Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
“May the Words of My Mouth”
September 2, 2018
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14) Those words have guided countless people throughout the ages when they were called to offer words of remembrance at funerals or lift a toast at a wedding or before embarking on a job interview or just starting a new day. Speaking as one who usually remembers to pray them almost every Sunday when I’m not so caught up in doing things perfectly but instead remember that this, all of this, is an offering to God – a hopefully heartfelt offering to the Almighty.
The heart – not so much the blood-pumping organ that keeps us alive but rather that intangible yet very real inner core of who we are and how we love, the part that cares deeply and can be filled so fully by the sound of a grandchild’s laughter or a shared sense of belonging. The heart may be filled to overflowing with something as simple as the words of a favorite song that evokes dear memories or an old photograph that transports us to another time and place.
The heart can be tremendously fragile also and can break many times during the course of a lifetime. Broken perhaps by the death of a beloved partner or parent or child or fractured by a trust violated or damaged by witnessing the suffering of another. Last night a number of folks gathered in Bennington to come together and offer support to Vermont representative Kiah Morris. She spoke there about her hope and dream that perhaps hers might be one of the last hearts to be broken by overt racist intimidation and threats here in Vermont, a place many think mistakenly as a safe haven from the ugly fear mongering and bigotry that we sadly witness on a daily basis throughout our country. Fortunately hearts have a way of slowly mending, perhaps with a visible scar, but still capable of love. The heart is at the center of what makes us uniquely ourselves because it is what connects us to God and the rest of creation.
When Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah talking about people who say all the right things but don’t have the love of and for God deep within themselves he is pointing out the hypocrisy that he’s seeing among the Pharisees. Faith, true and deep faith, is more than ritual. When faith is only lived out with things like clean hands or saying the right prayers or wearing the proper clothes, it is a pretty shallow faith. Whether we realize it or not or even if we like it or not, how we live out our faith has an effect on other people. It is not just a personal matter. We must consider what is in our heart and then that must also be the way we set the course for our days. The words that come out of our mouths alone won’t cut it but they are our calling card to others.
This week with the funerals of two beloved Americans on the national stage, we were witnesses to the testimonies that so many gave of the lives lived and the contributions made by both Aretha Franklin and John McCain – two distinct individuals who both talked the talk and walked the walk. They lived very different lives and yet each achieved the respect and admiration that is now being publicly showered on them in death by following their hearts – hearts that knew where God was calling them. Perhaps not at first and not always consistently – both had difficult legs on their respective journeys – but they were true to their gifts and recognized that the way to honor God was to use those gifts, even if they sometimes were absolutely driven, to make the world a better place. They were each able to show us the heart of God. One used music and the other dedication to country because they recognized and lived out their role in Kingdom building.
Here Jesus is pointing to that which comes out of people. The venom in the form of racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, ableism, ageism – these can be the forms taken when defilement – a word we don’t use much nowadays – comes from within. It begins internally and very soon it is set loose on the world. What is it that defiles people? What is it that becomes important enough to cause others to have disdain for another human being? Sometimes it’s money – too much of it or not enough of it. Certainly appearances – the way one looks, dresses or talks. To be viewed as a defiled person is a perspective that many feel everyday – to be a person of color in Vermont, to be low-income or unemployed, to have a criminal record, to battle addictions – and yet each one of us has a role in the Kingdom of God. Jesus is proclaiming here that even those who would be viewed as defiled – his own disciples – still can serve. Every one of us is battling internal demons of doubt coupled with loss and fear. News flash – we are less than perfect – and yet that is not to stop us from being the heart of God to other people.
To be honest, it is so much easier for us to see the corruption and falling short nature of others than it is to see it in ourselves – if you’re lacking for examples I encourage you to spend 30 minutes watching MSNBC and then 30 minutes watching Fox News or you can flip the order. The ease with which we demonize the other with little acknowledgment of our own weak spots is perfectly visible with both of these highly partisan perspectives and inevitably what draws so many viewers to both is that we like to hear and see folks who confirm our world view. The hypocrisy that Jesus calls out in the Pharisees is a life lesson for us. None of us is beyond introspection and a constant check on how we are bringing the heart of God to the world. What words do we use to describe the “other?” Are we bringing our best selves to the table every day? And here’s the thing, we will try again today and the next day and the next day and we will fall short and then we’ll try again. The Heart of God within us is too powerful, too important, too necessary not to let it shine.
As we come to the welcome table, ready to affirm our place in God’s beloved Kingdom, let us lift up this prayer from Steve Garnaas-Holmes titled “Vessel of Love”:
Beloved,
Beloving,
may I be a vessel of your love today.
I am flawed and inadequate,
but you have chosen to bear your love
into the world through me.
No matter my shame or fear,
no matter the resistance of others,
let your love shine in me.
To all, the intimate and the stranger,
ally and enemy, welcoming and bristly,
let me convey your love,
for their sake (which is your sake),
not my own.
Not my own skinny passion,
but your deep, life-giving love
flows through me each moment.
May I fill to overflowing
with you
for the sake of the world.
Amen.
(https://www.unfoldinglight.net/)