Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is impossible? I can think of many things that are impossible or at least seem to be impossible. At this time it is impossible for us to send a manned mission to Mars, but maybe in ten years we could do it. Medical breakthroughs make the impossible of a few years ago nearly every day procedures today.

Can a three year old child say something so profound that his grandmother is brought to Christ? Would that seem impossible? I had a conversation with a woman this past week where she shared her deepest despair and how God used her grandson to put her back on the right track. Skeptical people might dismiss her but to see the look in her eyes and the tears starting to well up was enough for me to see she had a special experience.

The woman owns a dry cleaning business and was in desperate financial shape. Her daughter is in the navy and had just shipped out this past January. She was left caring for her grandson with the whole world around her seemingly falling apart. Financially she determined she was worth more dead than alive and had no way of paying off her debts except through her life insurance. To make matters worse two churches in two different denominations told her she was a lost soul because she was divorced. Neither church was Lutheran I'm happy to say. She came to the point where she thought the only possible way out of all her difficulties was death. She told me one night after her grandson was asleep she prayed for God to take her life; she felt she couldn't continue any longer. As she waited for an answer to her prayer a little 3 year old boy wrapped his arms around her leg and said, Yah Yah you don't have to stand alone. That is something I would say is impossible without the intervention of God.

In the gospel reading from Mark we find Jesus telling the disciples of the impossible task of a rich man to enter heaven.

In the reading last week Jesus told the rich young ruler he had to sell his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor to enter into heaven. Saddened by this revelation he departs.

Today we read the rest of the story. Jesus looks around at His disciples and says "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" Jesus continues that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. Jesus is being literal in His statement. He chose the smallest hole the eye of a needle and the largest animal commonly known in Canaan a camel to make His point. The imagery of His statement cannot be interpreted as anything other than an impossible task.

We read that they were amazed by the first statement and even more so by the second. Who then can be saved, they ask one another. To us that may seem to be a foolish question but for them it made perfect sense. Who are the wealthy and righteous of their society? Typically the Jewish authorities are the wealthiest members of Jewish society, synagogue rulers and Pharisees. If they can't get into heaven then who can? Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." Perhaps Jesus is referring to His statements in Matthew. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. No one can serve two masters he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (Matt 6:21, 24). Mammon is often translated as money but in fact it is all forms of worldly treasures.

As we discussed in the previous reading Jesus is zeroing in on idolatry. Who is your god the one true God or possessions or anything that stands in the way of a personal relationship with God?

In our Old Testament reading Solomon tells us not to put our trust in worldly treasure that can quickly evaporate. That statement hits pretty close to home for so many at this point in time. Wise old Solomon realizes that contentment in the blessings from God is all we need. He says the wealthy continually loose sleep to worry; they worry about securing their treasure and how to accumulate more treasure. The poor are happy to have food and rest.

Jesus didn't say you can't have wealth. He said don't stray from the commandments and put other gods before Him. If we want to enjoy the Sabbath rest, His kingdom in heaven, we need to put our trust in Him.

The epistle reading from Hebrews gives us some insight to what Jesus said in the gospel of Mark. The author takes us back to the exodus and Moses leading the people to the promised land of rest. As we know the people didn't put their full trust in God so that generation didn't enter that rest. The author then tells us of Joshua leading the people into Canaan. Then there was a period of rest but that didn't last because they didn't follow the command given upon entering the land. Again full trust in God was lacking.

The author of Hebrews then takes us to the Sabbath rest which is eternal life in heaven. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin. Our Christian faith is based on a triune God that steps in to save us from ourselves and carries us to the Sabbath rest. Jesus knows our struggles He has experienced the temptations of this world. Who better to trust than someone that understands our weaknesses from first-hand experience?

Through out scripture we are reminded that only God's grace and our faith in Jesus can save us. Faith and trust are synonymous. So where do you place all of your trust? In bank accounts, mutual funds, family, friends, or even governments? Those can all fail us they are all part of this broken world. Only Jesus rises above the brokenness of this world and intercedes for us. That's where all of our trust should be.

Yes I know easier said than done.

I have had great struggles with where I put my trust and every time it was misplaced the result was a catastrophe. I'm sure we all have had an experience of misplaced trust. The woman I told you about earlier placed her trust in her abilities and that nearly ended in tragedy for her entire family. Just like that woman there is someone wrapping their arms around each one of us saying you don't have to stand alone. If we put all our cares in Him and listen we can hear His quiet words of encouragement.

We don't need to stand alone.

All things are possible for our triune God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Amen.