Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost: Following Jesus as Fleeting People

In the name of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. I was for some reason, maybe reading these readings, I was reminded of a song that We played, uh, I played it with the band like to open youth group one night. It wasn't a Christian song.

I don't know why we played it to open youth group. It wasn't like a bad song. It was by fuel. The band Fuel and it was called Shimmer. And the repeated line was all that glimmers in this world will surely fade away. Again, right? You got those of you who remember that song that song's?

Almost 30. So uh, we're getting old. Uh, so if you're uh, like me, we're getting old that song's, almost 30 years old now and Maybe that's a sign of Even with the Was saying you know he was he was writing like this angsty song about having lost someone. He was in love with just out of high school or something like and it was that and all that you know shines in the world Fades away and maybe the song getting old is a sign of that.

Um the the songs fading away uh like everything else in this world, right? Everything that shines and everything that glistens and I think I was struck by the words of the song. Even just sitting here freshly this morning, just We live our lives for 70 years, perhaps in strength, 80.

But the whole of them is sorrow. Wow. Glad what a bright picture, right? And and this picture of what it means to live in light of a short and fleeting life. But I was thinking about today is what it would be, like to be 80 or 90. And hear those words, we live 70 years and perhaps But the whole of them.

Is sorrow. You know, um, what a I mean that's the reality that we find ourselves in is this? Shimmering. Yeah, beat the odds. That's right. And and and maybe this, that's what we rest. I think what we look at and really all these texts today Is, what does it look like to live in a world where all that shines Fades?

All that is shining Fades away. What we see in this Psalm is that God and his kingdom are the only things that endure. God. And his kingdom are the only things that endure. Our Psalm introduces us to God, as a, as a refuge, a refuge, is some place that you go to, like, stay for a while because the outside is, maybe scary or things are happening.

Like a refuge, is a picture of I go somewhere and I'm A fort. Like I'm, I'm holding up in here. It's a refuge, right? A safe place, and one that endures. In the sixth verse in the first six verses of the psalm were presented with a God who's enduring.

God has been a refuge from one generation to another in verse one, God, has been around since before the mountains and all the world in verse two. God is God from Everlasting. A thousand years in God's sight, or as yesterday, we're getting this picture of a God who's always been, who is enduring And that's contrasted with a people.

Who are fleeting, right? Verse 3, you turn Mack man back to dust you say return O children of men maybe reminds us of what we hear. Every Ash Wednesday, Those words from the curse, remember that you are dust into dust, you shall return, right? You turn men back to dust and say return.

In verse 5, we have that men fed fade away and they come quickly to an end in verse six. They are like grass. And that, what they're what they're saying about the grass isn't like, hey grass is pretty like like uh but what they're saying about the grass? Is that it's fleeting.

It's green today. It's pretty now but it's brown and it dies tomorrow. Right? It's gone tomorrow. And and what we see is that our temporality Is a result of our sin. That's where verse 7 kind of transitions. So, we've just talked about God being like, Enduring. And people being fleeting and then verse 7 as this shift where it's talking about hey, the reason we're fleeting is because of our sin.

God's anger is mentioned in verse 7, twice verse 9. Once verse 11 twice, God's angry, in our Amos reigning. Because of the people's unwillingness to seek the Lord to seek the good. Verse 11 tells us about why they're, they're fleeting because of that. You have built houses and of hewn Stone, but you shall not dwell in them.

You have planted Pleasant Vineyards but you shall not drink their wine. The labor of their hands is fleeting that because they'll go into Exile but because all of us because of death, right? Their temporality. And the reason that they are not enduring like God is in this Psalm is because they have sinned.

And when they've sinned, they've sinned against the only one that can give enduring life. Right. As the people of sin, they sinned against the only one that can give the enduring life. The only one that has enduring life

And so, In the Dire Straits, the psalmist asks that the Lord will teach us to number our days. Teach us how to number our days. Teach us how to recognize that we are fleeting that this, that all that shimmers in the world and glimmers in this world is going to fade.

Everything that shines. Fades away. Teach us to number our days. Teach us the truth about us. But ultimately the Solomon, these these verses in verse the last verses of the psalm verse 13 to 16 or 17. Remember the Solomons these these uh, these verses Call on God. And they call on God to show us Mercy to look upon us in this.

And they say, Turn. Turn to us just like God. Or man turns back. To dust. We're asking God, same word to turn to us, turn to us in the state that we're in this state, where we're temporal, where we're a dying people where we fade away, because of our sinfulness because of God's anger.

It says, we the psalmist is saying, but God turned to us, show us, Mercy, turn to us and save us turn to us. Behold us? Look at us. State that we find ourselves in.

And God does turn. And God does look at us. And when I, when we read the gospel reading today, I think, perhaps we're see, you know, Jesus prayed the Psalms As he walked the Earth. And he heard people in their temporality, in the, in their sinfulness in the, in the fact sitting, in the fact, with the fact that our days are 70 years and perhaps in strength 80 and yet that some of them is sorrow.

He prayed that prayer along with that, with all the people, right? But, but called out to God, turned to us. And here we see. Jesus turn to this man and look at him. We see Jesus turning to a man or turning toward a man who's in the same problem as everybody else.

Turning and looking at him. See we meet this man. Who finds himself in the same problem as all of us. He desires, eternal life. He said, what must they do to inherit eternal life? But because of his sin, He is fleeting. And not enduring and fading like everybody else.

We finished our song, asking God to turn toward us. In this Gospel reading, we see God answering that prayer. Yes. I'll turn toward you. And it says Jesus looked at him. And loved him. Jesus looked at him. And loved him. The advice that Jesus gives this man is motivated by love.

However, you understand this advice. What comes out of Jesus mouth next because it's a challenging passage to read, understand. This Mark is the, he's in such a hurry. He's, he write the most repeated word of Mark, besides, like the or and or whatever would be immediately. Immediately like everything's happening immediately in Mark.

It's like, we are in a hurry, we are running everywhere we go, except Jesus never runs. He always seems calm, but everything's happening around him. Immediately immediately this happened immediately that happened. We don't see immediately In this passage. But what we see is this internal motivation of Jesus. That we don't see anywhere else.

Like I can't think of other places in Mark where he slows down long enough to tell us what Jesus is thinking about. And he looks at him and he loves him. Motivated by love for this man. Who desires eternal life, but knows. That his life is fleeting like everybody else's.

Jesus looks at him and loves him. We're only told the man is Rich at the very end of this encounter. So, like, this is one of those places where those little subtitles in your Bible. Cause you to read the story differently than the story was shown to us. The story is shown to us.

We don't know anything about this man until the very last word. Very last phrase or Clause of this story. He had great possessions. That was the, that's the first time we're told anything. About this man. We're supposed to experience this as just a man who wants eternal life and and he knows his life is fleeting like everybody else.

And so we're supposed to read the story and wonder what is he lacking? Just like he is wondering, what am I lacking? We're supposed to ask the same question. And one thing that's shocking to me about this story is that Mark? Just says, For, he had great possessions. And that seems like enough explanation for why he walked away.

When Jesus said sell. All your things, give them to poor and come follow me. He walked away. And it just has 40 ad. Great possessions doesn't give us anything else. Just the fact that he had great possessions was enough explanation at least according to Mark.

He loved his possessions, the ones that were fleeting, he loved them. And he walked away from the only one who can give the eternal life he was seeking because he loved them. He loved his things. Money is. Actually in our possessions. It's so closely tied to our sense of well-being.

And provision. Isn't it? Like, we we we can recognize when we think about Money. Like I go to work, I receive money and like we pray to the Lord. Give us this day, our daily bread but the way that we experience that isn't God. Reigning Manna from Heaven Like he did for God's people.

It's usually by him providing money because we've worked, right? And and we pray. And so what the reason like it's really easy for that to become really Really closely aligned. With our sense of like I'm I'm provided for, I have enough. I'm not running out. Money's really closely tied.

We're tempted to love our things and our money more than we love God. And to see those things as the things that provide for us. Because it's it is really closely tied with how God provides for us. So, it's important that like Jesus looks at him and loves him in this situation.

This wasn't a good Ministry, funding strategy. You guys know that, right? Like Jesus wasn't trying to like raise some money for his ministry, he wasn't looking at the coffers. And being like, man, things are a little low. Um, I bet now I I you know, I got a whale on the line, I better try to get him for all his money.

Like that wasn't what was going on here. This wouldn't even be a good one. I I teach fundraising to people that are Church planting What I don't say is go to like one guy and ask him for all his money. Like ask him to sell everything and give you all his money.

That's not really a great strategy for like law enduring funds, right? So he's not doing fundraising right now. I prayed evening prayer with a group of you this week and we discuss tithing because we happen to fall into Malachi 3. We, we discussed giving To the to the church.

As a sign of our trust in the Lord. And tithing is not about. Funding Ministry. Churches and organ organizations. They, they might need your money, but I'll tell you who doesn't God doesn't need your money. God's not like, Oh no. What am I gonna do? If you if if you don't get like he tells us that in a different Psalm, right?

He tells us that the cattle on a thousand Hills are mine. If I were hungry, I wouldn't come to you. That's what he tells. That's what he tells his people. If I were hungry, I wouldn't come knock on your door. I own all the cattle.

The acna Works through this like 10 10, principle where People the members of the church give 10 percent of their income to the church, the churches. Give 10 percent of their income to the diocese, the diocese gives 10 of its income to the province. That's a Ministry funding strategy.

Okay, that's Ministry funding. That's getting Ministry funded, which is fine. There's nothing wrong with having Ministry, funding strategy, that's a Ministry funding strategy, kind of, based on the principle of tithing In your personal life that tithing isn't about Ministry funding. It's about Breaking Free of the love of money and recognizing the love that money is our provider, that's what it's about.

And I all I can tell you is from my own experience that when I, when I have been faithful to give money away, The love of money has decreased in my life and my stress about money has decreased. I'm not saying I gave the money and now I'm like wealthy because like, all this money showed up, that's definitely not the case.

If you add it up all the times, I found like a check at just the right time that I needed, which has happened. A lot of times in my life, but if you add it all up and like, put it on a balance sheet, next to the money, I'm giving away the church.

I promise you I've given more money away the church, it's not an investment strategy to like get rich. This. When I've been faithful to give to let go of money, God has used that To help me to think about money, less. And they'll love it less. What Jesus was doing with this man wasn't about raising money.

It was about freeing him. From what he loved more than eternal life at that moment. Was it because he loved him. He did this because he loved him.

So this man loved his stuff more than God. And when Jesus offers him the opportunity to sell everything and give it to the poor, It was an opportunity for him to turn away from that false love and turning toward the what the only life that endures eternal life following Jesus.

In verse 27, we have Jesus looking at people again, he looks at them but this time it's his disciples because they are watching this story unfold and they're wondering who can get in like this guy. Didn't seem like like he said, I've kept all these Commandments from my youth.

Who can get in if that guy can't is what they're wondering, right? And Jesus tells them, hey, It's not possible for anyone to get in. Only God can do that Miracle. No one could get in, but by like no one can sell their stuff and pay God off. No one can do enough righteous things to pay God off.

The only thing that can get someone in is that God might change their hearts and cause them to love. It's truly lovely, instead of the things that they're tempted to love. The stuff that Fades away. Right. So what we're all invited to do is to follow him. It's what Jesus said to the rich, man, because he loved him.

He said, sell all you have give it to the poor and come follow me. Were invited to follow Jesus. And if we're willing to give up our claim on fleeting things, We find a gracious God. Willing to give us. All that we truly need and all that we truly seek in this life.

The stuff that doesn't flee away or fade away and isn't fleeting. Right. I in my own life I Mark it especially every time I read this passage. And every time this passage comes up, Sometimes some of you guys know like um we we Ilina and the family moved here.

We only had four kids at the time. Now we have added a fifth but we had four kids at the time, Malachi was like a newborn. So we moved here in 2018 Um, And, About like, A week after we got here. Um like our house was like in boxes.

I got a phone call that director of the church I was at before was accepting a position somewhere else. It was a week after I got here, my house was in boxes. And so, I was like, Kind of weepy, like, my whole family was down there, like, my whole life was down there.

We, um, We built a church with a bunch of like young families down there, like, There was a lot going on down there, that was good for A family with four kids that from six to down to like a baby, right? And so with the boxes still in my house not unpacked yet.

I get that phone call and And the Lord just um and and so I was like, weeping a little grumpy. Um, about that. Um, and about that unexpected turn in my life, right? Because this was just The situation we were in then um some of you were in the room then but not almost all of you were not.

Um, And it was different and it was, uh, it was high risk. It was scary. It was small. It was, um, In a cold Hospital Chapel, it was a lot of things that were scary um for making that move with a big old family. And I was hanging out with the guys at a church planning retreat in a monastery.

Late into the night. So I had no idea why at 5 55 a.m. the Lord woke me up, right? He woke me up out of a dead sleep and I was like why am I awake right now? I had like four hours of sleep. Why am I awake right now?

And but I was awake and so I said, oh yes. The Lord wants me to go with the monks and they're gonna do their matins or whatever. The morning one is the most morning one is lods. I don't remember the one where they don't sing but they like go like when they do the Psalms but, uh, So like it was great, you know, I but the Lord I was there with the monks and this passage was the one they read, where Peter stands up?

And says, we gave up everything to follow you though. And Jesus says I tell you, That no one who gives it up for the sake of the Kingdom, won't receive it all back and mentions Holmes, and family, and like, I'm and I'm crying. But the deal is that. Like, I don't share this as an example of, like, my extraordinary faithfulness.

I don't, I don't think Peter's an example of extraordinary faithfulness here. Um, He's trying to say no but you see that we like we we got this ironed out right? Like we we did the thing like so you knew OS something right? You know that you owe us something Jesus, right?

Like I think like I don't read Peter here and be like wow he's just this extraordinary example of faithfulness but it is an example of what we walk through as people of God. When he asks us to like a call towards something is always a call away of some from something else, we can't do a bunch of things.

Well, so a called towards, something's always a call away from something else, and this was something that our our family experienced as like, A major shift in our life, right? And a scary one. And all I I share that and as example, like, hey, this was like, I was so faithful, but an example of how faithful God is to wake me up.

In the morning, on four hours of sleep, to say, go hear from me. That I'm with you. And then I look at you and I love you. And all I can say is, like, I found him, so faithful. God is good and God is faithful and like, following him is scary and money.

Looks like it provides for us and we turn toward all the we're like we're like people in a casino with all the and we're just turning from thing to thing that's blinking and shining and making noise and they all and it does it and it all Fades away. But I'll tell you, God is faithful.

And he's enduring and I found God to be faithful. I've found God to be worth giving up the things that fade away. Anyway, I that's all I can share with you is that I found him to be faithful. So, It's not like I haven't become a person. On this journey who never gets afraid or attached to money, or Houses or relationships anymore, trust me, I can get attached to anybody else but what I have found is that God is good and he is faithful and and when we're willing to lay these things down, God, proves himself.

Faithful time, and time, and time, and time again. He's good. He's worth it. And it's all that endures. Anyway, the the rich man's stuff was fleeting away. There's not like a monument to the rich man's stuff right now that endures. He held on to it all. It's all faded away.

Like everything else in the world. So he so I invite you today, like, Jesus invited this man because he loved him. Come. Follow Jesus. And he will give you all that truly endures. Amen.