Messages, Meditations, and Musings on the Life of Faith by Rev. Dr. Scott E. Olson, Interim Pastor, Christ Lutheran Church, Preston, MN

Sunday, September 2, 2012

"The Heart of the Matter" Pentecost 14B (Lect. 22) Sermon

“The Heart of the Matter”
Pentecost 14B (Lect. 22)
September 2, 2012
Mark 7.1-8, 14-15, 21-23

You may have noticed how chopped up our Gospel reading is today and wondered why. If it were a topic secret report released to the public, it would look heavily redacted with a lot of black bars blotting out the good parts. So, our minds immediately go suspicious, thinking that the lectionary crafters are hiding something. Normally, I’d be just as mistrustful, but in this case, I can yield to their collective wisdom. The lectionary trims away those parts that distract us from the heart of the matter, the human heart. Though some of us might like to hear that all foods are now declared clean by Jesus (verse 19), thereby absolving us of shame for eating anything deep-fried on a stick at the “Great Minnesota Get Together,” hand washing and foods are not the main concern.

Nor is the heart of the matter how our traditions suck the life out of us. It is not how traditions, the “living faith of the dead” somehow mutate into traditionalism, the “dead faith of the living.” That would be an easier sermon to preach, a tirade against stuff “we’ve always done that way.” We could pull up clips from Fiddler on the Roof (“Tradition!”) and poke holes in somebody else’s beloved practice while expressing righteous indignation as somebody does it to ours. We could even rant against those who exhibit Pharisee-like qualities, imposing themselves on us their ideas of important practices. We would all go home satisfied that we’d accomplished something, that we had gotten it right.

That is, except for the fact that Jesus has this annoying habit of putting his finger on the real issue, our hearts. This might be confusing to us because we think of the heart as the place of emotions and feelings. Given the legacy of the Enlightenment, which elevated reason above everything, we think the brain is the place of reason and sanity. But the biblical notion of the heart is more inclusive, it is the center of our very being. The heart is not only the place where our passions arise; it is the seat of our will. Unfortunately, Jesus says, the human heart is not always a pretty thing to behold. Yes, we are capable of acts of kindness and generosity, but overall, our hearts harbor ugly stuff.

Frankly, as I was working with this text this week, I found my heart becoming heavy and weighed down. That was because try as I might, I could not find a shred of good news or grace in Jesus’ words. In fact, I had to go to the Old Testament passage from Deuteronomy, where Moses talks about the Law, to find a scrap of hope and nourishment. “For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is whenever we call to him?” The Law was a gift, not a burden to God’s people. Yet, even more importantly, the Law was a gift from God who not only recognizes the predicament we find ourselves in, but who continually does something to free us up for life.

The important lesson that Jesus has for us today is that we can’t do anything to fix this on our own. It is not about what we can do, but rather about what Jesus can do in, with, and through our hearts. Indeed, as Pogo says, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” However, Jesus Christ meets us, too, where we need him. Our life, our strength, and our hope are in Jesus Christ, who is the only one, through the power of the Holy Spirit, who can change hearts. Jesus is the Potter, softening our hardened hearts so that he can shape us into loving people. This week, pay attention to your heart, to those things that stand against God and the life God intends for us. Knowing Jesus’ forgiveness, pray that Jesus would strengthen you and set you free for the life. Amen.

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