New Heart
Sermon
David was very ill. His energy levels had been reducing over the past few years and when he eventually visited the doctor he learned that he had a precursor of the sort of leukemia which sometimes occurs in elderly people. The doctor decided that David should have blood transfusions every six weeks or so, and for several months they were brilliant. After each blood transfusion, David felt like a new man for two or three weeks, until his blood levels gradually began to drop again and he needed another transfusion.
But over eighteen months or so, the transfusions slowly became less effective. David was unable to eat properly because he constantly vomited, and for months now had been living on nothing but porridge. Porridge was the only food he could keep down. David never complained and he wasn't in any pain, but it became obvious to all - except David and his wife - that David was dying. The last blood transfusion had had almost no effect. In December, their daughter took David and his wife to visit the specialist.
The specialist said to him gently, "David, you remember that we discussed a time when the blood transfusions would no longer work and I told you that there was nothing more we could do for you?"
David and his wife both nodded.
"Well, I think that time has come. We can take you into hospital if you like, or you can remain at home. It's your decision."
Although David and his wife had both nodded at the specialist's words, neither of them had really understood the implications. But their daughter understood. David elected to go into hospital and requested another blood transfusion, to which the authorities rather reluctantly agreed. Meanwhile, David's daughter rang her brother who was living over the other side of the world and told him to catch the next plane. Then she told her parents that her brother and family had decided to come home for Christmas.
The effect of this pronouncement was nothing short of miraculous. David immediately rallied after the transfusion and went home for Christmas where the whole family was reunited. David enjoyed a hearty Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, the first time he'd eaten anything but porridge for months. They had a wonderful and happy Christmas together and David's energy levels were high. Soon after Christmas, the son and his family said good-bye and boarded their plane.
David died the following week.
The point of this true story is that David should have died before Christmas. He was so ill by that stage that there was really no way in which he could possibly survive. But the news that his son was coming home filled him with new heart and for a limited time, this completely changed his life. The dying man rose from his deathbed and became strong and well. Such was the power of his delight and excitement at the realisation that he would see his son again at such a special time of year.
The people of Israel were at their lowest ebb. Ezekiel was one of the exiles deported by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon in 597 and his entire prophetic career took place in exile in Babylon. He was the first prophet ever to be called by God outside the homeland of Israel and Judah. In 587, when Nebuchadnezzar actually destroyed Jerusalem, things were about as bad as they could be for the Israelites. The Israelites weren't even sure that they could worship God at all outside their homeland for they thought they had left God behind in Jerusalem. So when Jerusalem and the temple - God's house where God dwelt - was destroyed, it seemed that everything was finished. The dream was ended, the nation was almost dead and there seemed no possibility of revival.
But it's at this point that Ezekiel's message changed and instead of gloom and despondency and the threat of destruction it became full of hope. In today's reading God says, "A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you....I will put my spirit within you." But it was still a further fifty years or so before the first wave of exiles began returning in 538 BC. Eventually when all the exiles had returned and under Ezra and Nehemiah's leadership, the temple was rebuilt and Jerusalem flourished once again.
For Christians, the words of God in today's reading have a special significance because we have the advantage of 2000 years of Jesus Christ. When we read, "I will put my spirit within you", we know immediately what God means by that, because we know about the events of Easter and Pentecost. We know that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and that he lives within each one of us through his spirit. And that knowledge brings us new heart.
If you are in a situation where you feel you need new heart, allow God's spirit to work within you. Spend twenty minutes twice a day connecting with the God within. Learn to meditate and to go deep within yourself, for that is where God has put his spirit and that is where you can find God. You can do this by sitting in a comfortable chair in a warm, comfortable room and first relaxing by concentrating on each part of your body in turn and consciously relaxing the muscles. Then notice your breathing and focus on that for a while, keeping it even and quiet. Then let God take your thoughts by focussing on God in some way. You can do this by writing the word "God" in neon lights in your imagination and just looking at it. Or you can visualise God as a brilliant light filling each part of your body, especially filling any parts which may be in need of healing. Or you can simply offer yourself to God and try to "open" yourself to him.
It's not as though God is asking us to do a huge amount of hard work to meet with him. On the contrary, God is waiting to come to us and to connect with us. God is waiting for us to acknowledge his spirit within us and to use the power that his spirit gives us. All we have to do is to relax and to give God time and space to work within us.
If the whole of God's church did that, we would indeed have a new heart within us, for God would remove from our body the heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh. He has put his spirit within us so that we may follow his statutes and observe his ordinances. And this means that we shall live in the land that God gives to us - his kingdom - and we shall be his people, and he will be our God.
But over eighteen months or so, the transfusions slowly became less effective. David was unable to eat properly because he constantly vomited, and for months now had been living on nothing but porridge. Porridge was the only food he could keep down. David never complained and he wasn't in any pain, but it became obvious to all - except David and his wife - that David was dying. The last blood transfusion had had almost no effect. In December, their daughter took David and his wife to visit the specialist.
The specialist said to him gently, "David, you remember that we discussed a time when the blood transfusions would no longer work and I told you that there was nothing more we could do for you?"
David and his wife both nodded.
"Well, I think that time has come. We can take you into hospital if you like, or you can remain at home. It's your decision."
Although David and his wife had both nodded at the specialist's words, neither of them had really understood the implications. But their daughter understood. David elected to go into hospital and requested another blood transfusion, to which the authorities rather reluctantly agreed. Meanwhile, David's daughter rang her brother who was living over the other side of the world and told him to catch the next plane. Then she told her parents that her brother and family had decided to come home for Christmas.
The effect of this pronouncement was nothing short of miraculous. David immediately rallied after the transfusion and went home for Christmas where the whole family was reunited. David enjoyed a hearty Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, the first time he'd eaten anything but porridge for months. They had a wonderful and happy Christmas together and David's energy levels were high. Soon after Christmas, the son and his family said good-bye and boarded their plane.
David died the following week.
The point of this true story is that David should have died before Christmas. He was so ill by that stage that there was really no way in which he could possibly survive. But the news that his son was coming home filled him with new heart and for a limited time, this completely changed his life. The dying man rose from his deathbed and became strong and well. Such was the power of his delight and excitement at the realisation that he would see his son again at such a special time of year.
The people of Israel were at their lowest ebb. Ezekiel was one of the exiles deported by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon in 597 and his entire prophetic career took place in exile in Babylon. He was the first prophet ever to be called by God outside the homeland of Israel and Judah. In 587, when Nebuchadnezzar actually destroyed Jerusalem, things were about as bad as they could be for the Israelites. The Israelites weren't even sure that they could worship God at all outside their homeland for they thought they had left God behind in Jerusalem. So when Jerusalem and the temple - God's house where God dwelt - was destroyed, it seemed that everything was finished. The dream was ended, the nation was almost dead and there seemed no possibility of revival.
But it's at this point that Ezekiel's message changed and instead of gloom and despondency and the threat of destruction it became full of hope. In today's reading God says, "A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you....I will put my spirit within you." But it was still a further fifty years or so before the first wave of exiles began returning in 538 BC. Eventually when all the exiles had returned and under Ezra and Nehemiah's leadership, the temple was rebuilt and Jerusalem flourished once again.
For Christians, the words of God in today's reading have a special significance because we have the advantage of 2000 years of Jesus Christ. When we read, "I will put my spirit within you", we know immediately what God means by that, because we know about the events of Easter and Pentecost. We know that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and that he lives within each one of us through his spirit. And that knowledge brings us new heart.
If you are in a situation where you feel you need new heart, allow God's spirit to work within you. Spend twenty minutes twice a day connecting with the God within. Learn to meditate and to go deep within yourself, for that is where God has put his spirit and that is where you can find God. You can do this by sitting in a comfortable chair in a warm, comfortable room and first relaxing by concentrating on each part of your body in turn and consciously relaxing the muscles. Then notice your breathing and focus on that for a while, keeping it even and quiet. Then let God take your thoughts by focussing on God in some way. You can do this by writing the word "God" in neon lights in your imagination and just looking at it. Or you can visualise God as a brilliant light filling each part of your body, especially filling any parts which may be in need of healing. Or you can simply offer yourself to God and try to "open" yourself to him.
It's not as though God is asking us to do a huge amount of hard work to meet with him. On the contrary, God is waiting to come to us and to connect with us. God is waiting for us to acknowledge his spirit within us and to use the power that his spirit gives us. All we have to do is to relax and to give God time and space to work within us.
If the whole of God's church did that, we would indeed have a new heart within us, for God would remove from our body the heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh. He has put his spirit within us so that we may follow his statutes and observe his ordinances. And this means that we shall live in the land that God gives to us - his kingdom - and we shall be his people, and he will be our God.
