6/9/57

Scripture: Mark 12: 35-44

For a little while, I want to talk about an Arab woman whose home is in a flat-roofed house in a hot, sun-scorched village, near the fine old city of Damascus, in Syria. Her life would seem hard to you or to me or to almost any of the mothers whom we know. There are no pipes or faucets in her house. She has to carry the water her family uses from the village well. She brings it in a jar which she carries balanced on her scarf-covered head. When she washes clothes, there is no “automatic” to put them in. She has to carry the clothes to a place where there is enough water, get the clothes wet, and then pound the wet clothes with a stick to get them clean. Not only women of the near east, but many women of the far east have to wash their clothes (and iron them too) by this laborious “beating” process.

This Arab woman, whose name is “Nafiye,” cooks the meals over an open fire in a blackened kettle. (Boy Scouts can do that on a camping trip, but we like our kitchen ranges better most of the time.) Every morning, she must roll up the bedding from the floor where the family has slept, and put it away in a corner of the room. The clothes which she and her family wear have to be made by her -- and not on a modern sewing machine from “store” cloth! She takes the raw wool sheared from the sheep, washes it, dyes it, spins it into thread, weaves the thread into cloth or knits it into socks or other garments.

She milks the goats to make yogurt and cheese for her family, to go with the dark bread she bakes in an outdoor oven. When the men of her family have more work than they can get done, she goes with them to the field to work with them, or to drive the ox round and round the threshing floor.

There are no vacations in her family life. They have to work hard to stay alive. But two wonderful experiences stand out in Nafiye’s experience.

1) One of these wonderful experiences is that there is now a “village improvement center” in their community, brought by educated Syrians and Americans working together and sponsored by the Near East Foundation. From the agricultural advisers there, Nafiye’s sons and husband have learned better ways of farming, so that their crops bring them more food. Nafiye and her daughters have learned, from the home welfare department, ways to live in their one room house so that the family will be cleaner, healthier, happier. And she is very grateful.

2) The other wonderful experience was a trip to Mecca, which the Muslims consider to be their holy city. She and her husband went there on a pilgrimage which they planned for a long time. It is 800 miles in a straight line on the map from their home to Mecca. It is much farther than that over the winding roads people have to travel on a rattling old bus. It is still farther if they get to the coast and travel part of the way on a slow boat. Nafiye and her husband had to save money for many years for that trip.

While in Mecca, she and her husband could not afford to buy souvenirs or gifts. But they did buy some dried dates which were a luxury they and their family could not have at home. These dates, she carried back on the long return trip. And she showed them to children and neighbors and told them about the trip. Once in a while on some special occasion they would treat themselves to one of these dried dates. To keep the rest of the dates safely, for as long as possible, she scooped a hole in the dirt floor of the house, under the corner of their homemade rug, and buried the package there.

One day there was excitement in their village and Nafiye heard about it when she met other women getting water at the well. A tall man had come from America to visit their village improvement center. He had been sent by the Near East Foundation to visit a number of their centers in their country. He was talking to people through an interpreter, who knew both Arabic and English languages. But she was still more surprised and excited when she got home with her jar of water, and found that this stranger from America and his Arab interpreter were there at her door! The Arab interpreter said to her, “Nafiye, our visitor from America has never been in a home in an Arab village. He would like to visit one. May he come into your house?” “Welcome, welcome!” said Nafiye, bowing the two men into her little one room house. The two visitors talked with her husband while she boiled some water and made “tea” for them, using leaves from plants that grew in the fields. She also fixed a cup of dark coffee for each visitor. She wanted to do something very special for her visitor who represented so many people across the ocean who cared about her little village which they had never seen. But she had so little to give!

Then she thought of something! It was the very best she had! Those dates! She hurried to the corner, lifted the rug, uncovered the package, and took out a handful of the dried dates. She gave some to the visitor, who accepted them and thanked her. She gave him dates a second time, and again he accepted and thanked her. A third time she offered him dates. This time he said that he had had enough, and told her to keep the rest for her family. She tried again to give him some more, but he declined them. Then she slipped some of them into the pocket of his jacket.

The interpreter told the American (in English): “You must take the dates. She wants to do something especially nice for you, so she is giving you the best that she has. These dates she brought home from her pilgrimage to Mecca. They are souvenirs of her trip. They are the most precious thing she owns. She wants to give you the very best that she has!”

That true story sounds like another true story about Jesus and some people in the temple at Jerusalem. People were coming and leaving their gifts of money in the holy temple. People who had quite a lot of money were giving quite a lot. Jesus noticed a poor woman, a widow, who had come to the temple because she wanted to worship. But she had practically nothing to give. She did step up and put in two little copper coins that, together, would be about a penny. Jesus said to the people close to him: “Did you see that gift? That was the most important gift of all. Others gave some of their money. But she gave everything she had!” [Mark 12: 41-44].

There is something glorious about giving of one’s best. In the days of burnt sacrifices upon stone altars, people used to take care to bring the first and finest of their crops to be sacrificed. It was a gift to God that they wanted to bring. Now we have a chance to do it better. For our gifts are not burned on an altar, but are used to do the work that the good God surely wants done among the people of His world. Some of the gifts are such a small part of us that we would be ashamed if we thought of it more. Some of the gifts are so fine, because they are the very best that the giver can offer (whether great or small in quantity) that everybody must feel like singing.

The athlete puts his finest effort into his games. The debater uses his best argument and persuasion. The lover wants his sweetheart who is going to marry him to have the finest of stones, a diamond, in her ring. The one who decides gladly to enter the ministry or missionary service of the church brings all of his or her life, as well trained as possible, dedicated to the work. And all givers of time, and talent, and energy, and substance, feel best about it when they give of their best to the causes which they know to be an honor to the name and purpose of God and a helping lift to His people.

--------------------------

Delivered in Wisconsin Rapids, June 9, 1957 (Children’s Day).

Also at Girl Scout Camp Sacajawea, July 13, 1957.