"REPAIRS OF THE HEART"

"Can you hear me?" "Can you hear me now?" "Can you hear me now?" "Can you hear me now?" If you don't know what the heck I'm talking about, then you obviously don't watch enough T.V. There's a series of commercials out right now – they run, oh, about every other minute! – showing this guy with a cell phone moving around to various locations, always asking whoever's on the other end, "Can you hear me now?" And they always can! The point of the commercial is that, if you use Verizon Wireless service, you'll never have trouble hearing anyone clearly on your cell phone again.

Ah, if only life were really that simple. If only a particular cellular phone service could ensure that we never fail to hear one another clearly. Unfortunately, most of the problems and rifts that occur in human relationships are a result of our inability to "hear" one another clearly. We talk at each other a lot...but do we really "hear" one another clearly? Not usually.

As human beings, when we discover that someone is talking near us, we immediately begin to interpret, to analyze, to project, to deny and to plan for what we'll say back. But rarely do we really hear; we don't clearly hear people's words, and we especially don't "hear" the truths, the needs, the pains and the other feelings that may go unspoken. We just aren't usually that attuned to one another.

Now apparently this is not just a contemporary problem among human beings. Way back around 60 A.D., the apostle Paul felt compelled to write a letter to a young church in an ancient city called Colosse (kuh-los'ee). This group of new Christian believers had gathered and already there were "issues." (That's not surprising, really; you put more than 1 Christian in a room, and you're gonna have personality clashes and doctrinal disputes!)

We don't know what all of the "issues" were, but we do know that Paul wrote them this letter to try and help them refocus on the centering point of their faith – Christ – and to encourage them to not let these various "issues" come between them. That's the main idea in the short portion of Paul's letter to the Colossian church that we heard this morning. He was trying to help a church filled with very diverse individuals learn how to live together as a community of faith and love focused on Jesus Christ. That's no different from what we are trying to learn to do here today in this church.

First Paul says: there are some essential virtues that we need to be "clothed" in – that is, that need to identify us and, more than that, fill us. He mentions things like compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Notice that he doesn't mention the kinds of "virtues" that one person alone can exhibit – things like diligence, cleverness, efficiency, creativity. No, Paul's list of "virtues" all have to do with how we relate to one another. Being in relationship with others – dwelling in community – that's what it's all about, Church!

The latest issue of "LIFE Link," our church's quarterly journal, focuses on "community." In my article, I share a quote that has long reminded me of what being on our particular faith path means: "A Christian alone...is not a Christian." As I wrote, "Christianity is a community thing; it can only truly be lived in the context of community with others. And that's what makes it so challenging sometimes: people. People hurt us, disappoint us, annoy us, anger us. It's so much easier to stay away and practice a ‘private spirituality' of nice theories and ‘feeling good.' But that's not the world God made... and that's not the way God works in the world."

In his letter, Paul goes on to say, "Bear with one another – (in other words, learn how to put up with each other whether you always want to or not!) and forgive whatever grievances you may have against each other."

This call to forgiveness is not really an optional request. Forgiveness isn't something Christians should extend to one another just because it's a "nice" thing to do or even because it will promote peace within the body of Christ. Paul makes the connection between human acts of forgiveness and divine forgiveness a bit more explicit than that. Paul insists that each one of us must " ...forgive in the same way God has forgiven you."

This kind of forgiveness is not something we "owe" each other. This forgiveness is not something we have the innate capacity to "offer" each other. We have the capacity for forgiveness, Paul says, only because God has first forgiven us. Without first experiencing God's forgiveness in our lives, we have nothing to offer anyone else. Any act of true forgiveness we've become capable of extending or expressing to another is directly related to an awareness of our own complete divine forgiveness.

Now, God knows that as imperfect human beings, it's usually hard for us to let go of our carefully guarded, well-worn suitcases full of resentments and old hurts. Each of us has names and faces of individuals that we simply cannot imagine being able to forgive.

-- How can we forgive a relative who molested us? -- How can we forgive an ex-spouse who continues to torment us? -- How can we forgive a thief who has stolen precious memories from us? -- How can we forgive a murderer who has taken a loved one from us? -- How can we forgive people who have oppressed or discriminated against us? -- How can we forgive a corporation that uses our talents and then discards us? -- How can we forgive a parent who abandons us? -- How can we forgive a child who rejects us? -- How can we forgive stupidity, hatred, bigotry, or cruelty? We can't. In fact, we often prefer the old adage, "Don't get mad; get even." Or as Ivana Trump says, with glee, in her cameo appearance in the movie "The First Wives' Club": "Don't get even; get everything."

The truth is, we can't really forgive unless we understand what forgiving is not:

* Forgiveness – is not forgetting; rather, it's choosing not to actively remember.

* Forgiveness – is not saying to the other party: "You're okay." Rather, it's saying, "I'm okay, and I'm willing to let God deal with whether you're okay; and if you're not, to let God handle how you can become okay."

* Forgiveness – is not saying, "I don't feel the pain anymore." Rather, it's saying, "I don't feel the need to hold on to your involvement in my pain anymore."

Forgiveness is turning to our forgiving God and offering ourselves and all our bags and bags of leftover, rotting "stuff" to God. It's God who forgives, and as we, daily, connect our lives with God, it's that divine forgiveness that can pour through us and fill us with a forgiving spirit. And it's that forgiving spirit that makes room in our lives for the greatest of virtues: love.

"Above all else," Paul says, "put on love, which binds the rest together and makes them perfect." Ah, yes, "love." Love doesn't make us perfect, you understand...but, as Scripture tells us, "...love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."

Love may not make US perfect, but God's love IS perfect and is strong enough to make a world full of very diverse individuals into, as our statement of faith today said, "one holy catholic church." (That's a small "c" – "catholic" – meaning universal and complete.)

Valentine's Day is coming up this Thursday, Feb. 14th. Certainly, for many of us, that day stands as a reminder that the world elevates "love" as being of the highest value. And I don't think that's a bad thing. I just wish we could see beyond the concept of romantic love as being the best and highest form of love. I think that really limits us...when the truth is that we have "loved ones" and people to whom we've "given our heart" all around us. If that weren't true, then how could family members or friends or co-workers or other church members so easily break our hearts? How else could we so easily break theirs?

Church, instead of looking ahead this week to a day devoted to "affairs of the heart," why not look ahead to an opportunity to make "repairs of the heart"? This coming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday; for those who don't "get" that reference, think of it as "the day after Mardi Gras ends." What better time than the beginning of the season of Lent -- a time set aside for introspection and personal change -- to set about making some repairs to the actions and attitudes of our hearts?

Have you hurt someone? Maybe it's time to apologize and clean up the mess. Have you been hurt or offended or embarrassed by someone? Maybe they meant to do it...maybe they didn't; are you sure they even realize they did it? Maybe it's time to go to them and talk it out and resolve it...or else maybe it's time for you to let it go!

Has a relationship fallen into disrepair for no good reason at all? Or is the "reason" that you've been a little...unreasonable?

Our hearts are meant to be filled with gratitude and ruled by the peace of Christ. If that's not happening, maybe now is the time for each of us to examine how we are living in community with others...and to ask God to help us make the necessary repairs of the heart.

Church...can you hear me now?! Amen.

MCC St. Louis - Check Us Out!

This page hosted by Get your own, Free Homepage