Wednesday, May 14, 2003

The opening text will come from a book by Abraham Joshua Heschel (God in Search of Man - A Philosophy of Judaism). As you are able to see by the title, the language may be a bit dated and therefore, I will, when able, make the language inclusive.



In the Bible, callousness is the root of sin. There are many words to express it: “stubbornness of heart,” “hardness of heart” (Deuteronomy29:18; Lamentations 3:65); “brazen-faced and stiff-hearted (Ezekiel 2:4); “stout-hearted” (Isaiah 46:12); “uncircumcised in the heart” (Jeremiah 9:25). “The heart [of the godless] is gross like fat,” exclaims the Psalmist (119:70).

The prophets continually reproach Israel for lack of sensibility:

(They) see things but do not observe them

(Their) ears are open, but they do not hear. Isaiah 42:20



It does not take much to be a “hard hearted people.” When we will only look at the world around us with one set of lenses and refuse to take another look through the lenses of others or a new day or a new perspective, hearts grow stubborn and change will seem like an impossible event. In the Shaker hymn “Simple Gifts” there is a view of life that seeks to prevent hardness of heart and closed up vision. One of the lines says “to turn, turn, will be our delight, ‘til by turning, turning we come down right.” The openness to turning…to taking another look…to hearing another voice, is the way to see and hear more than we can ever expected in our lives. It’s like Mikey in that old cereal commercial: “Try it you’ll like it”… “He likes it…Mikey likes it.” Just because the we have done things and seen things and heard things one way for so long that we think that’s all to life, we are pulled by the Holy Spirit to set foot on other pathways and just watch what is in store for us. Sin may be a simple way to express our self-centered way of staying the course…our course.



Connection: Ever listen to a story that you already know…and when someone else tells it they tell it differently. Does the story have to be the way you know it or…are you willing to hear it from another perspective and be enriched by the difference? Just a thought.



By the power of your Holy Spirit, O God, send us off in new ways within this day. And as we go, remind us to see and hear more than what we expect or want to hear and see. Open us up to the gracious perspective of your Reign and the life it call forth from us even when things seem strange and new. Amen.