There is a wise saying, "Stand for something, or you'll fall for anything."  We've just sung, "Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus", and I wonder how often we do.  It's easy to say the words, but something else to mean what we say.  Our world is full of words, words that describe, words that motivate, words that relate fact or evoke emotions.

          We've just heard our presidential candidates debate with words.  A word I doubt you'll ever hear them or any politician say is "impossible."  It's a negative word but a very powerful one.  It comes in other forms, in synonymous phrases like, "It can't be done,"  "We can't do that," or "Sorry, that won't work."

          Politicians and other optimists don't use the word "impossible", but pessimists do.  The pessimist always sees the impossible, the things that can't happen, but the optimist sees what might happen.  The pessimist sees the glass half empty, the optimist sees it half full.  As my farmer father used to say, the pessimist sees a pile of manure and grumbles about all the work he has left to do.  The optimist sees the same pile, grabs a shovel and says, "With a pile this big, there must be a nice horse around here somewhere!"

          When I first came to Colorado our Lutheran District Office had a Business Manager whose standard phrase seemed to be, "Sorry, that's impossible."  He was expert at showing us the bad side of anything.  At times it appeared he thought pessimism was one of the Spiritual Gifts.  Five years ago he mercifully retired and now our District has someone with a far better point of view.  Now we hear, "Let's see what we can do about that."  And for those of us who go there often, it's music to our ears.

          Decades ago, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale wrote The Power of Positive Thinking in which he shared his philosophy that if people would only thinking positively, good things would happen naturally.  One of his star pupils, Dr. Robert Schuller, further developed that philosophy into "Possibility Thinking."

          Sadly, though they were pastors, both men preached a Gospel of humanism that basically didn't leave much room for Jesus.  But both were reacting to our natural human impulse to view things negatively.  They believed if people would just think positively, if they would consider all the possibilities, if they would set aside the negative and think only of the positive, then good things would happen.

          That is, of course, if you live in America.  I'm not sure you could sell their idea to someone living in Sudan where human life is as cheap as the price of a bullet, or in Cuba where half the population goes to bed hungry, or in Israel where there will probably never be a day without tension.  But to some extent Schuller and Peale may have a point.  Too many Christians, especially us Lutherans, tend to be "Basement Christians" always trying to bring others down to our level.  God would rather we be "Mezzinine Christians," calling others up higher, to where God is.

          In some measure I guess we could say our Lord Jesus was the originator of possibility thinking.  But He said possibilities depend on faith in God, not in human optimism.  In our text Jesus was talking with a rich young man and used a comical image.  Everyone knows that a humpty-backed, gangly legged camel can't squeeze through the eye of a needle.

          But everyone listening to Him did not know that keeping the Ten Commandments would still not qualify someone for heaven.  Even if he were the best man, a rich and compassionate man, blessed by God in every way, that would still not make him eligible for the Kingdom.  Jews in Jesus' day believed that riches and righteous living were signs of God's favor.  But Jesus said that wasn't enough.  It's no wonder the rich young man went away sorrowful.  He thought he'd done everything right.  This, of course, amazed the disciples.  "Who then can be saved?" they asked.

          You and I also may find His words puzzling, at least until we remember that, "With God, all things are possible."  You see, God takes all the camels and needles of our human efforts and sets them aside.  Actually, He drowns them in the waters of Holy Baptism.  He buries them - and us - in our baptism so we can die to our old sinful self and then be raised again to newness of life.  That's why St. Paul wrote, "We were buried with him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Romans 6:4)

          The metaphor of the camel shows us God has a new plan for salvation, one not dependent on outward works and human effort.  No matter how much we would like to rely on our own efforts to get to heaven, our best and greatest deeds will always be as futile as trying to cram a camel through the eye of a needle.  They just won't work.  Our God of possibilities says, "Sorry, that is impossible."

          Though we can't enter the Kingdom through our own efforts, the impossible is made possible through the merits of Jesus.  Our Lord came to earth as an infant, born of a human mother to be truly human, to live under the Law and to take the punishment for our sins.  He lived His life without sin, in true perfection, and though He died, yet because He was truly God, He rose again.

          And in His resurrection we have hope.  God demands we live without sinning, and God knows that's impossible.  Though He's the almighty God of who can justly demand anything He wants, He's also a loving God who shows mercy to the humble person of faith.  God's doesn't want our death, but our life.  And so He gives us life and He gives us hope.

          Through baptism we are welcomed into His family.  Through Word and Sacrament we hear the Good News of His love.  By faith we are absolved of our sins.  Through confession and absolution our feeble attempts at "camel-threading" are removed to the refuse pile where they will be removed from our sight forever.  Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are saved.  As Paul further said, "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

          The garbage man came again last week.  He's one my favorite people.  Every Friday like clockwork, he comes at about 8 AM to gather up all my trash, all my crumpled office papers with their mistakes and all the wretched and smelly things I've already forgotten about.  He puts them all into his truck and drives them to some place I don't care to go, and there he buries them with everyone else's trash.  Every Friday the garbage man gives me a fresh new start.  Though I don't know his name, I love our garbage man and often I actually go out and thank him for doing what he does. 

          In an even more real way, our Lord Jesus is the universal garbage man.  He removes all the human trash we collect.  He picks up our pails of pride, collects our cans of conceit, and hauls away our sacks of sin, putting them on His back and taking them to a place you and I don't want to go.  And every time He leaves us clean and forgiven, restored and useful, once again.  If you realize what He's done for you, you can't help but love our Universal Trash Man called Jesus.  But we still probably won't thank Him enough for doing what He does.

          Sometimes I get a bit depressed at how the Christian faith is taken so lightly, especially among those who should know better.  But then comes some good news.  I subscribe to a daily message from Chuck Colson called "Breakpoint."  Last Friday he told of dozens of famous scientists who believe in God.  In fact, surveys are showing that 40% or more of all scientists believe in God.  A Professor from Stanford says, "There are proportionately as many atheistic truck drivers as atheistic scientists."  And among Nobel Laureates, the number who recognize the hand of God in the universe is remarkably higher.

          "All things are possible with God."  What impossibilities are you facing today?  What job or child or habit is weighing you down?  What part of your personal life stinks?  What part of your marriage is wearing thin?  Don't forget, "All things are possible with God."  He who made the universe has a solution to your impossibility.  Believe it, my friends, because it's true!  Amen!

Copyright © 2000 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.