We hear this alleluia so that we can prepare
our souls to open our ears and open our hearts
so that the gospel, the word of Christ, will
dwell within us and not be something on the outside
of us. That's just a little liturgical tidbit
that is good to know. So we stand up, we sing
Alleluia with the choir, we listen, we rejoice.
Alleluia is a song of victory, of rejoicing.
Last month, actually for the last month, I have
been reminding myself and you about the fact
that the gospel accounts that we hear, it's not
something I choose every week. The gospel accounts
come from a lectionary, a book that's handed
down generation after generation, thousands and
thousands of years, 2 ,000 years, not quite,
but 1 ,500 maybe. For the past month, we've heard,
and I'm repeating what I said last week, accounts
of Jesus healing the blind, the deaf, feeding
the hungry. All so that we can trust in God's
power in Jesus Christ, his son. So we can follow
him. The church has a method, a lesson for us
each week. So that faith builds upon faith. So
that trust builds upon trust. When I was a choir
director. And then I became a deacon. There was
no reason for any of you to trust me with anything.
And then I became a priest, and it took a long
time. And still, I can't say to you, like St.
Paul, be imitators of me. No, no. This is about
Christ. But we learn to trust Christ when we
hear the word of God about him. Our trust grows
in him. The lesson builds. So last week, we had
a lesson that was a pivot point for us, a very
important message in our spiritual life. It was
a challenge about forgiveness from the heart
or the lack of forgiveness. This is a gauge.
We gauge our faith and our trust in Christ. Are
we willing to follow him to even do that? Because
we can only do that if we follow him. We can
only forgive. So the gospel probes into our hearts.
It reveals if we're on the right path. That path
is narrow. It's not at all assumed that we're
all going to be able to forgive that easily.
I know that's just a fact. So the gospel last
week... asked us to examine the gap, as one person
said, between what we expect God to do for us
and what we're willing to do for someone else.
Today, the gospel challenges us again. All summer
long, we've been hearing about what Christ has
done. Now Christ is saying, what are you going
to do? This is a key moment in our Christian
life. This isn't just some random gospel. This
is the point where we say, I'm with you, Lord,
100%. This man that we hear about, young man,
St. Luke calls him a rich young ruler, someone
with some influence, someone with some social
standing. Now just before this man comes up to
Jesus, St. Matthew tells us what's going on.
I have to believe that this man was standing
there waiting to talk to Jesus. And Jesus says
to the crowd, St. Matthew says that the children
were brought to Jesus, that he might lay his
hands on them and pray. And the disciples, you
know, kind of clueless at this point, like us,
rebuked the people. Don't bother the master.
He's busy doing religious things, right? But
Jesus says what? Let the children come to me.
Do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom
of heaven. How wonderful. And he laid hands on
the children. And immediately, this young man
comes up to Jesus. And I imagine, doesn't say,
I imagine that he heard Jesus speaking. And perhaps
he was touched very deeply by what Jesus said
about the kingdom of heaven. I think that would
be true. And coming up to Jesus, what does he
say? Good teacher, what good thing shall I do?
I have to believe he put the stress that way.
What good thing shall I do to have eternal life?
You know the story. He went away sad since he
couldn't follow Jesus. He was caught in the middle.
In the middle of his own devising. He was caught
in the middle. He went away sad. On the one hand,
there is what he thought was real. solid and
important to him. In his case, it's different
for us. This gospel isn't given because we're
all rich and rulers and have influence. No, it's
given to us for more subtle reasons. He thought
his wealth was dependable. It's what he could
believe in and depend upon and believe on. His
riches, which is to say, He trusted himself,
his own power. And that's an idol. That's an
idol. That's on the one hand. On the other hand,
here's Jesus speaking to children about a kingdom.
It doesn't seem quite real to this young man
who said he did all the commandments, so he should
be right with God. But didn't the man just hear
Jesus say that the kingdom of God is like these
children? Why children? Well, it's important
for us to remember it's not because they're cute.
Children are cute. Or they're innocent because
they're not always innocent. and wonderful, and
they are wonderful, but it's not about that.
It's because children have no agency, have no
power, have no influence in this world. Do they?
They can only trust in their mother or their
father. That's how we are to be with Christ.
Money and social standing, children don't have
it. Opinions, children don't have it. But this
man, he could trust in that. And he needed to
hang on to that. He forgot what the kingdom,
and he had just heard what the kingdom of heaven
is like. Where your treasure is, Jesus says in
another place, of course, you know, there's your
heart. There is your concern. There are your
worries. There is your anxiety. So once again,
brothers and sisters, we speak today about the
heart. This man was caught, as we are often,
in the middle of his own trap between what he
feels is real and dependable and what he was
prepared to believe. And the reality of Jesus
Christ as trustworthy as the kingdom of God himself.
And the epistle today, you heard it. Let me remind
you what St. Paul said to the Corinthians. He
said that Jesus... after the resurrection, was
seen by 500 brethren at one time, at once, of
whom the greater part remained to the present.
He also tells the Corinthians the basic gospel
message. This was written sometime, I think,
in the mid -50s, if I'm correct. I declare to
you the gospel which I preach to you, which also
you received, and in which you stand, by which
also you are saved, if you hold fast to the word
which I preach to you, unless you believed in
vain. He's saying you could come, you can follow,
you can do all kinds of religious things, but
if it bears no fruit in you. It's all in vain.
Are we caught in the middle of some sin so that
we can't trust that Christ rose from the dead
and that he came to destroy the power of sin
over us so that we are no longer victims of sin?
We are no longer victims of death, but we have
power over both. Because we shall rise and our
sins are washed away and become wheat. Scarlet
becomes white as snow. That's what Jesus has
done for us. Are we caught in the middle of some
sin, some ideology, some passion, some fear,
some kind of shame, some kind of relationship?
Maybe some teaching we can't abide by. Maybe
a personal sin within us. Maybe it's just laziness
to get up in the morning to pray. Maybe it's
just inability to get to church on time. Maybe,
whatever, maybe it's the priest or someone else.
But it's not about those things. It's about Jesus
Christ. He's inviting us to share in the love
and life. In eternity and the glory of the kingdom
of God, the man says to Jesus, remember, coming
up, good teacher. No, no, much more than that.
Christ is inviting us to share in his divine
life. Elder Paisios, the saint who reposed in
1994, says this. Completely, completely have
trust in God. Leave everything. In his hands.
And believe that his love. Will act. For your
benefit. Let's bear fruit. Brothers and sisters.
Week after week of the summer. We've heard gospels.
Encouraging us to follow Christ. Completely.
To be his disciples. To truly live as a disciple.
We've seen his mighty works. To save us. We feel
in prayer. His grace. And if we don't, we need
to not pray harder, but to leave our sins behind.
And now we have this choice. The road can split.
Are we going to follow? Can we commit? And that
just might mean something very simple. Christ
calling you every morning and say, come follow
me. You pick up your prayer book. You pick up
your prayer rope. You pray and you follow. And
your heart is filled with peace. And then you
have trust in the Savior, like all the saints
that we are surrounded by now. What a wonderful
sight this is. Not just the ones on the wall,
but you too, brothers and sisters. Amen.