Sermon - May 22, 2011
Near to the
Heart: Walk
Isaiah 43:9-12, 1 John 1: 5-7, Luke 24:36-48
For two weeks we have been
searching, exploring, thinking, and hearing about being near to the
heart of God. First we looked at what it means to be still and how
difficult it can be in our busy, rushing, overstimulated lives. But it
is only when we still ourselves, minds and hearts that we can truly be
open and receptive to the presence and the voice of God. Last week we
ventured near to the heart of God through a broader, deeper, livelier
understanding of worship as a moment by moment daily response to God's
great love for each of us where we are and who we are. This morning we
are going give feet to our faith and travel near to the heart of God as
we walk in the ways of God.
Last week I was reminded of the time when I led a weekly worship
service on the Alzheimer's unit at Longview Care facility in Missouri
Valley. The moment I walked through those double doors, the world slowed
down. My usual clip clip gait paced down, my speech became slower, my
words and actions became more intentional and distinct.
The reason? The residents shuffled, were hard of hearing, and did not
see well. For me to relate to them, I had to match their pace and meet
their limitations with tenderness and understanding. All of my sharper
faculties were voluntarily suspended, so that I could walk, talk, and
listen at their pace.
Jesus does the same thing for us. Jesus is the Son of God. He is
risen. He could run laps around us at the speed of thought or faster.
But He waits. He waits for us to come to Him. He waits for us as
reluctant, or resistant, or awkward as we may be to lift our eyes to
Him, to fumble in our words to ask Him, and in all our nervous
fidgeting, to even struggle to be still long enough to truly seek Him.
His steps beside us are slow and deliberate, so that we might walk with
Him.
Jesus desires that every believer to walk with Him, but not every
Christian takes Him up on the invitation. We heard this morning in 1
John 1:6 If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the
darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. We have solar lights
along the steps in our front yard. Over time, most of the lights have
dimmed out so that only one here or there light up. Being solar they
don't give much illumination as it is. It was getting dark one night.
John hurried a bit down the steps but arrived at the bottom much more
quickly and less gracefully than he expected. Fortunately he wasn't
physically hurt, but now we're shopping for hard wired lights for along
those steps.
For lack of light we stumble and fall. In the Bible darkness
represents sin. If we claim that we are friends with God, have
fellowship with Him, but continue to sin, to walk in darkness, we are
deceiving ourselves, not telling the truth, living a lie. But if we turn
to the Lord, in stillness seek Him, with our whole heart worship Him,
and desire to know and live after His ways, then we are walking in the
light, the truth, His Presence. 1John 1: 7 assures us, If we walk in
the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.
But that is not all. We are made righteous because, the blood of
Jesus, His Son purifies us from all sin. What does that mean? It
means that living consciously near to the Heart of God, surrendering
self to be still, to worship, and to walk in God's ways, we can
experience the extraordinary peace of God in this life, here and now, in
the midst of everyday, in the mundane, in our work, in our recreation,
in celebrations, in sickness, in sorrow, even in crisis.
This is not a myth! This is absolutely for real! I called my
friend Margaret the other day. John, her devoted and beloved husband of
sixty some years had recently battled a second time with Leukemia and
lost. I was prepared for a tearful grief struck widow to answer the
phone. Instead, Margaret sounded strong and her voice was steady, sweet,
gracious and full of gratitude and praise for what God had done. As she
puts it, “the tabernacle of God has come down upon me, and oh, honey,
let me tell you, I have such peace!” She is not in denial of her loss.
She does not minimize her husband's love for her or her love for him.
But just as Psalm 91 describes, Margaret dwells in the shelter of the
Most High and rest in the shadow of the Almighty. That is so like
the Lord – at the time of greatest need, He gives so fully of Himself,
His very Self to encourage, strengthen and comfort in His embrace.
Such communion, intimacy with the Lord does not come over night,
but over time listening, believing, trusting and walking with Him. John
describes maturing faith in the second chapter of his first letter. Look
at verses 12 and 13: I write to you, dear children, because your
sins have been forgiven on account of His name. I write to you, fathers
because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you,
young men, because you have overcome the evil one. He is describing
three stages of maturity in faith and intimacy with God: getting near to
the Heart.
“Little children” are those of any age who have recently become
right with
God know their sins are forgiven, and confess Jesus Christ as Lord
and Savior
“Young men” are those of any age and gender who in the name
of Jesus
and power of the Holy Spirit are actively engaged in spiritual warfare
and the opposition – the evil one. In some ways we never outgrow the
battle.
“Fathers” are those regardless of age and gender, but
generally older, who
are mature in their faith and presently enjoy a deep abiding intimate
relationship with Christ which nothing can dim, tarnish, or destroy –
like
my friend Margaret.
Wherever we are on the maturity spectrum, we are to witness. The
prophet Isaiah speaks forth the Word of God to the chosen people who had
seen, experienced, and relived in telling the works of God: I even I,
am the Lord, and apart from Me there is no savior. I have revealed and
saved and proclaimed – you are my witnesses,” declares
the Lord. “that I am God.”
The third day after
Christ's crucifixion two disciples were on their way home to Emmaus from
Jerusalem. Jesus, risen from the dead, walked with them although they
did not recognize Him until he blessed and broke bread at the dinner
table then vanished before them. They didn't wait for the main course,
but ran nearly 6 miles back to Jerusalem to tell the brethren. While
they were reporting what they had experienced, Jesus Himself came into
the locked room, spoke peace upon the disciples, and showed them His
hands and feet. Then to demonstrate He was not a ghost, but had flesh
and bones, He ate a piece of fish in front of them.
Once the amazing reality sunk in, this was truly their Jesus, their
Messiah, crucified, buried, and now raised from the dead, Jesus tells
them “You are witnesses to these things.” What things? That He
somehow traversed through walls of a locked room? That the marks of the
nails were clearly visible proving He truly was their dead Master? That
resurrected glorified people liked fish?
No, much much more: That everything they heard, saw, and knew of
Jesus from the beginning was true, real, and eternal. They are witnesses
to everything Jesus said, did, was, is, and had become to them.
So are we. We are witnesses to Jesus as we have come to know Him,
whether we are like dear children, new believers who know our sins are
forgiven and Christ is Lord and Savior. We are witnesses to Jesus as we
have come to experience His faithfulness and power in our fight against
temptation and the snares of the devil. We are witnesses to Jesus as we
know Him in the deeper reaches of our spirit as beloved Lord, constant
companion, and the Love we cherish more than life itself. We are called
to witness to the Jesus we know – not some fanciful story book image,
but the One who meets us in all things we encounter in life with extreme
tenderness and love, discipline, and correction, compassion and
forgiveness: the Jesus who walks with us and desires so greatly for us
to walk with Him. Amen.
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