John 12:1-8
We’ve been focused on Mary of Magdala this summer, first by reading the Gospel of Mary and finally by reading stories about Mary in our Bibles. Some of the “Mary” stories mention Mary of Magdala specifically and others mention several other women named Mary, including Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus. It’s possible that Jesus had many female disciples named Mary, and it’s also possible that all these stories are really about Mary of Magdala, who played an important leadership role in the early church. Next week when we finish this series with the story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead, we’ll learn what scholars say about multiple Marys, but this week we read of Mary’s devotion to Jesus.
These days we recognize complicated realities by saying they are “6/7” and this story has a 6/7 feel to it. It’s about Mary’s love for Jesus and it’s about Jesus’ remark, “You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” Let’s start with this second remark. It’s been on my mind all week as time after time I encountered the reality of poverty in our midst. The week started with Grand Forks city council rejecting a call to restore “$159,000 in community service grants they had removed from the budget. There were several speakers asking them to remember the poor in our community, but not nearly as many as I thought there would be. In the whole scheme of things the money was a small amount in a multi-million dollar budget, but it proved easy for all but one council person to vote against the grants. There was some lip service to maybe we ought to find a way to be helpful to people, or to understand the need, but after all, they were giving funds to CVIC so how much could we expect. Later in the meeting they approved 20 years of tax relief to a building project where no low-income folk will ever live. I wonder how many people even caught the contrast.
What does it mean when Jesus says, “You always have the poor with you”? It’s a true statement. In Jesus’ time a high percentage of people were poor or enslaved. His remark could have referred to the system which made it possible for a few people to be rich and many others to struggle financially. We’re living in a time when that’s true again. We may have been raised to think that anyone who worked hard could get ahead, but that has become less true over our lifetime. The reality of poverty is a drain on our energy. We’d like to make a difference, but the need is overwhelming. Because of our community fund, we know more than we ever did before about our neighbors who live on limited income. Those who serve them as case managers know even more. It’s not easy hearing the stories of limited funds over and over without becoming demoralized or burning out. Think how much harder it is to live that reality every day.
This week we agreed to help a man who hadn’t been able to do laundry. In fact, he’d accumulated five large garbage bags of laundry. His case manager thought it would be cheaper to have the cleaners do the laundry because a laundromat would cost so much. She estimated $100 for the project and I agreed we would pay it to get this man back on his feet. When the bill came it was $412! We all felt a little taken-advantage-of. We should have known better, but the laundry was clean, we’d received generous checks this week, and we paid the bill.
While Victoria and I were cooking for the PRIDE BBQ we got a call from a woman we’d helped before. She needed help again with utilities, something we try not to duplicate. I asked her if she had someone helping her make a financial plan so she wouldn’t fall behind. She had a case manager, but the reality was no matter how hard she worked, her income wasn’t enough for rent, car insurance, groceries, prescriptions and utilities. She was just paying for the basics, not luxuries, and there simply wasn’t enough. Monday we’ll pay her bill so she can get some breathing room for a month or so.
In each case – city, laundry, utilities – what we do is a bandaid on a big problem. We are very generous - $38,000 so far this year – but it’s never going to be enough to cover the need around us. People don’t really want us to bail them out. They would much rather pay their own bills. But until we get our heads around how needs and income can match for people, there will be a need for the community fund. Solving the underlying problem has to do with universal health care, living wages, strong support systems for those with mental health or addiction issues, recognizing that the playing field isn’t level for everyone. The problems are overwhelming. “You always have the poor with you” is a statement of reality because solving the causes of poverty is so much bigger than we can tackle.
The trick is to respond how we can without burning out. It’s one of those situations that takes a village, because when our funds are low, another church steps up. When we’ve heard one too many sad stories, another case manager steps in to listen. When we feel like we’re being abused, there’s someone to remind us that we’ve done good work, and that our discouragement is nothing compared to those who live on the edge all the time.
Friday we served the PRIDE BBQ. We usually plan for 200 people; we served 75. We usually have helpers from Christus Rex; they weren’t around. I was feeling beyond crabby about the whole project. Then the people came and were so appreciative of the meal we provided. They posted a lovely thank you on Facebook describing us as loyal allies to a community often without support. It was an important reminder that we do what we can and it matters to people. We can’t do it all, but our part is important.
Then there’s Mary who bought expensive perfume for Jesus’ feet and wiped them clean with her hair. She was surely close to burned out herself at that point. Disciples had been travelling full time with Jesus for close to three years, but it was hard to know if they were having an impact. Religious and political leaders in power were out to get them. Jesus spoke of love and compassion, but hardly anyone stepped up to the plate to help neighbors. It was hard, tiring work and it was uncertain if any of it mattered. So she took a break. She said to Jesus, “You matter to me.” She focused for just a few minutes on her love for Jesus and her commitment to his vision. She set the work aside long enough to thank him, and to remember out loud how important he was to her.
There’s a lesson in this story for us who are tired from the work, the overwhelming need, the frustration of being asked to do more with less. It’s okay to take a break. It’s okay to let some of the asks go unanswered and to take time to remember…
To remember Jesus who loves us and invites us to love him.
To remember Jesus’ vision for what the world can be if we love each other.
To remember that no matter how hard it is to meet needs, it’s even harder to be needy.
To remember that what we do matters to the people we serve, even when the world doesn’t notice.
It’s a 6/7. Too much need/always enough love. Not being able to do it all/what we can do making a difference. Needing a break/getting thanks beyond what we expected. You always have the poor with you. And you always have God’s love, Jesus’ vision, and partners to support you in making a difference.