February 2020
February 2-9, 2020: Currently Unavailable
"With Your Whole Heart"
February 16, 2020
Based on Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (reading follows the sermon)
“Blessed are those who seek God with their whole heart.” (Psalm 119:2)
This paraphrase of a verse from today’s psalm reminds me of something that took place when I was a junior in high school. It was a discussion we had in Humanities class about immortality and the human soul. Our teacher, Mrs. Rekedal, had been talking about the centuries-old debate of what happens when a person dies. So, she asked us to think about our concept of a soul. “Where do you think,” she asked the class, “your soul resides in your body?” My good friend Ken was sitting next to me. He raised his hand and stated, “The brain, because the brain is where my personal thoughts and identity are based. I think that’s where the soul is.” Then I raised my hand to disagree, saying, “For me, my heart is where I feel love and caring.” Putting my hand on my chest, I said, “I feel like my soul lives right here in my heart.”
Today, knowing more about how feelings and thoughts are interrelated, I might change my answer. Scientists have found that even emotions are a function of our brains and its neurons, and that chemical reactions affect your mood. For example, research suggests that low levels of serotonin, a chemical produced by nerve cells, might cause anxiety, depression and insomnia. Doctors use a variety of psychiatric medications to treat serotonin deficiency. So, it’s only logical to conclude that whatever truly makes up a soul probably resides in our brain. But part of me—especially the creative, imaginative, emotional, artistic, illogical, soul-searching part of me—still likes the answer I gave in high school.
Those of us who have lived through a breakup with someone you loved, know that the pain centers in your heart. If you’ve ever been betrayed by a friend, the hurt feelings begin in your heart. Anyone who has lost a loved one or beloved pet knows that grief can feel like a hole in your heart. The verse I read from Psalm 119 links our faith journey with the human heart: “Blessed are those who seek God with their whole heart.” In Hebrew, the word for heart is לֵב (leb), a word that appears nearly 600 times in what we call the Old Testament or Hebrew scripture. Of course, it’s often used as a metaphor. Throughout the Bible, this word is translated with a wide variety of meanings, using words like: caring, conscience, courage, imagination, inspiration, intelligence, kind, skillful, spirit, tender, understanding, and wisdom.
In our first lesson from Deuteronomy, Moses uses this word in a warning, when he says, “But if your heart turns away… and [you] are led away to other gods… you will perish.” This reading is the last sermon preached by Moses. Long before this, God told Moses that he would never enter Canaan. In fact, Deuteronomy ends with the death of Moses. So, Moses knows this is his farewell speech. A time to look into his heart and reflect on his past. Moses knew that life can be surprising. That even when you screw up (like Moses did more than once), even when feel like you are dying inside, God can use that failure as a new beginning. For Moses didn’t experience his spiritual calling when he was riding high as a prince of Egypt during his early years. His first holy encounter with God came when he had reached rock bottom.
Long before this reading, Moses had fled Egypt as a murderer. In a rage, he had killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave, one of his own kindred. Moses fought back against an evil oppressor. As a result, Moses had to flee Egypt as a fugitive. Then, at the lowest point in his life, Moses experiences a holy epiphany. God revealed in a burning bush. And in that moment, a spark ignites in his heart. From that day forward, even though Moses resisted God’s call, the LORD led him step by step to freedom for himself and for his people, without really knowing where they were going.
In a similar way, we know that following God with our whole heart can lead us on an unpredictable path with myriad options. As Moses says in our first lesson, life can bring blessings and curses, good and evil, prosperity and adversity. It’s easy to read these verses as a threat or warning to those who fail to follow God’s commands. But I don’t think that’s the only thing that Moses meant. Choosing life can also mean a change in perspective. Like deciding to approach each day with an open heart. And just as God guided the people of Israel on a 40-year journey based on a covenant with Moses, so our faith began with a similar commitment.
On the day of your baptism, you also entered into a covenant. A new grace-filled relationship that declared you to be a child of God. Your pastor poured water over your head with a spoken promise that touched your heart: “You have been sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.” With those words, God declared that each of us was fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s divine image. That God created you and loves you just as you are. No matter what others might say. No matter what mistakes you might make. No matter whether you feel worthy of that love. Baptism was the beginning of a pilgrim journey for you and me. A journey with many twists and turns, that sometimes leads to unexpected challenges. A journey that can include painful losses, difficult days, and months of soul-searching.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu is a South African clergy and theologian recognized for his work against apartheid and for human rights. Over the years people have asked Archbishop Tutu many thoughtful questions, such as:
“How can you be so hopeful after witnessing so much evil?”, “Why are you so sure goodness will triumph in the end?”, and “How do you not lose heart?” To those questions, Tutu offers his own philosophy for living a grace-filled life. He writes: “We are made for goodness. We are made for love…. We are made for togetherness. We are made for all of the beautiful things that you and I know. We are made to tell the world that there are no outsiders. All are welcome: black, white, red, yellow, rich, poor, educated, not educated, male, female, gay, straight, all…. We all belong to this family, this human family, God's family.”
Today, more than any other time in recent history, our world needs to hear this kind of message. That we humans are made for goodness and it is up to us to fulfill our destiny. That because God has created us with souls and the capacity to choose between good and evil, between kindness and cruelty, between justice and oppression, between forgiveness and resentment, our faith can make a difference in our lives. And that faith comes with a promise. That if we choose life, God will be with us. That if we treat one another with grace, our souls will be filled with a love that conquers hate. That if, with our whole hearts, we seek as servants to follow in the steps of Moses and Jesus, then God will walk with us throughout our life journey. That’s the same promise we find in the words of Psalm 119: “Blessed are those who seek God with their whole heart.” Amen.
----------------------------------------------------
1 Tutu, Desmond; Made for Goodness: And Why This Makes All the Difference (New York: HarperCollins, 2010).
+ + +
FIRST LESSON: Deuteronomy 30:15-20
[Moses said to the people:] “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
This paraphrase of a verse from today’s psalm reminds me of something that took place when I was a junior in high school. It was a discussion we had in Humanities class about immortality and the human soul. Our teacher, Mrs. Rekedal, had been talking about the centuries-old debate of what happens when a person dies. So, she asked us to think about our concept of a soul. “Where do you think,” she asked the class, “your soul resides in your body?” My good friend Ken was sitting next to me. He raised his hand and stated, “The brain, because the brain is where my personal thoughts and identity are based. I think that’s where the soul is.” Then I raised my hand to disagree, saying, “For me, my heart is where I feel love and caring.” Putting my hand on my chest, I said, “I feel like my soul lives right here in my heart.”
Today, knowing more about how feelings and thoughts are interrelated, I might change my answer. Scientists have found that even emotions are a function of our brains and its neurons, and that chemical reactions affect your mood. For example, research suggests that low levels of serotonin, a chemical produced by nerve cells, might cause anxiety, depression and insomnia. Doctors use a variety of psychiatric medications to treat serotonin deficiency. So, it’s only logical to conclude that whatever truly makes up a soul probably resides in our brain. But part of me—especially the creative, imaginative, emotional, artistic, illogical, soul-searching part of me—still likes the answer I gave in high school.
Those of us who have lived through a breakup with someone you loved, know that the pain centers in your heart. If you’ve ever been betrayed by a friend, the hurt feelings begin in your heart. Anyone who has lost a loved one or beloved pet knows that grief can feel like a hole in your heart. The verse I read from Psalm 119 links our faith journey with the human heart: “Blessed are those who seek God with their whole heart.” In Hebrew, the word for heart is לֵב (leb), a word that appears nearly 600 times in what we call the Old Testament or Hebrew scripture. Of course, it’s often used as a metaphor. Throughout the Bible, this word is translated with a wide variety of meanings, using words like: caring, conscience, courage, imagination, inspiration, intelligence, kind, skillful, spirit, tender, understanding, and wisdom.
In our first lesson from Deuteronomy, Moses uses this word in a warning, when he says, “But if your heart turns away… and [you] are led away to other gods… you will perish.” This reading is the last sermon preached by Moses. Long before this, God told Moses that he would never enter Canaan. In fact, Deuteronomy ends with the death of Moses. So, Moses knows this is his farewell speech. A time to look into his heart and reflect on his past. Moses knew that life can be surprising. That even when you screw up (like Moses did more than once), even when feel like you are dying inside, God can use that failure as a new beginning. For Moses didn’t experience his spiritual calling when he was riding high as a prince of Egypt during his early years. His first holy encounter with God came when he had reached rock bottom.
Long before this reading, Moses had fled Egypt as a murderer. In a rage, he had killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave, one of his own kindred. Moses fought back against an evil oppressor. As a result, Moses had to flee Egypt as a fugitive. Then, at the lowest point in his life, Moses experiences a holy epiphany. God revealed in a burning bush. And in that moment, a spark ignites in his heart. From that day forward, even though Moses resisted God’s call, the LORD led him step by step to freedom for himself and for his people, without really knowing where they were going.
In a similar way, we know that following God with our whole heart can lead us on an unpredictable path with myriad options. As Moses says in our first lesson, life can bring blessings and curses, good and evil, prosperity and adversity. It’s easy to read these verses as a threat or warning to those who fail to follow God’s commands. But I don’t think that’s the only thing that Moses meant. Choosing life can also mean a change in perspective. Like deciding to approach each day with an open heart. And just as God guided the people of Israel on a 40-year journey based on a covenant with Moses, so our faith began with a similar commitment.
On the day of your baptism, you also entered into a covenant. A new grace-filled relationship that declared you to be a child of God. Your pastor poured water over your head with a spoken promise that touched your heart: “You have been sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.” With those words, God declared that each of us was fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s divine image. That God created you and loves you just as you are. No matter what others might say. No matter what mistakes you might make. No matter whether you feel worthy of that love. Baptism was the beginning of a pilgrim journey for you and me. A journey with many twists and turns, that sometimes leads to unexpected challenges. A journey that can include painful losses, difficult days, and months of soul-searching.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu is a South African clergy and theologian recognized for his work against apartheid and for human rights. Over the years people have asked Archbishop Tutu many thoughtful questions, such as:
“How can you be so hopeful after witnessing so much evil?”, “Why are you so sure goodness will triumph in the end?”, and “How do you not lose heart?” To those questions, Tutu offers his own philosophy for living a grace-filled life. He writes: “We are made for goodness. We are made for love…. We are made for togetherness. We are made for all of the beautiful things that you and I know. We are made to tell the world that there are no outsiders. All are welcome: black, white, red, yellow, rich, poor, educated, not educated, male, female, gay, straight, all…. We all belong to this family, this human family, God's family.”
Today, more than any other time in recent history, our world needs to hear this kind of message. That we humans are made for goodness and it is up to us to fulfill our destiny. That because God has created us with souls and the capacity to choose between good and evil, between kindness and cruelty, between justice and oppression, between forgiveness and resentment, our faith can make a difference in our lives. And that faith comes with a promise. That if we choose life, God will be with us. That if we treat one another with grace, our souls will be filled with a love that conquers hate. That if, with our whole hearts, we seek as servants to follow in the steps of Moses and Jesus, then God will walk with us throughout our life journey. That’s the same promise we find in the words of Psalm 119: “Blessed are those who seek God with their whole heart.” Amen.
----------------------------------------------------
1 Tutu, Desmond; Made for Goodness: And Why This Makes All the Difference (New York: HarperCollins, 2010).
+ + +
FIRST LESSON: Deuteronomy 30:15-20
[Moses said to the people:] “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
