This past Sunday we continued our journey down the "yellow brick road," exploring the nature of the heart in Jesus' teaching about loving God with all we have and are, and neighbor as self. In the biblical context, the heart is the emotional center of a person, but also the location of a great inner struggle between giving in to sinful desires, or following God's purposes. This is a daily battle, if not a constant struggle, so we must be mindful of the condition of our heart.
The human heart is really in a predicament. In Jeremiah 17:9-10, we read: "The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse—who can understand it? I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings." Jesus knew this to be true, not just from studying the Scripture, but because He could see into the human heart. He taught that the eyes are the window into the soul, but also that the mouth speaks out of the overflow of the heart (Matthew 6:22, Luke 6:45) In other words, our words and deeds reveal the condition of our heart. If it is devious and perverse, what are we to do? Plain and simple, we need a new heart!
We do need a new heart, but this isn't something any one is capable of accomplishing on his or her own. Moving beyond the muscular organ that pumps blood and oxygen throughout the body, and back to the emotional center of a person, we need a brand new heart. In Psalm 51:10, we read a prayer for God to create a new heart in us and to renew a spirit within us that is loyal to God as opposed to our selfish whims. Part of Jesus' mission was to come and reveal to us the heart of God as one who wants to replace our sin-ridden heart with one of love, grace, and mercy.
Considering our recent "Wizard of Oz" theme, the backstory of the Tin Woodman is really insightful. The Tin Woodman wasn't always a man made out of tin; no, his name was Nick Chopper, and he was in love with a maiden in Oz. The maiden worked for a family that was lazy and feared losing her to Nick, so the Wicked Witch of the East cursed Nick's ax, so that every time he was filled with fancy feelings for his fair fräulein, his ax would turn against him and lop of a part of his body. Nick was friends with the tin smith of Oz, who would fashion a new appendage for him to replace the one removed by the cursed ax. As Nick was overcome with feelings for the maiden, he lost himself and became a man solely made of tin. The problem? The tin smith could not make a tin heart...the "new" man needed someone wholly different to replace the heart.
Let's face it, the curse of sin weighs heavily on us. We try to love, and make ourselves vulnerable by virtue, but sin dents, dings, and damages us. We easily could be left cold and hard as though we were made on tin, but this is not God's desire for us. God wants to create a new heart in you and renew your spirit so you are loyal to Him and not your sin nature. With a new heart and loyal spirit, you are able to engage the world for God with His love, knowing your ultimate home is somewhere far beyond the rainbow, but as close to you as the next beat of your redeemed and restored heart.
Please come join us on Sunday as we continue our recent "Wizard of Oz" worship theme and explore "Your Dorothy Soul."
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