A Study Guide Built On The Following Four Points:

A Study Guide Built On The Fllwing Fur Pints: Evangelism calls peple t cmmitment Wrship celebrates that cmmitment Christian Frmatin teaches the meaning f that cmmitment Stewardship is the practice f that cmmitment Prepared by the Stewardship Cmmissin f the Dicese f West Virginia The Rt. Rev. W. Michie Kluysmeyer VII Bishp f West Virginia Ms. Linda Crcker Chair f the Stewardship Cmmissin

CONTENTS Evangelism calls peple t cmmitment...page 3 Dr.Timthy Saxe Member, The Stewardship Cmmissin Wrship celebrates that cmmitment...page 8 The Rev. Cann Dnald Vinsn Cann Fr Cngregatinal Develpment, Dicese f West Virginia Christian Frmatin teaches the meaning f the that cmmitment...page 10 The Rev. William Carl Thmas, Rectr, Saint Matthews, Charlestn Stewardship is the practice f that cmmitment...page 14 The Rev. Stan Hlmes New Suthern Deanery (Parish) New River Episcpal Ministries Find mre resurces a www.wvstewardship.cm. Scripture quted is frm the NRSV. 2

Finding Our Cmmitment T Christ in Ordinary Times Evangelism calls peple t cmmitment Wrship celebrates that cmmitment Christian Frmatin teaches the meaning f that cmmitment Stewardship is the practice f that cmmitment Sessin One Evangelism calls peple t cmmitment Participants will need a Bk f Cmmn Prayer. The Facilitatr shuld have a Bible. Opening Prayer: Facilitatr and Participants: I ffer all the prayers, wrks, jys, and prblems f the day t the Father, the Sn, and the Hly Spirit. I unite myself in the spirit and prayer with all the Eucharists that will be celebrated this day in the wrld. May the peple f Gd witness the Gd News f Christ in all times and in all places, nw and always. Amen. The Wrd Made Flesh: Acts 8:26 36, 38 39 Then an angel f the Lrd said t Philip, "Get up and g tward the suth t the rad that ges dwn frm Jerusalem t Gaza." (This is a wilderness rad.) 27 S he gt up and went. Nw there was an Ethipian eunuch, a curt fficial f the Candace, queen f the Ethipians, in charge f her entire treasury. He had cme t Jer usalem t wrship 28 and was returning hme; seated in his charit, he was reading the prphet Isaiah. 29 Then the Spirit said t Philip, "G ver t this charit and jin it." 30 S Philip ran up t it and heard him reading the prphet Isaiah. He asked, "D yu understand what yu are reading?" 31 He replied, "Hw can I, unless smene guides me?" And he invited Philip t get in and sit beside him. 32 Nw the passage f the scripture that he was reading was this: "Like a sheep he was led t the slaughter and like a lamb silent befre its shearer, s he des nt pen his muth. 33 In his humiliatin justice was denied him. Wh can describe his generatin? Fr his life is taken away frm the earth." 34 The eunuch asked Philip, "Abut whm, may I ask yu, des the prphet say this, abut himself r abut smene else?" 35 Then Philip began t speak, and starting with this scripture, he prclaimed t him the gd news abut Jesus. 36 As they were ging alng the rad, they came t sme water; and the eunuch said, "Lk, here is water! What is t prevent me frm being baptized?" 38 He cmmanded the charit t stp, and bth f them, Philip and the eunuch, went dwn int the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up ut f the water, the 3

the Spirit f the Lrd snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him n mre, and went n his way rejicing. 1 Jhn 4:7 21 Belved, let us lve ne anther, because lve is frm Gd; everyne wh lves is brn f Gd and knws Gd. 8 Whever des nt lve des nt knw Gd, fr Gd is lve. 9 Gd's lve was revealed amng us in this way: Gd sent his nly Sn int the wrld s that we might live thrugh him. 10 In this is lve, nt that we lved Gd but that he lved us and sent his Sn t be the atning sacrifice fr ur sins. 11 Belved, since Gd lved us s much, we als ught t lve ne anther. 12 N ne has ever seen Gd; if we lve ne anther, Gd lives in us, and his lve is perfected in us. 13 By this we knw that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us f his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and d testify that the Father has sent his Sn as the Savir f the wrld. 15 Gd abides in thse wh cnfess that Jesus is the Sn f Gd, and they abide in Gd. 16 S we have knwn and believe the lve that Gd has fr us. Gd is lve, and thse wh abide in lve abide in Gd, and Gd abides in them. 17 Lve has been perfected amng us in this: that we may have bldness n the day f judgment, because as he is, s are we in this wrld. 18 There is n fear in lve, but perfect lve casts ut fear; fr fear has t d with punishment, and whever fears has nt reached perfectin in lve. 19 We lve because he first lved us. 20 Thse wh say, "I lve Gd," and hate their brthers r sisters, are liars; fr thse wh d nt lve a brther r sister whm they have seen, cannt lve Gd whm they have nt seen. 21 The cmmandment we have frm him is this: thse wh lve Gd must lve their brthers and sisters als. Matt 25:31 46 When the Sn f Man cmes in his glry, and all the angels with him, then he will sit n the thrne f his glry. 32 All the natins will be gathered befre him, and he will separate peple ne frm anther as a shepherd separates the sheep frm the gats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the gats at the left. 34 Then the king will say t thse at his right hand, 'Cme, yu that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdm prepared fr yu frm the fundatin f the wrld; 35 fr I was hungry and yu gave me fd, I was thirsty and yu gave me smething t drink, I was a stranger and yu welcmed me, 36 I was naked and yu gave me clthing, I was sick and yu tk care f me, I was in prisn and yu visited me.' 37 Then the righteus will answer him, 'Lrd, when was it that we saw yu hungry and gave yu fd, r thirsty and gave yu smething t drink? 38 And when was it t hat we saw yu a stranger and welcmed yu, r naked and gave yu clthing? 39 And when was it that we saw yu sick r in prisn and visited yu?' 4

40 And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell yu, just as yu did it t ne f the least f these wh are members f my family, yu did it t me.' 41 Then he will say t thse at his left hand, 'Yu that are accursed, depart frm me int the eternal fire prepared fr the devil and his angels; 42 fr I was hungry and yu gave me n fd, I was thirsty and yu gave me nthing t drink, 43 I was a stranger and yu did nt welcme me, naked and yu did nt give me clthing, sick and in prisn and yu did nt visit me.' 44 Then they als will answer, 'Lrd, when was it that we saw yu hungry r thirsty r a stranger r naked r sick r in prisn, and did nt take care f yu?' 45 Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell yu, just as yu did nt d it t ne f the least f these, yu did nt d it t me.' 46 And these will g away int eternal punishment, but the righteus int eternal life Cmments fr Thught Phillip did nt judge the Eunuch, rather he engaged him in cnversatin that led him int relatinship with The Lrd. Thus, bth Phillip and the Eunuch were changed. In 1 Jhn, we are reminded f the inclusiveness f Gd s lve fr us. We (everyne) are recipients f Gd s lve. This calls fr a reactin n ur part. Hw we respnd speaks f ur lve fr Gd. When we think f even the least f these sme wuld include even the lwly wrm. Others are limited in their belief t nly humans. Either way, Christ makes it very clear; we are all cnnected by the Christness within us all. We as Christians, because f Gd s lve fr us, are called t seek the Christness in thers. Cme and see seek ye first the Kingdm f Gd Questins and Meditatins Based n the Wrd: If we believe that Gd is the surce f all gifts spiritual and material, what implicatins des this have fr everyday life? What is ur respnse t what we believe: gratitude, giving, being gd stewards, a cmmitment t fllw Christ? Can we ntice Gd if we d nt ntice thers? Des ur definitin f Gd limit Gd? Des ur definitin f evangelism limit us? Des ur definitin f Stewardship limit ur relatinship with Gd? D we give ut f ur lve f Gd and Christ, r ut f fear? Is it a sacrifice r gift? Is Gd s cmmitment t us any different than ur cmmitment t Gd? Is cmmitment duty based r relatinship driven? Is there a difference? 5

Is this cmmitment sacrificed based r a privilege? Is it accmplished ut f fear r lve? Is there a difference? Finding Cmmitment t Christ in Ordinary Times: Jhn is. Yu can tell by his wrds and actins. I d nt like peple wh are. Fill in the blank with the fllwing: gay, hmphbic, anti hmphbic, a bigt, black, anti black, nt a Christian, Muslim, Jewish, rich, pr. Is there a difference as t hw a Christian shuld respnd t any ne f these r shuld ur respnse be the same? Remembering Christ s wrds, what yu did t the least f these, wh r which are the least f these? As a Christian, hw shuld I respnd? Hw can I live my life in cmmitment t Christ? What d I need t change? I will with Gd s help. Cncluding Thughts and Meditatins Hw d yu nw see Gd s relatinship t us? Hw d yu nw see ur relatinship t Gd? Has there been a change in yur cmmitment t Christ r the Christness in thers? What d I need t d nw? Clsing Prayer Prayer f Saint Francis f Assisi Lrd, make me an instrument f yur peace. Where there is hatred, let me sw lve; where there is injury, pardn; where there is dubt, faith; where there is despair, hpe; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, jy. O Divine Master, grant that I may nt s much seek t be cnsled as t cnsle; t be understd as t understand; t be lved as t lve. Fr it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardning that we are pardned; and it is in dying that we are brn t eternal life. Amen. Please turn t page 7 and leave with the wrds f Hymn 581 Where Charity and Lve Prevail 6

Hymn 581 Where Charity and Lve Prevail (Cpyrite 1982 Hymnal, all rights reserved) Wrds: Latin; tr. J. Cliffrd Evers (b. 1916) Where charity and lve prevail there Gd is ever fund; brught here tgether by Christ s lve by lve are we thus bund. With grateful jy and hly fear his charity we learn; let us with heart and mind and strength nw lve him in return. Frgive we nw each ther s faults as we ur faults cnfess; and let us lve each ther well in Christian hliness. Let strife amng us be unknwn, let all cntentin cease; be his the glry that we seek, be urs his hly peace. Let us recall that in ur midst dwells Gd s begtten sn; as members f his Bdy jined we are in him made ne. Lve can exclude n race r creed if hnred be Gd s Name; ur cmmn life embraces all whse Father is the same. 7

2. Hw d yu define wrship? 3. Wh is wrship fr? Gd? The angels? The wrshipers? Hw s? 4. What actins are invlved in wrship? What attitudes? 5. Hw is sacrifice invlved in wrship in these Old Testament passages? Hw abut thanksgiving? Petitin? Praise? 6. What are the main aspects f prayer in wrship? Is the prayer f grup wrship different frm that f an individual in private? Hw and why? 7. Hw is the wrship f the synaggue different frm that f the Temple? II. Sme Christian insights n wrship: Have smene read these shrt passages frm the Gspels slwly and thughtfully. Then discuss the questins fllwing. Luke 4: 16 21 ( Tday, this scripture has been fulfilled in yur hearing. ) Mark 1: 14 15 ( The kingdm f Gd is at hand; repent ) Matthew 15: 8 9 ( This peple hnrs me with their lips ) Matthew 21: 12 13 ( My huse shall be called a huse f prayer ) Luke 18: 1 14 (the judge and the widw; the Pharisee and the tax cllectr) Jhn 4: 19 24 ( wrship in spirit and truth ) 1. What are the implicatins f the destructin f the Temple t Christian wrship? 2. What elements f Temple wrship cntinue in the Christian Eucharist? What f synaggue wrship? 3. What is wrship in spirit and truth? 4. Why des the Gd News begin with a call fr repentance? III. Bringing it tgether fr tday: Read the passages; discuss the questins. Jhn 16: 12 14 ( lve ne anther ) Matthew 5: 23 24 ( first be recnciled t yur brther ) Micah 6: 8 ( and what des the Lrd require f yu ) 1. The late Dr. Verna Dzier nted that we tend t switch the verbs in the Micah passage. We lve justice, but we nly d mercy. What might Dzier have meant by her bservatin? What is the difference? 2. Hw might that difference impact ur wrship in spirit and truth? 9

3. Smetimes, we say that wrship prepares us t g int the wrld t practice ur ministry. In what ways des the ding f justice and mercy prepare us t wrship? 4. Hw is justice cnnected with wrship? 5. Hw is stewardship cnnected with wrship? Finding Our Cmmitment T Christ in Ordinary Times Evangelism calls peple t cmmitment Wrship celebrates that cmmitment Christian Frmatin teaches the meaning f that cmmitment Stewardship is the practice f that cmmitment Sessin Three Christian Frmatin teaches the meaning f that cmmitment. Participants will need a Bk f Cmmn Prayer. The Facilitatr shuld have a Bible. Opening Prayer: Facilitatr and Participants: I ffer all the prayers, wrks, jys, and prblems f the day t the Father, the Sn, and the Hly Spirit. I unite myself in the spirit and prayer with all the Eucharists that will be celebrated this day in the wrld. May the peple f Gd witness the Gd News f Christ in all times and in all places, nw and always. Amen. Facilitatr: Listen t this prayer fr missin written by Bishp Charles Henry Brent abut 100 years ag and fund in the Bk f Cmmn Prayer n page 101: Lrd Jesus Christ, yu stretched ut yur arms f lve n the hard wd f the crss that everyne might cme within the reach f yur saving embrace: S clthe us in yur Spirit that we, reaching frth ur hands in lve, may bring thse wh d nt knw yu t the knwledge and lve f yu; fr the hnr f yur Name. Amen. Fr the next 45 minutes we will engage in a discussin and an exercise t see hw Christian Frmatin helps us, cllectively and persnally, mdel ur cmmitment t find and share Christ in rdinary times. Simply stated, Christian Frmatin prvides Christians with an apprach t be s clthed in Christ s Spirit that yu and I may find the inviting grace f Gd t discver the depth f ur relatinship with Gd and each ther. 10

Let s discuss the fllwing: Hw d yu respnd t the pening premise f the Bishp Brent s prayer? Lrd Jesus Christ, yu stretched ut yur arms f lve n the hard wd f the crss that everyne might cme within the reach f yur saving embrace. D yu prmise t fllw and bey Jesus Christ as yur Lrd? (BCP page 303) Hw des the image f yu stretched ut yur arms f lve n the hard wd f the crss affect yu? D yu respnd t the image f Christ s saving embrace? What des it mean t yu t be s clthed in Christ s Spirit? What d yu need s yu can find the strength in this image t reach frth yur hands in lve t the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the prisner the least f these wh are members f my family? (Matthew 25:31 46) D yu identify the Great Cmmandant ( I give yu a new cmmandment, that yu Lve ne anther as I have lved yu. Jhn 13:34) and the Great Cmmissin ( G int all the wrld and prclaim the gd news t the whle wrld. Mark 16:15) in the fllwing: Reaching frth ur hands in lve May bring thse wh d nt knw yu t the knwledge and lve f yu. Hw des An Outline f the Faith: cmmnly called the Catechism fund beginning f page 845 in the Bk f Cmmn Prayer stimulate a quest fr knwledge? Flip thrugh the Outline and let yur finger randmly fall n a tpic. Were yu surprised by the questins and answers? St. Anslem used the phrase Faith seeking understanding. Des the knwledge prvided by the Outline strengthen yur faith and/r reveal a need fr greater understanding? 11

Let s share a physical/spiritual exercise: Hpefully a member f the grup gathered fr this study is willing t cme frward and be a demnstratr. Have the demnstratr stand facing the grup with enugh space t allw the demnstratr t swing his r her arms when fully extended in a circle. The narratr, wh can be the grup facilitatr, will read the fllwing instructins and explanatins while the demnstratr enacts the instructins. Narratr: Imagine in frnt f ur demnstratr that Gd is ffering invitatins in the frm f blips f light in varius clrs. The invitatins are cnstantly changing. Instructin t the Demnstratr: Please cup yur hands arund yur eyes t frm blinders that give yu a narrw field f visin. Narratr: When the demnstratr has a narrw field f visin he/she can nly see a fractin f what Gd is ffering. This is hw mst peple pray, especially when they are in distress. They are lking fr smething very specific frm Gd rather than seeking the fullness f what Gd has t ffer. There is nthing wrng with this apprach. Hwever, what if the demnstratr changes psitin? Instructin t the Demnstratr: Please stay standing in yur current psitin but stretch yur arms ut as far as they will g t the right and t the left. While keeping yur eyes lking straight ahead, raise yur pinter finger n each utstretched hand and determine yur field f peripheral visin. Narratr: The blips f light that are the ever changing invitatins frm Gd are nw visible t a much wider field f visin. Let s say that ne such invitatin is evident in the lwer right hand quadrant at 4:00 clck. This nw catches the demnstratr s attentin. Instructin t the Demnstratr: Please cup yur hands arund yur eyes t frm blinders but turn yur head t fcus n the blip f light invitatin at 4:00 clck. Narratr: This is what happens when mst peple try t stay pen t Gd s hly invitatins. They see it and fcus directly n the invitatin. Again, this is nt a bad thing. This exercise reveals hw helpful it is t be cmmitted t being pen t Gd. Ntice hw the demnstratr has mved t the right. Let s cntinue the demnstratin. Instructin t the Demnstratr: Please be sure yur bdy is aligned twards where yu are nw fcused. Yu shuld have made a quarter turn frm yur riginal psitin. Please repeat the part f the exercise where yu extended yur arms and determined yur peripheral field f visin. Narratr: Ntice that the demnstratr s field f visin nw includes an area that was behind him/her at the beginning f the exercise. 12

Instructin t the Demnstratr: Please turn yur head and yur bdy t the farthest right pint f yur field f visin and cup yur hands arund yur eyes. Narratr: If we have been successful in the demnstratin, the demnstratr will nw have his/her back t us. Maybe the invitatin that Gd has been yearning fr the demnstratr t discver has nly been accessible by being pen t a jurney that takes the demnstratr frm ne pint t anther. Maybe Christian frmatin gives us the tls and the discipline t learn hw cmmitted Gd is t each and every ne f us. Facilitatr: Nw let s all try the exercise. Be sure that yu have enugh space t swing yur arms when in a full circle. A reflectin f the physical/spiritual exercise When yu stretched ut yur arms t find yur full field f peripheral visin, did yu feel a cnnectin t Jesus Christ wh stretched ut his arms f lve n the hard wd f the crss? Bring yur arms in twards yur bdy and reward yurself with an embrace. D yu feel cnnected t the saving embrace f Jesus Christ? Des this physical part f the exercise Bring yu a deeper understanding f the discipline necessary t be s clthed in his Spirit? Make yu aware that when yu reach ut yur hands in lve yu are ffering the saving embrace f Jesus Christ? Des the spiritual part f the exercise Make yu aware that Gd is cntinually ffering yu invitatins that yu can better be able t receive when yu are cmmitted t being pen t Gd? Help yu see that Christian frmatin ffers tls t help yu cmmit t a discipline that brings yu clser t Gd (wh is already clser than yu can ask r imagine!)? Final Questins What is Gd s cmmitment t us? What is ur cmmitment t Gd? 13

Finding Our Cmmitment T Christ in Ordinary Times Evangelism calls peple t cmmitment Wrship celebrates that cmmitment Christian Frmatin teaches the meaning f that cmmitment Stewardship is the practice f that cmmitment Sessin Fur Stewardship is the practice f that cmmitment. Participants will need a Bk f Cmmn Prayer. The Facilitatr shuld have a Bible. Opening Prayer: Facilitatr and Participants: I ffer all the prayers, wrks, jys, and prblems f the day t the Father, the Sn, and the Hly Spirit. I unite myself in the spirit and prayer with all the Eucharists that will be celebrated this day in the wrld. May the peple f Gd witness the Gd News f Christ in all times and in all places, nw and always. Amen. Stewardship: Hw d we put stewardship int practice and hw are we t respnd? COMMENT: We have taken this jurney tgether in the hpe that we all see and understand stewardship differently and maybe even nw find ways t put ur faith int practice. Thrugh Evangelism; ur call frm Jesus Christ t cmmitment. Wrship; which celebrates that cmmitment. Christian Frmatin; in which we find the meaning f that cmmitment. Finally Practicing Stewardship, ur respnse. The questin we might ask urselves is: Is the jurney ver? D I nw g back t living my life as it was? r can we find that by practicing ur respnse, we see a cntinuing wheel where we re cnstantly revisiting everything ver and ver? Hpefully this jurney has lit a light in all f us wh seek t find a clearer understanding f where Gd s cmmitment t all f us is and hw His cmmitment never fails us. On the ther hand, it is t ask urselves; Hw d I nw see my cmmitment t Gd (Christ)? Has this jurney pened new windws fr me t re evaluate my cmmitment? If we allw urselves t ask thse kinds f questins, the challenge is that we be hnest with urselves. That s challenging! If yu re anything like me, many times I try t answer my wn questins n my wn. I find that very cnvenient. I might suggest these kinds f challenging, sul searching questins be better dealt with if we take them t the Lrd. This is where we find Gd being true t His side f cmmitment, when we prayerfully discern, seek ut ur persnal struggles thrugh scripture, allw a humble penness t ur cmmunity f faith, t walk with us in ur struggles and discernments. This is when we find hnest answers and paths which will 14

bring us t a place f awareness and transfrmatins that will give us a deep desire t respnd t Gd s lve. One f the greatest hidden treasures in Hly Scripture is finding urselves in them. When we try t see urselves in the stries r in the parables, which brings them int a real place fr us, smetimes a gd place. But fr me, mst f the time, a place that challenges me t discern. I find in the stry f the rich yung ruler myself in several rles. (Jesus nt being ne f them) Let s hear the stry and see if we can find urselves in it. Mark 10: 17 27 17 As he was setting ut n a jurney, a man ran up and knelt befre him, and asked him, Gd Teacher, what must I d t inherit eternal life? 10 Jesus said t him, Why d yu call me gd? N ne is gd but Gd alne. Yu knw the cmmandments: Yu shall nt murder; Yu shall nt cmmit adultery; Yu shall nt steal; Yu shall nt bear false witness; Yu shall nt defraud; Hnr yur father and mther. 20 He said t him, Teacher, I have kept all f these since my yuth. 21 Jesus, lking at him, lved him and said, Yu lack ne thing; g, sell what yu wn, and give the mney t the pr, and yu will have treasure in heaven; then cme and fllw me. 22 When he heard this, he was shcked and went away grieving, fr he had many pssessins. 23 Then Jesus lked arund and said t his disciples, Hw hard it will be fr thse wh have wealth t enter the kingdm f Gd! 24 And the disciples were perplexed at these wrds. But Jesus said t them again, Children, hw hard it is t enter the kingdm f Gd! 25 It is easier fr a camel t g thrugh the eye f a needle than fr smene wh is rich t enter the kingdm f Gd. 26 They were greatly astunded and said t ne anther, Then wh can be saved? 27 Jesus lked at them and said, Fr mrtals it is impssible, but nt fr Gd; fr Gd all things are pssible. COMMENT: There s a lt ging n in this shrt stry. Right ff the bat I fund myself in an uncmfrtable place in thse cmmandments this persn said he kept frm his yuth, nt t mentin what else I lacked. Keep in mind, accrding t Mark s Gspel, this is an actual event that Jesus and his disciples encuntered, nt a parable. We in ur culture might have a tendency when hearing this stry t allw urselves a reprieve because we can all find peple in ur culture that have many mre pssessins and a lt mre mney than we d, s we can exempt urselves f even discerning what little bit we think we have. But let s lk at it thrugh different eyes. Maybe it wuld be helpful if we asked sme pertinent questins. QUESTION: Hw have yu cme t Jesus and ask Him what yu must d t have eternal life? (Keep in mind this means mre than getting ur ticket punched t get t heaven when we die. It s greater than that. It s an invitatin t live in Gd s kingdm nw. T Respnd.) 15

QUESTION: Did the answer Jesus gave yu reveal anything in yur life yu lacked? If s hw did yu respnd? COMMENT: I see in this stry a call t respnd. But mre imprtantly I see Jesus being very patient, understanding and lving. Befre Jesus brings us t an awareness f what we lack, HE LOVES US!!! He cmmits t us in His lve fr us, then He shws us the way. This is nt a stry t shw us necessarily that ur stuff might be getting in the way f ur entering int Gd s kingdm, but rather what we lack that keeps us frm cmmitting ttally. QUESTION: Did yu ever see the things yu have as smething yu lack? QUESTION: What if Jesus asked yu t sell the thing yu discver that makes yu lacking, give it t the pr and fllw Him. Culd yu d it? COMMENT: The pwer in this stry is nt s much finding what we may lack and respnding, but rather we discver the abundance f Gd s generus grace. (Gd s favr twards us, unearned and undeserved. There s cmmitment in there.) Jesus clearly shws us hw hard we make it n urselves when we accept the invitatin but try t bring all ur baggage with us. It s as difficult as a camel try t get int Jerusalem in that small entranceway, (The Eye f a Needle), ducking dwn and literally crawling thrugh with all its stuff n. Almst impssible. Jesus gives us this wnderful invitatin and pprtunity t respnd and enter int a cmmitment He has already made with us. Our respnse is nt as simple as Okay, I ll give mre t the church r, I ll vlunteer mre time t the fd pantry. Jesus is calling us t trust Him t shw us what we lack and then fllw; (ie: respnd). Yes, maybe what we lack is ur pssessins but it may nt be. Whatever we discver we lack, chances are we re initially ging t respnd like the rich yung ruler. If what we discver we re lacking is nt astunding t us, it s prbably nt what we re really lacking. May I suggest the way we are t respnd t everything we ve shared in this prcess is allwing Jesus t astund us. Allwing us t see ur call frm Jesus Christ t cmmitment, celebrating ur cmmitment, finding the meaning f ur cmmitment, then Ging frth t lve and serve the Lrd! Always remembering, that n ur wn it is impssible, but nt fr Gd; Fr Gd, all things are pssible. 16