For with God all things are possible – specifically salvation YES – and life – and even finding interesting ways to correct my oops-es! And I am guessing that me seeing the elephant (an actual image) in the room (over and over) was probably a sign that I completely missed the meaning of something small and yet BIG – yeah – yeah I did. Yeah – elephants AND camels are big.  So – I had just finished my sermon writing for that Sunday – printed, closed the laptop, and turned around to see this cute elephant figurine in my house – well cute because I have an elephant theme going this day – I thought – and even later I saw an elephant photo on a store wall – hmmm…  WELL, my elephant in the room was that I wrote the scripture of Mark 10:25 as an elephant not a camel – oops… It is easier for a camel [not elephant] to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Yeah.

Where did I learn this? That I had mis-spoke and even mis-posted? Not in the sermon or parishioners, but later in a car with me recounting my sermon scripture to my wienermobile-travelling friends who certainly knew best on this one. Oh how we laughed – because the reason I have such a wienermobile connection with my friend is that I messed up previously and gave her a candy dish that I was so excited to give her and it was a peanut not a hot dog – OH! my brain switched the peanutmobile and wienermobile, oops… maybe someday we can ride in the peanutmobile for me, LOL. My mistake made a better more fun history of our hot diggity doggedness of friendship. Well, my switch of an elephant for a camel was just my brain being, you guessed it, HUMAN!

This connection with others, others who know their scriptures, is one of those great opportunities for iron to sharpen iron as I was simply wrong, and I (we) do need correction and polishing – and it is no big deal and the elephant in the room for me is that probably I was too distracted by worldly things anyway. Now, here is some folklore not in the bible: some say that the “eye of the needle” is a passageway or gate to Jerusalem and camels had to be unloaded to enter – thus a rich man would have to unload his wealth too… Hmmm… yet there are just as many credible sources that say the opposite – that there is no proof of a gate or passageway like that…  Oh well – I guess we will have to ask the Lord when we see Him…

Three of the four gospels carry this story – and in Luke, Jesus says: “Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches…” TRUTH – it is not just a warning against riches – it is a warning about trusting any money over trusting HIM. We get focused upon the money aspects of that story but really it is all about TRUST – it is if we TRUST the Lord with directing our days – pointing the Way – and having His say. 

One more BIG elephant in the room is me needing to get back to my Jeremiah scriptures – and in one chapter I find 2 BIG elephants – one is that Babylon is going to fall – such strong language by the Lord’s prophesy to Jeremiah in chapter 50 – and the OTHER BIG blessed elephant, in the room of my scripture immersion, is that the Lord is sending a Savior – verse 34 “Yet their Redeemer is strong; the Lord Almighty is his name.”  It would have been such a comfort to those in Jeremiah’s time that the Lord had this under control. And it should be for us today too. Where are we in believing that too? I pray we all do see the Lord’s control and gifts and promises. 

May we not see the elephant in the room but instead focus on the Lord in our view – Let Him lead us – Salvation is His to give. May we ever be faithful enough to TRUST. Trust is the key to this scripture – trust not in riches nor your own understanding – trust in the Lord.

With the Lord it IS Possible.

Amen

Amen

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Luke 18:22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

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Mark 10:21-27 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

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Matthew 19:21-26 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

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Jeremiah 50:1-34 A Message About Babylon
This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians: “Announce and proclaim among the nations, lift up a banner and proclaim it; keep nothing back, but say, ‘Babylon will be captured; Bel will be put to shame, Marduk filled with terror. Her images will be put to shame and her idols filled with terror.’  A nation from the north will attack her and lay waste her land. No one will live in it; both people and animals will flee away. “In those days, at that time,” declares the Lord, “the people of Israel and the people of Judah together will go in tears to seek the Lord their God. They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it. They will come and bind themselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.  “My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused them to roam on the mountains. They wandered over mountain and hill and forgot their own resting place. Whoever found them devoured them; their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty, for they sinned against the Lord, their verdant pasture, the Lord, the hope of their ancestors.’

“Flee out of Babylon; leave the land of the Babylonians, and be like the goats that lead the flock. For I will stir up and bring against Babylon an alliance of great nations from the land of the north. They will take up their positions against her, and from the north she will be captured. Their arrows will be like skilled warriors who do not return empty-handed.  So Babylonia will be plundered; all who plunder her will have their fill,” declares the Lord. “Because you rejoice and are glad, you who pillage my inheritance, because you frolic like a heifer threshing grain and neigh like stallions, your mother will be greatly ashamed; she who gave you birth will be disgraced. She will be the least of the nations— a wilderness, a dry land, a desert. Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited but will be completely desolate. All who pass Babylon will be appalled; they will scoff because of all her wounds.

“Take up your positions around Babylon, all you who draw the bow. Shoot at her! Spare no arrows, for she has sinned against the Lord. Shout against her on every side! She surrenders, her towers fall, her walls are torn down. Since this is the vengeance of the Lord, take vengeance on her; do to her as she has done to others. Cut off from Babylon the sower, and the reaper with his sickle at harvest. Because of the sword of the oppressor let everyone return to their own people, let everyone flee to their own land.

“Israel is a scattered flock that lions have chased away. The first to devour them was the king of Assyria; the last to crush their bones was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.” Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I will punish the king of Babylon and his land as I punished the king of Assyria. But I will bring Israel back to their own pasture, and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan; their appetite will be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead. In those days, at that time,” declares the Lord, “search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare. “Attack the land of Merathaim and those who live in Pekod. Pursue, kill and completely destroy them,” declares the Lord. “Do everything I have commanded you. The noise of battle is in the land, the noise of great destruction! How broken and shattered is the hammer of the whole earth! How desolate is Babylon among the nations!  I set a trap for you, Babylon, and you were caught before you knew it; you were found and captured because you opposed the Lord. The Lord has opened his arsenal and brought out the weapons of his wrath, for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do in the land of the Babylonians. Come against her from afar. Break open her granaries; pile her up like heaps of grain. Completely destroy her and leave her no remnant. Kill all her young bulls; let them go down to the slaughter! Woe to them! For their day has come, the time for them to be punished. Listen to the fugitives and refugees from Babylon declaring in Zion how the Lord our God has taken vengeance, vengeance for his temple.

“Summon archers against Babylon, all those who draw the bow. Encamp all around her; let no one escape. Repay her for her deeds; do to her as she has done. For she has defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. Therefore, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,” declares the Lord.  “See, I am against you, you arrogant one,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day has come, the time for you to be punished. The arrogant one will stumble and fall and no one will help her up; I will kindle a fire in her towns that will consume all who are around her.”

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah as well. All their captors hold them fast, refusing to let them go.  Yet their Redeemer is strong; the Lord Almighty is his name. He will vigorously defend their cause so that he may bring rest to their land, but unrest to those who live in Babylon.