
	♪ All glorious above ♪	44:31
	♪ O gratefully sing ♪	44:35
	♪ God's power and God's love ♪	44:39
	♪ Our shield and defender ♪	44:43
	♪ The Ancient of Days ♪	44:47
	♪ Pavilioned in splendor ♪	44:51
	♪ And girded with praise ♪	44:55
	♪ O tell of God's might ♪	45:03
	♪ O sing of God's grace ♪	45:06
	♪ Whose robe is the light ♪	45:10
	♪ Whose canopy space ♪	45:14
	♪ Whose chariots of wrath ♪	45:19
	♪ The deep thunderclouds form ♪	45:22
	♪ And dark is God's path ♪	45:27
	♪ On the wings of the storm ♪	45:30
	♪ The earth with its store ♪	45:38
	♪ Of wonders untold ♪	45:41
	♪ Almighty ♪	45:45
	♪ Thy power hath founded of old ♪	45:48
	♪ Hath stablished it fast ♪	45:54
	♪ By a changeless decree ♪	45:57
	♪ And round it hath cast ♪	46:02
	♪ Like a mantle ♪	46:06
	♪ The sea ♪	46:08
	♪ Thy bountiful care ♪	46:13
	♪ What tongue can recite ♪	46:17
	♪ It breathes in the air ♪	46:21
	♪ It shines in the light ♪	46:25
	♪ It streams from the hills ♪	46:29
	♪ It descends to the plain ♪	46:33
	♪ And sweetly distills ♪	46:38
	♪ In the dew and the rain ♪	46:42
	♪ Frail children of dust ♪	46:50
	♪ And feeble as frail ♪	46:53
	♪ In thee do we trust ♪	46:58
	♪ Nor find thee to fail ♪	47:01
	♪ Thy mercies how tender ♪	47:06
	♪ How firm to the end ♪	47:10
	♪ Our maker ♪	47:15
	♪ Defender ♪	47:17
	♪ Redeemer ♪	47:19
	♪ And friend ♪	47:22
-	The Lord be with you.	47:30
Congregation	And also with you.	47:31
-	Let us pray, would you be seated?	47:32
	Eternal God, who brought forth all worlds	47:44
	from the womb of Your being,	47:48
	and nurtured creation in the cradle of Your care,	47:51
	we praise You for Your loving kindness	47:55
	toward all You have made,	47:58
	and for a universe still expanding beyond the stars.	48:00
	Oh God, You are both near and far,	48:06
	powerful and humble, holy and gracious.	48:10
	Forgive us for our pride, our insensitivity,	48:14
	our hardness of heart.	48:19
	Forgive us for what we fear to name before others,	48:22
	but which haunts us day after day.	48:26
	Forgive us and set us free, free to serve You	48:30
	and one another, Lord, in Your mercy,	48:35
All	Hear our prayer.	48:39
-	Oh God, our sustenance, as those in a dry land	48:42
	thirst for the living streams,	48:46
	as those who are hungry long for the bread that satisfies,	48:49
	as those who are lonely crave companionship,	48:53
	so we seek You, oh God, bless us so that we may mediate	48:57
	Your mercies to others, Lord, in Your mercy,	49:03
All	Hear our prayer.	49:08
-	Forgiving God, we lift before You	49:11
	a world burdened with a power to incinerate itself	49:13
	leaving only the ashes of a silent Earth.	49:17
	Enable our leaders to work miracles	49:21
	through the complexity of governments,	49:23
	of greed, of differing goals, customs and religions,	49:27
	of wars and rumors of wars, so that peace	49:32
	might come to all throughout the world.	49:36
	Lord, in Your mercy,	49:40
All	Hear our prayer.	49:42
-	Gentle God, deliver us from the enemy within ourselves	49:45
	and our nation, so that we may have the grace	49:48
	and courage to prepare for peace	49:51
	as diligently as we do for war.	49:54
	Lord in Your mercy,	49:58
All	Hear our prayer.	50:00
-	Compassionate God, help us to see You	50:03
	in the weakened bodies and haunting faces	50:05
	of the hungry and suffering people of the world.	50:08
	Grant that we may not turn away,	50:11
	but live sacrificially that others may have food,	50:14
	clothing, shelter and proper medical care.	50:17
	Lord, in Your mercy,	50:22
All	Hear our prayer.	50:24
-	Everlasting God, we pray for those	50:27
	who live without hope and meaning,	50:29
	who live lives of quiet desperation	50:31
	that they may begin to sense anew	50:34
	Your vision for their lives, Lord, in Your mercy,	50:37
All	Hear our prayer.	50:42
-	Oh living God, we pray for those who weep	50:44
	and for those who feel deep stabbing pains	50:47
	from the death of a loved one.	50:50
	May they sense your powerful comfort.	50:53
	Lord, in Your mercy,	50:57
All	Hear our prayer.	51:00
-	Abundant God, You never tire of giving.	51:02
	Grant to those in hospitals, in prisons,	51:06
	in homeless places Your abiding presence.	51:09
	Give to all of us the grace to see,	51:13
	to love and to follow You all the days of our lives,	51:15
	even until death, where You await to receive us	51:19
	into Your heavenly kingdom.	51:24
	Almighty Lord, in Your abundant mercy,	51:26
	hear our prayer, amen.	51:30
	Great is the mercy God has shown us.	51:36
	Great is the kingdom we have inherited from Jesus Christ.	51:39
	And great is the need of the world around us.	51:43
	Let us respond to the mercy, the kingdom	51:47
	and the need by giving our gifts of love.	51:50
	(bright organ music)	52:05
	♪ How excellent ♪	52:55
	♪ How excellent ♪	53:03
	♪ Thy name O Lord ♪	53:06
	♪ In all the world is known ♪	53:13
	♪ In all the world is known ♪	53:20
	♪ How excellent ♪	53:28
	♪ How excellent ♪	53:36
	♪ Thy name O Lord ♪	53:38
	♪ In all the world is known ♪	53:44
	♪ In all the world is known ♪	53:51
	♪ How excellent ♪	54:00
	♪ Thy name O Lord ♪	54:02
	♪ Thy name O Lord ♪	54:07
	♪ In all the world is known ♪	54:10
	♪ Above all heavens ♪	54:16
	♪ O King adored ♪	54:17
	♪ Above all heavens ♪	54:19
	♪ O King adored ♪	54:20
	♪ How hast thou set ♪	54:23
	♪ Thy glorious throne ♪	54:24
	♪ Thy glorious throne ♪	54:24
	♪ Above all heavens ♪	54:29
	♪ O King adored ♪	54:30
	♪ How hast thou set thy glorious throne ♪	54:33
	♪ How hast thou set thy glorious throne ♪	54:37
	♪ Thy glorious throne ♪	54:42
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:01
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:06
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:11
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:13
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:16
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:18
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:21
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:25
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:29
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:32
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:34
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:37
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:40
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:43
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:45
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:48
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:51
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:59
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:02
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:05
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:07
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:10
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:15
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:20
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:24
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:27
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:30
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:32
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:35
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:38
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:41
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:44
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:51
	(deep organ music)	57:14
	(congregation sings	57:40
	"Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow")	57:41
	♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪	57:42
	♪ Praise God all creatures here below ♪	57:46
	♪ Alleluia ♪	57:51
	♪ Alleluia ♪	57:54
	♪ Praise God above ♪	57:58
	♪ Ye heavenly host ♪	58:01
	♪ Praise Father ♪	58:04
	♪ Son and Holy Ghost ♪	58:06
	♪ Alleluia ♪	58:10
	♪ Alleluia ♪	58:13
	♪ Alleluia ♪	58:16
	♪ Alleluia ♪	58:20
	♪ Alleluia ♪	58:23
-	Oh gracious God, we rejoice and give thanks	58:37
	for Your gifts of love which fill our days	58:41
	with meaning and joy.	58:45
	We are grateful for this season of Thanksgiving,	58:47
	for the things we can see, taste and touch.	58:51
	For the sweetness of home and friends,	58:55
	for occasions which recall life's deepest joys	58:58
	and grace our lives with precious memories.	59:02
	We give You thanks for gifts beyond our abilities	59:06
	to see and touch, the trust we have in Your promises,	59:09
	the courage we gain when we are convinced	59:14
	of Your purposes and when we are aware	59:16
	of Your divine presence.	59:19
	Accept these, our gifts, to You,	59:22
	remember in love those who have offered them	59:25
	and those who will receive them.	59:29
	May they advance the realm of Your kingdom	59:32
	in the name of the one who taught us to pray, saying,	59:35
All	Our Father, who art in heaven,	59:40
	hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come,	59:43
	Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.	59:46
	Give us this day our daily bread,	59:51
	and forgive us our trespasses	59:53
	as we forgive those who trespass against us,	59:56
	and lead us not into temptation,	59:59
	but deliver us from evil.	1:00:02
	For Thine is the kingdom and the power	1:00:04
	and the glory forever and ever, amen.	1:00:07
-	And now, may God, who has loved us	1:00:16
	with a love beyond all telling,	1:00:19
	send us forth to care for the world around us	1:00:21
	and to share the good news of that love	1:00:25
	in the name of the King of glory,	1:00:28
	and Lord of lords, amen.	1:00:31
	(choir sings gently)	1:00:35
	♪ Amen ♪	1:00:37
	(triumphant organ music)	1:01:01
	(congregation sings "Rejoice, the Lord is King")	1:02:11
	♪ Rejoice the Lord is King ♪	1:02:12
	♪ Your Lord and King adore ♪	1:02:17
	♪ Mortals give thanks and sing ♪	1:02:22
	♪ And triumph evermore ♪	1:02:26
	♪ Lift up your heart ♪	1:02:32
	♪ Lift up your voice ♪	1:02:37
	♪ Rejoice again ♪	1:02:40
	♪ I say rejoice ♪	1:02:42
	♪ Jesus the savior reigns ♪	1:02:50
	♪ The God of truth and love ♪	1:02:55
	♪ When He had purged our stains ♪	1:03:00
	♪ He took His seat above ♪	1:03:04
	♪ Lift up your heart ♪	1:03:11
	♪ Lift up your voice ♪	1:03:16
	♪ Rejoice again ♪	1:03:19
	♪ I say rejoice ♪	1:03:21
	♪ His kingdom cannot fail ♪	1:03:29
	♪ He rules o'er earth and heaven ♪	1:03:34
	♪ The keys of earth and hell ♪	1:03:39
	♪ Are to our Jesus given ♪	1:03:44
	♪ Lift up your heart ♪	1:03:50
	♪ Lift up your voice ♪	1:03:56
	♪ Rejoice again ♪	1:03:59
	♪ I say rejoice ♪	1:04:01
	♪ Rejoice in glorious hope ♪	1:04:09
	♪ Jesus the judge shall come ♪	1:04:14
	♪ And take His servants up to their eternal home ♪	1:04:21
	♪ We soon shall hear ♪	1:04:31
	♪ The archangel's voice ♪	1:04:36
	♪ The trump of God shall sound ♪	1:04:39
	♪ Rejoice ♪	1:04:43
	(majestic organ music)	1:04:58
	(congregation chatters)

Item Info

Title:

Floyd Thompkins, Jr. - "Empty Jars and Bills to Pay" (November 25, 1990)

Description:

The widow in 1 Kings had fallen into poverty, because her neighbors and the nation had failed her. Even when she went to ask for help, the neighbors only gave her empty jars. But God showed up and graciously poured Godself out in response to her needs. We must not be like the neighbors in this story but to give a little oil when we give our jars to those in need. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 17:52. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 43:51.
Key quotation: “Sickness and disease and death have the power to create pain and suffering, but they have no power to create pain and suffering, but they have no power to create poverty unless compassion and care and support flee.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4vt1h53c

Date:

November 25, 1990

Speaker:

Thompkins, Floyd, Jr.

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0210
ref8870_c7v
uachapelsermaud
duke:321554
dcrmv001201
ark:/87924/r4vt1h53c
80ac6eb2-44b6-4b7c-aec3-c9aefb60573c

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Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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Provenance:

The Duke University Chapel Recordings were transferred to the Duke University Archives beginning in 1970.

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