How's Your Heart?

On this third Sunday of Lent, we look in on the people of Israel as they journey from Egypt to Canaan and we find them at a place that would be named Massah and Meribah. Here they found no water and true to form they began to grumble and complain. The Old Testament passage in Exodus 17:1-7 bluntly states that by complaining they were actually tempting the LORD.

Psalm 95 begins with the exhortation to sing to the LORD; to come before Him with thanksgiving, making a joyful noise; to come worship and bow down. But, it ends with the admonition to not harden our hearts as in the day of provocation, a reference to the Exodus passage. The grumbling and complaining of the people was evidence of a hard heart.

Then, John 4:5-42 relates the story of a woman who could have had a hard heart, but in her conversation with Jesus, it was softened to the point of belief and salvation that led to a vibrant witness to God's mercy and love. It is the story of the Samaritan woman that Jesus met at the well.

Finally, although the trials, troubles, and temptations of our life could lead us to hardened hearts, the epistle reading in Romans 5:1-11 tells us that the alternate route is for tribulations to work patience, which brings experience, and results in hope.

This final passage is rich in that it uses several of the big, theologically rich words of our faith like justified, reconciled, and atonement. The big three are also found in this passage: faith, hope, and love. And we must not fail to notice the trinitarian nature of the passage with the mention of all three persons of the Godhead: God, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

The passage also contains that verse that shows us the vastness of God's love for us:

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

So, as we journey with Christ to the crucifixion during this lenten season, how are our hearts? Are they hardened with grumbling, griping, and complaining, not recognizing the goodness of our Creator God, or are they soft and moldable so that we can receive and experience all that God has for us through the riches of His Son, Jesus?

As we come together in our journey this Sunday, let us lift our eyes to the cross of Calvary and realize that the cross we see and the amazing love portrayed there demand of us our soul, our life, our all. Listen carefully as the choir presents "The Wondrous Cross" a setting of the text of "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" using an Appalachian Folk Melody arranged by Lee Poquette.

* * * * * * *
In the absence of our pastor, Cary Hilliard, who is experiencing the wonders of traveling to Israel, Dr. G. Todd Wilson will be presenting the message. Dr. Wilson who is a former pastor at First Baptist Church, Jefferson will be using as his text Acts 20:7-12 and entitling his message, "Sleeping During the Sermon" - we probably should plan to stay awake for this one (SMILE).

Blessings,
Richard