Praying for the Camel

Open with Prayer: God, we thank you for this time together, for the technology that makes it possible, and the hearts that connect us. Be with us as we travel, join us in this journey, and help us see and hear you always. Amen.

Read: Mark 10:17-31 (rich young man & camel)

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.”’ He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’ And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ They were greatly astounded and said to one another, ‘Then who can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’

Peter began to say to him, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.’

Say: The man in today’s story was trying to be a good person.  He followed all the rules he knew about. 
What rules do we have as a family?
When is it hard to follow those rules?
When is it easy to follow those rules?
Is it hard to follow Jesus?

Why do you think it was so hard for the young man to give up everything he had?

 Have you ever tried to hold too many things in your hands and ended up dropping everything?

Jesus is speaking to us about that same thing, except he’s talking about our heart holding things, not our hands. If we are so focused on stuff, money, things, etc, then we won’t be focused on God and what God wants us to do.

Think of those things in your life that come between you and the person you want to be.  What things are burdening you down and keeping you from God? 

How can you remove those barriers in your relationship with Jesus?

Another option is to pray for that camel to fit through the needle: Listen to the song “Prayin for the Camel”

Finish with Prayer:
God, Thank you for reaching out to us, day by day. Help us to remove the things in our lives that make it difficult to be the person you want us to be.
God today we thank you for: (something or someone you’re grateful for)
God today we need your help with: (something hard or difficult you need to do)
God today please be with: (someone who may be sick, sad, or hurt)
We ask all this in Jesus’ name.
Amen