Ash Wednesday

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0:00 Sometimes you would have at the midweek first service, you know, like on Wednesday night, you'd come up like every week for the season of life. Then it got to where people didn't really want to do that. So we would be like two tougher and a Bible study. And then like, but it was always lost to pain. And I don't know if it was effective in doing what you want to do. It definitely made a lot of memories.

0:30 And I think that for some folks, it might work. But one of the things I realized when I when we were beginning the classes that the being that's because the goal of the church isn't that we would be in a building a certain number of times. It would be that we would have a crew of people who we could say these are our people. And together, go we're different. We're figuring out how it is faithfully under the rain again in the world. And so the season of life is the time for us to like rubber

1:05 drums together in a way that's always just about to think about what is dependent on God look like. I have a text I want to look at, but I was well, we were to be there. I was thinking about a story of this company that I'm working with right now. You know, one of my jobs is rally social enterprise accelerator. I work with these entrepreneurs all over the world trying to build businesses

1:38 that solve problems. And one of the guys we're working with is named the professor at the first name, Professor Professor Banda. Really fabulous in Malawi. And I just found out today, I mean, he's been working for the nonprofit for a while, but he started as a driver, as a driver, a sliver guy, for the nonprofit called the Office of Women in the Project. And he's not a senior person in the nonprofit, he's just been a driver. But he's very off the road. They noticed him, he's always had several

2:10 different little businesses. And so he decided that a lot of the main work that they've been delivering as a nonprofit, it's a bit strong way to do the vertical four points there. And Professor Banda is going to be the one in charge of it for coming to them. And here's the thing that they've been doing. In Malawi, something like a little over 60% of the country are 15% level partners. They're working day and night, seven days a week to grow enough food for their family to eat, like

2:41 50% of the country. Something like 40% of that is failing at the ground. Meaning they have range for a little over a half a year, and then it drives the thing, right? Hot weight through the beginning of that brain season, they run out of food. And so people are dying, they're starving to in Malawi, because they can't grow enough food. They don't

3:15 have enough food. Africa William Hill Project has been trying to figure out how to help the system level farmers. We found out a lot of the system level farmers have started realize that you're a gay thing. They can't just rely on the rain. Okay, irrigation if you're using a flower pot. But they walk to somewhere where they can get to water, put it in a flower pot, and say anytime active. Professor Banda, they figured out

3:51 how they dig a hole in the ground. The water table is not deep, because it gets so much rain from part of the year. They take a PVC pipe in the hole where the water is, then they get these waffles that are just about the same size as the PVC pipe and the entire rope. And then they have a bicycle reroll on the other side of the rope and they turn this rope. And the the washers go through the PVC pipe down into the water and pull the water out of the paint. In samples where they

4:25 have tried, there's reasons where they had tried it. They went from more depth than I want to listen to hear it. I tell you that to say, that's how simple that that's how on the end, life is in the law, a professor brand that gets on the zoom ball with me twice a week. And we talk about my panel. Okay, hold that in your head while we look at that. Now, it's after 19, if you want to type it into your phone.

5:02 After 19, first 13. It just has been doing some teaching that most of the people don't like. And then for 13, the children were brought to him that he lay hands on them and pray. And the disciples were glued to him to the story that Jesus said, let the little children come to me and do not injure them for too

5:34 such the long and the kingdom of heaven, the rain is down and the lady comes on them and went away. She's super cool for the kids. How for those of us that have not been divorced anymore? Right? It's a little if the rain is bad, the long children. But then this next story says that, of course, he has doesn't mean the rain has only belonged to those who are young. Right? Okay, verse 15, and beholden man came up in the

6:06 same. Two years. What would be must I do to have eternal life? This is trick or not the trick. But the thing to put in the back of your brain, I was thinking about this. You know, this person's a mess, of course. If we look at the church broadly, we might not want to in most circles identify outwardly with the church, understandably. The tenets of Christianity, I

6:40 want to overlap in the moral code with other religious systems. And so we might be able to say that there's a common denominator of being good. With its offer of Jesus Christ, free, unmerited favor, leading to life to come in the new heavens and the new earth with resurrected

7:13 body. This also is unique. The closest there is to it is like there's a form of Buddhism that kind of looks similar, but then it's flipped into the painting that all buildings slipped into which is nerve on into like distant bodies of comic court in the universe. Islam has a notion of heaven, but to have good deeds that outweigh you in order to make it. The offer of

7:43 Jesus Christ, this offer of eternal life, the grace, unmerited favor, leading to eternal life is unique. And resonate. How could the Christian church endure such particular affairs? The church has been born for a long time. I mean, we don't need to only think about like the challenge of American Protestant evangelicalism to think about the feeling of church, we could

8:16 look after local Catholic church and the intelligence. We could consider the Eastern Orthodox church and their near idolatry and high school. We could think about the same and the holy world that has been waged on behalf of God. Supposedly contradicting the like great Christian emperor took the mouth of the cross melted them down and made them into a bit for the court so that he could have quite leading it about

8:50 all. Who? Why has the church been born? This is a promise of Christ. eternal life as a view of unknown people has been resonated with people through every mistake. It would be the call to you tonight. No matter what you amath or a

9:24 conflict. No matter where you spoil or who you let down the promise of Christ remains. Offer of Christ indoors. Attractive or failure. Neither undies the emperor of Christ. eternal life as of the end of unmarited favor. Unmarited favor. That is. Has been to keen that can sound and

9:57 frustrate. But it's very heavy. And some people bring little kids to them and the disciples go this, this is way too serious into important for the little children keeping away. He's just a job on. Come here. Because the reign of God belongs to one's like this. And then somebody important comes to Jesus and says, Hey, about the thing that you've become in higher identity, right? And he said to him, so the teacher, what

10:30 must look good deed must I do to have eternal life? And he said in why do you ask me that? What is good? There is only one you. If you would enter life, keep the command. If you would enter life, keep the command. First 18 and he said, it's one. When Jesus said, well, you shall not murder. Show not to be adultery. Show not to you. Show not bear false witness. All your

11:01 father and mother. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The young man said to him, well, I all of these I did. I've done all these. Just saying like the answer there, not only the arrogance that he has done them, but also he presents it like he's done. He doesn't have future opportunities to foster. Oh, I did that. I did that. Jesus. Then maybe you've registered for all these I said, what still do I

11:35 like? He said, and Jesus said to him, if you would be perfect, go and sell what you present and give to the poor. You will have pleasure in heaven and then come and father. For to win the young man heard that he went a little sorrowful for me had great possessions. Maybe you heard this story before, of course, we've just got to go everyone together with everything. When we look at the

12:10 story of scripture, even in office at the beginning of church, I mean, not to mention the leader that he or me, significant now, David and then after that, don't heart, lost at money. And then even going into the first century, there are successful business, mostly business, women who are benefited from the school, who do it for that the church to see. So, he's a definitely difficult, I think, a very valuable money, but he does times this guy to give away all the money.

12:41 We might say, that is really inefficient. If the guy has a lot of money, just long to give them to the church, from the church can do what they need to get done. Like, but, remember that God doesn't need your money? Like, if God's going to

13:18 get something done, he's going to get it done. And consistently, when God interacts with Jesus' inner-hearted people, when he's walking around the church, he's more concerned with the position of the heart, they're positioned in their heart than that mother would have to think about. That's a woman caught in adultery, they could have the disciples on several different occasions and the trees. All the time kept. Okay, great. Give away everything. Why would you ask him to give away everything? So that he could become like a little kid. A recognition of

13:55 reality that, like little kid, that he is relying on people for all the things that are now. He says, you want to ensure? You want to ensure that you move towards the forgiveness of the prayer of life, that's what you give it to your man? Put yourself in a position where you realize that you're not going to know you're going to be able to handle the other. Oh, man, he can't do it. I

14:27 thought about this several times. It's a little terrifying for me that a dude could stand in front of the incarnated dragon, like the one who speaks reality to distance. This is the human who called Lazarus up out of the tomb, who mowed the little girl from the dead, who keeps and people can see and see a walk. He can forget him. We keep reality and the standing and

14:58 curtain face to face and says, what should I do? And he says, just get everything away. And the stuff he has is so in throne, the feeling of power or accomplishment or success or importance. It's so alone that he walked away from the failure of the world. We rather have his stuff. And the gift of bringing

15:29 life, apparently. That's why he wants to be like the little kids because he says the only one to give the other one to recognize that it comes out of the figure. We've been talking about this. This is the final characteristic of him to take up his life. He identifies with them forever because for all the failures and we're coming to realize that what God can do is better than what they can get.

15:59 Take the free gift. This guy is not convinced. The fatal flaw of humanity is the problem on the knee house. It's the problem you and I have. It's why you put out his own hands. To try as we might be a bit too, we can do better. Look, now this is why I told the story about confessor. So when you were three, and he said that by both truly I think you only with difficulty, you'll

16:32 be able to person enter into the brain of death. Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the brain of death. It is hard for people like us are the wealthy ones. We all have our situations. We all serve if we have all of that. If we have five percent more a year, things will be way better.

17:07 It's always five to ten percent more. If I had five to ten percent more a year then I would be able to relax a little bit. I wouldn't be stressed. I would work like balance and probably strip out better. If I had five to ten percent more money a year. Whatever it doesn't mean, it's always a movie. The reality is wherever you are, the ones in this brain are the global wealth anymore. I tell us that not to pay much, but

17:40 if I keep trying to get a picture of reality because these things for us, it will be hard to estimate about it. I would like to intellectually, I believe that what God gives is better than what I can get. But emotionally sometimes I think I'll have a mouthful. I'll have to answer. When disciples heard that they were greatly astonished by who they

18:12 can be saying, they certainly need this emphasis. We don't want to be poor. All thanks. The answer would just be be poor. Then you can be saved. Apparently that's not an option. They gave up everything. They had enough empowerment, I guess it was working out okay. But they were like, it was hard for the wealthy people to be saved. Two men came to save. One of them was supposed to do it. It's easier for the kind of those guys near them, which men to save. Who then came to save? But Jesus looked at them and said,

18:43 which man is impossible, but with God all things are impossible. You don't have to conjure up faith. The wantant, the interested, be willing to acknowledge reality. Open to the notion that you can

19:16 secure your for yourself if you're in a life. Be open to the notion that you can't make yourself as loving as you could be. You can't will yourself into as much to you to be as you would vote for. You can't manifest to the kind of generosity that is possible for you. You can't vote for them some kind of part of the never-in-law that the world needs you to help.

19:47 You can not accomplish the things that matter. No matter how much success you pile up, money you acquire, relationships you hold, you can't make it happen. Good news, all things are possible for them. Hi, Dash, we wear at you as a reminder to ourselves. With not the Lord, I'm hearing an established object and two doubts on what we're doing.

20:20 But we'll change. Oh, and forever. He said, when it's not the gift, it's best to hear people like us. For whom it is hard to believe. Some way to anchor yourself to the traffic of repentance. A recognition of your limitations.

20:54 Not to wallow, but to in order to receive business and unmerited favor that leads to a well.