I'm always immensely encouraged by the Sunday worship time at Christ our Shepherd. Today was no different, and I always feel like I need to digest and really wrestle through the stuff I experience or learn from the service. Today a bunch of church members shared their experience on the missions trip to Uganda last month. It was incredibly powerful to witness the impact their time had on them.

In particular, there was one woman who's testimony really struck us all. She began by talking about how fearful she had been to go on this trip... last year a pastor had challenged the church about "consecration" (that is, the setting apart of oneself for God), they had all felt convicted, signed up to go on the Uganda trip, etc etc. But as time passed, and the world crept in, and rather than feel the conviction of needing to be consecrated for God, she just felt increasing condemnation and guilt over her life and how she did not live up to that. She felt fearful of being convicted again, knowing that she needed to change her ways, but feeling like she could never change, not a real permanent change. The only change she felt like she had ever known was the "mountain-top" experience where one feels really good for a while, only to slip back to the old ways once again.

Pointing to the passage of the "rich young ruler" in Luke 18, she began to draw some interesting parallels between herself and this "kid" (as she called him.) Here was a guy who probably was very similar to her - he was wealthy, privileged, doesn't say what he ruled over, but it's clear he must have been powerful. She, also, was a wealthy, young professional who held a powerful job on Capitol Hill - used to getting her own way, throwing her political weight around to get things done, etc. The young ruler asks Jesus, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus, in the usual rabbi way, answers his question with a question. He finally tells the young ruler to "sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

The young ruler became sad, the Bible says. She says the young ruler became sad, NOT because he was too attached to his wealth, but because, being the rich ruler that he was, he realized that this was impossible. This was like Jesus asking us to be perfect - which is impossible. Everyone surrounding them during this conversation realized that Jesus was asking the impossible, and they were saying "Who then can be saved?" Jesus also illustrated the idea of the camel entering through the eye of a needle (impossible) as being easier than this. He was asking the impossible, and the young ruler, in his humanness, realized that he could not meet the standard.

If we were to sit down and really consider and think hard about the idols in our lives - to list them out... we would despair. How can I follow You, Jesus? How can I give up my desire to be Someone in the world's eyes? How can I stop obsessing about money and prestige? How can I stop watching too much TV? How can I stop eating so much? How can I give up the nice things in life? How can I stop lusting with the eyes? How can I stop being seduced by the world? How can I wake up early to set aside each day for you when I don't get enough sleep to function normally as it is? How, how, HOW is this possible?

It's not possible. Indeed, it is IMPOSSIBLE. But the ruler didn't understand what Jesus later said, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

So what does that mean? How does that translate into the nitty-gritty daily living? When the alarm goes off three hours before you need to be at work - how does God make it possible? Day in, day out... when you've lost the mountain-top inspiration, how do we go on? God said that if you have faith like a mustard seed, you can move mountains. Really? Doesn't feel like I move mountains on even an occasional basis. How does that work, anyway?

She then made the analogy to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. She said it's like the scene where they're going to be slaughtered by the massive orc army. It is the 300 of them in that citadel thing, while a tsunami of 10,000s of orcs descend up them. She notes it's interesting that Tolkien chooses the number 300 - similar to Gideon in Judges 6 of the Bible. How can so few go against so many? Legolas had said something like, "This is insanity, they will all die!" And Aragorn said, "Then I will die with them" or something equally heroic.

Aragorn's small mustard seed of faith or bravery rallied and inspired those around him - and we all think, if we are to die, let us die bravely while fighting rather than as cowards. The woman said that, that little spark of hope in the middle of such odds has the ripple effect like the mustard seed to move mountains. And yet, it is not that tiny faith - the faith of THIS moment, not one to overcome everything for all time - that rallies heaven's powers, rather it is that faith that moves the hand of God. What amazing imagery! Do you remember the scene? It is when they fight so bravely - and finally, the white horse of Gandalf and the others come to rescue them! It is like in Judges 6 when the tiny band of 300 fight the the swarms of Midianites (too numerous to count) descending up the like locusts ravaging ther land, and God causes the Midianites to turn on each other and God's people prevail.

So the rich young ruler got it wrong from the very beginning when he asked, "What must I do?" You have got it wrong, young ruler, for there is nothing you can do. It is not by your works you are saved, but by your tiny moment-by-moment faith in the God who will save you. It is impossible with man, rather it is only possible with God.

So today, I call on the Lord this moment. Like Legolas, I must say, "I'm sorry, I was wrong to despair" in the face of all the odds stacked against me, despairing that I will never overcome the idols, sins and distractions. There is no guarantee that I can follow God in the next year, month, day or even moment. But I can call upon Him RIGHT NOW. I will ask for God to help me wake up this morning, to help me pray these few minutes, to fight this temptation or besetting sin or seductive thought. And this moment will be the very mustard seed needed, where God will meet me and bring the power of the heavenlies that will move the mountains.