The Eyes Of Your Heart
Sermon
Sermons On The Second Reading
Series I, Cycle A
John Edward believes that people don't just die, but that they "cross over."
That's nothing earth shattering to Christians because we believe that, too. We believe Jesus taught it and promised it. We believe scripture tells us that is what happens to us when we die. Before Jesus left his disciples he told them he was going to his Father's house to prepare a room for them. He told the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise." When Peter asked Jesus where he was going, Jesus told him, "Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow me later."
The biggest difference between John Edward and most Christians is that John Edward believes that those who have crossed over still communicate with us. John Edward is a medium who has his own television show in which he professes to communicate with the loved ones of his studio audience. He also holds private readings that cost in the neighborhood of $300 and has a waiting list of up to three years in advance. Needless to say, there are a lot of people who believe in crossing over and, in particular, in John Edward's ability to patch them through to their deceased loved ones. He is quite convincing.
To his credit, at the end of every program, he states that it is not necessary to have a medium present in order to hear from those who have passed, if only we would pay attention. He believes that people on the other side are constantly communicating with us, but that we just don't pick up on it. And he emphasizes communicating with loved ones while they are still with us, giving the impression that if we do, this line of communication will remain open after they have gone.
Truth is, we crazy Christians do talk to dead people. Well, maybe they are not really dead, but they have crossed over. We do it through prayer, and maybe John Edward is right when it comes to our listening skills. When we pray, we probably do more talking than listening.
What better example of "crossing over" is there than that of Jesus? Jesus, in his resurrected body, left the disciples in one, dramatic moment. Ascending to his new home with his Father in heaven, Jesus is taken up in a cloud while angels inform the disciples that one day he will return in the same manner.
Jesus crossed over. After his death and resurrection, the disciples viewed Jesus with the eyes of their hearts. They saw him in a new way, with a new kind of body and a new spirituality. He represented what they would become. And he was telling them that it was the way of God, and that it was good. To borrow a word from John Edward, Jesus "validated" what the disciples believed, and what we would believe these many centuries later. That Jesus was indeed the Son of God, and that there is life after death, in another place, and Jesus is there waiting for us.
Some years ago, Columbia University had a great football coach by the name of Lou Little. One day Lou had a boy try out for the varsity team who wasn't really very good. But Lou noticed that there was something unique about him. While he wasn't nearly good enough to make the team, he had such irrepressible spirit and contagious enthusiasm that Lou thought, "This boy would be a great inspiration on the bench. He'll never be able to play, but I'll leave him on the team to encourage the others."
As the season went on, Lou began to develop a tremendous admiration and love for this boy. One of the things that especially impressed him was the manner in which the boy obviously cared for his father. Whenever the father would come for a visit to the campus, the boy and his father would always be seen walking together, arm in arm, a visible indication of the exceptional bond of love that existed between them. They were seen every Sunday going to and from the university chapel. It was clear that theirs was a deep and mutually shared Christian faith.
Then, one day, Coach Little received a phone call. He was told that the boy's father had just died, and he was asked if he would please inform the boy of his father's death. With a heavy heart, Lou went to the boy and told him what had happened. The boy immediately left for home.
A few days later after his father's funeral, the boy returned to campus, just two days before the biggest game of the season. Lou welcomed the boy back and asked, "Is there anything I can do for you? Anything at all?" And to the coach's astonishment, the boy said, "Let me start the game on Saturday." Lou was completely taken by surprise. He thought to himself, "I can't let him start. He's not good enough." But he remembered his promise to help and said, "All right, you can start the game." But again, he thought, "I'll leave him in the game for a few plays and then take him out."
The day of the game arrived. To everyone's surprise the coach started this boy who had never played in a game all season. But imagine even the coach's surprise when, on the very first play from scrimmage, that boy was the one who single--handedly made a tackle that threw the opposing team for a loss. The boy went on to play inspired football play after play. In fact, he played so exceptionally that the coach left him in for the entire game. The boy eventually led his team to victory and was voted the outstanding player of the game.
After the game, Lou approached the boy and said, "Son, what got into you today?" The boy replied, "You remember when my father would visit me here at school and we would spend a lot of time together walking arm in arm around the campus? My father and I shared a secret that nobody around here knew anything about. You see, my father was blind ... and today was the first time he ever saw me play."
When the eyes of our hearts are enlightened, we are able to play over our heads in the game of life and see the purposes and power and love of God. This boy knew that his father had crossed over to a better place. A place where everyone is able to see with the eyes of their hearts, and no longer need to see with the eyes in their heads.
In today's text, Saint Paul tells us three things we can know by seeing through the eyes of our hearts: first, "the hope to which he has called" us; second, "the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints," and third, "the immeasurable greatness of his power." Hope, inheritance, and power. Three important gifts that Jesus left with us when he "crossed over."
1. The hope to which we have been called. A sorcerer had fallen out of favor with the court, and the king sentenced him to death. On the day of the planned execution, the sorcerer told the king that if he would allow him to live for one year, the king could become famous around the world, because the sorcerer would make the king's horse talk. If the sorcerer failed, the king could then kill him. The king thought about it and agreed. The sorcerer was spared for one year and thrown into the dungeon.
A duke, who was friendly to the sorcerer, sneaked down to the dungeon and said: "You are indeed a fool. Both you and I know that you do not have the power to make animals speak. Now you will surely die."
The sorcerer answered him: "But, I have a year. Many things can happen in a year. The king might die. Or I might die. And who knows? In a year perhaps the horse might talk."
By Jesus' sacrifice, we have been spared and given hope. We don't know the number of days we have left on this earth before we ourselves "cross over." Whatever that number might be, it is a gift, a pardon. We live in the hope of the cross, and living like that, we have nothing to lose. Living or dying, we have hope. Hope for today, and for tomorrow. Hope for here, and hope for there, with Jesus, on the other side. We can see it with the eyes of our heart.
When we focus on the things that we can see with our eyes, we sometimes want to give up. When we feel only through our body, the pain is sometimes too great for us. When we think only with our minds, the thoughts can be defeating. But when we look with our hearts, there is always hope. In our hearts we can see that "maybe in a year the horse will talk."
2. The riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints. What person has not dreamed at one time or another about some long--lost wealthy relative dying and leaving them a fortune? We've probably all had those thoughts, and we've mentally spent that money. Yet we have already been named in a will that makes us all rich, and most of the time we don't even think about it.
If we look at life through the eyes of our hearts, things look different. What makes a person successful, what makes a person wealthy, even what makes a person healthy, looks different through the eyes of the heart. The worst disability in the world is not the loss of sight, or the use of your legs, or any debilitating disease. The worst disability is when your heart becomes blinded, and you can no longer see the riches that God has heaped upon you.
We are all wealthy people because we have inherited the riches that our brother Jesus has left to us. They are not the kinds of riches you can invest in the stock market or have insured by Lloyd's of London. They are riches that can only be seen through the eyes of your heart. They come in the form of blessings. They are blessings seen in the love of another person. Blessings that flow from the support of a circle of friends called the church. Blessings that will come to pass in an eternal life with a loving and compassionate God who will take care of all our needs forever and ever. We are wealthy people.
3. The immeasurable greatness of his power. We are an intelligent life form, we human beings. We know that there is a time and place for everything, and that everything has its limits. Yet space seems to be limitless. The universe has no definition. And we foolish Christians come along and confess to believing that God created it all. God has no limits. God's power is immeasurable.
Then, in the vastness of this concept of an almighty, limitless God, we believe that he cares about what happens to one little being on one little planet in one little solar system in one little galaxy. Yep, that's right. That's what we believe. And that's the core of Christianity. This great and powerful God who created all that exists, farther than the eye can see (unless it's the eye of your heart, that is), still cares about you. He cares about little ol' you. You may feel like one speck of dandruff on the shoulder of the universe, one unique snowflake in the midst of a snowstorm, or one little hair on the head of humanity. God, the powerful, cares about what happens to you and me.
And so he sent his Son, Jesus, into our little world to live as we do. Jesus, just as powerful and just as almighty, sent here to try to teach us something about his wonder. Jesus, sent here to live and to die so that one day we might be able to join him in another place. Jesus, just passing through to show us that there is more than meets the eye, even the eye of your heart.
In the 1800s there was a renowned Polish rabbi named Hofetz Chaim. An American tourist visited him and was astonished to see that the rabbi's home was only a simple room filled with books, with only a table and cot to live on. The tourist asked, "Rabbi, where is your furniture?" Hofetz Chaim replied, "Where is yours?"
The puzzled American asked, "Mine? But I'm only a visitor here. I'm only passing through." The rabbi replied, "So am I."
As you pass through, I pray that you might see a lot with the eyes of your heart. And that you will know the hope to which he has called us, the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints and the immeasurable greatness of his power.
That's nothing earth shattering to Christians because we believe that, too. We believe Jesus taught it and promised it. We believe scripture tells us that is what happens to us when we die. Before Jesus left his disciples he told them he was going to his Father's house to prepare a room for them. He told the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise." When Peter asked Jesus where he was going, Jesus told him, "Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow me later."
The biggest difference between John Edward and most Christians is that John Edward believes that those who have crossed over still communicate with us. John Edward is a medium who has his own television show in which he professes to communicate with the loved ones of his studio audience. He also holds private readings that cost in the neighborhood of $300 and has a waiting list of up to three years in advance. Needless to say, there are a lot of people who believe in crossing over and, in particular, in John Edward's ability to patch them through to their deceased loved ones. He is quite convincing.
To his credit, at the end of every program, he states that it is not necessary to have a medium present in order to hear from those who have passed, if only we would pay attention. He believes that people on the other side are constantly communicating with us, but that we just don't pick up on it. And he emphasizes communicating with loved ones while they are still with us, giving the impression that if we do, this line of communication will remain open after they have gone.
Truth is, we crazy Christians do talk to dead people. Well, maybe they are not really dead, but they have crossed over. We do it through prayer, and maybe John Edward is right when it comes to our listening skills. When we pray, we probably do more talking than listening.
What better example of "crossing over" is there than that of Jesus? Jesus, in his resurrected body, left the disciples in one, dramatic moment. Ascending to his new home with his Father in heaven, Jesus is taken up in a cloud while angels inform the disciples that one day he will return in the same manner.
Jesus crossed over. After his death and resurrection, the disciples viewed Jesus with the eyes of their hearts. They saw him in a new way, with a new kind of body and a new spirituality. He represented what they would become. And he was telling them that it was the way of God, and that it was good. To borrow a word from John Edward, Jesus "validated" what the disciples believed, and what we would believe these many centuries later. That Jesus was indeed the Son of God, and that there is life after death, in another place, and Jesus is there waiting for us.
Some years ago, Columbia University had a great football coach by the name of Lou Little. One day Lou had a boy try out for the varsity team who wasn't really very good. But Lou noticed that there was something unique about him. While he wasn't nearly good enough to make the team, he had such irrepressible spirit and contagious enthusiasm that Lou thought, "This boy would be a great inspiration on the bench. He'll never be able to play, but I'll leave him on the team to encourage the others."
As the season went on, Lou began to develop a tremendous admiration and love for this boy. One of the things that especially impressed him was the manner in which the boy obviously cared for his father. Whenever the father would come for a visit to the campus, the boy and his father would always be seen walking together, arm in arm, a visible indication of the exceptional bond of love that existed between them. They were seen every Sunday going to and from the university chapel. It was clear that theirs was a deep and mutually shared Christian faith.
Then, one day, Coach Little received a phone call. He was told that the boy's father had just died, and he was asked if he would please inform the boy of his father's death. With a heavy heart, Lou went to the boy and told him what had happened. The boy immediately left for home.
A few days later after his father's funeral, the boy returned to campus, just two days before the biggest game of the season. Lou welcomed the boy back and asked, "Is there anything I can do for you? Anything at all?" And to the coach's astonishment, the boy said, "Let me start the game on Saturday." Lou was completely taken by surprise. He thought to himself, "I can't let him start. He's not good enough." But he remembered his promise to help and said, "All right, you can start the game." But again, he thought, "I'll leave him in the game for a few plays and then take him out."
The day of the game arrived. To everyone's surprise the coach started this boy who had never played in a game all season. But imagine even the coach's surprise when, on the very first play from scrimmage, that boy was the one who single--handedly made a tackle that threw the opposing team for a loss. The boy went on to play inspired football play after play. In fact, he played so exceptionally that the coach left him in for the entire game. The boy eventually led his team to victory and was voted the outstanding player of the game.
After the game, Lou approached the boy and said, "Son, what got into you today?" The boy replied, "You remember when my father would visit me here at school and we would spend a lot of time together walking arm in arm around the campus? My father and I shared a secret that nobody around here knew anything about. You see, my father was blind ... and today was the first time he ever saw me play."
When the eyes of our hearts are enlightened, we are able to play over our heads in the game of life and see the purposes and power and love of God. This boy knew that his father had crossed over to a better place. A place where everyone is able to see with the eyes of their hearts, and no longer need to see with the eyes in their heads.
In today's text, Saint Paul tells us three things we can know by seeing through the eyes of our hearts: first, "the hope to which he has called" us; second, "the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints," and third, "the immeasurable greatness of his power." Hope, inheritance, and power. Three important gifts that Jesus left with us when he "crossed over."
1. The hope to which we have been called. A sorcerer had fallen out of favor with the court, and the king sentenced him to death. On the day of the planned execution, the sorcerer told the king that if he would allow him to live for one year, the king could become famous around the world, because the sorcerer would make the king's horse talk. If the sorcerer failed, the king could then kill him. The king thought about it and agreed. The sorcerer was spared for one year and thrown into the dungeon.
A duke, who was friendly to the sorcerer, sneaked down to the dungeon and said: "You are indeed a fool. Both you and I know that you do not have the power to make animals speak. Now you will surely die."
The sorcerer answered him: "But, I have a year. Many things can happen in a year. The king might die. Or I might die. And who knows? In a year perhaps the horse might talk."
By Jesus' sacrifice, we have been spared and given hope. We don't know the number of days we have left on this earth before we ourselves "cross over." Whatever that number might be, it is a gift, a pardon. We live in the hope of the cross, and living like that, we have nothing to lose. Living or dying, we have hope. Hope for today, and for tomorrow. Hope for here, and hope for there, with Jesus, on the other side. We can see it with the eyes of our heart.
When we focus on the things that we can see with our eyes, we sometimes want to give up. When we feel only through our body, the pain is sometimes too great for us. When we think only with our minds, the thoughts can be defeating. But when we look with our hearts, there is always hope. In our hearts we can see that "maybe in a year the horse will talk."
2. The riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints. What person has not dreamed at one time or another about some long--lost wealthy relative dying and leaving them a fortune? We've probably all had those thoughts, and we've mentally spent that money. Yet we have already been named in a will that makes us all rich, and most of the time we don't even think about it.
If we look at life through the eyes of our hearts, things look different. What makes a person successful, what makes a person wealthy, even what makes a person healthy, looks different through the eyes of the heart. The worst disability in the world is not the loss of sight, or the use of your legs, or any debilitating disease. The worst disability is when your heart becomes blinded, and you can no longer see the riches that God has heaped upon you.
We are all wealthy people because we have inherited the riches that our brother Jesus has left to us. They are not the kinds of riches you can invest in the stock market or have insured by Lloyd's of London. They are riches that can only be seen through the eyes of your heart. They come in the form of blessings. They are blessings seen in the love of another person. Blessings that flow from the support of a circle of friends called the church. Blessings that will come to pass in an eternal life with a loving and compassionate God who will take care of all our needs forever and ever. We are wealthy people.
3. The immeasurable greatness of his power. We are an intelligent life form, we human beings. We know that there is a time and place for everything, and that everything has its limits. Yet space seems to be limitless. The universe has no definition. And we foolish Christians come along and confess to believing that God created it all. God has no limits. God's power is immeasurable.
Then, in the vastness of this concept of an almighty, limitless God, we believe that he cares about what happens to one little being on one little planet in one little solar system in one little galaxy. Yep, that's right. That's what we believe. And that's the core of Christianity. This great and powerful God who created all that exists, farther than the eye can see (unless it's the eye of your heart, that is), still cares about you. He cares about little ol' you. You may feel like one speck of dandruff on the shoulder of the universe, one unique snowflake in the midst of a snowstorm, or one little hair on the head of humanity. God, the powerful, cares about what happens to you and me.
And so he sent his Son, Jesus, into our little world to live as we do. Jesus, just as powerful and just as almighty, sent here to try to teach us something about his wonder. Jesus, sent here to live and to die so that one day we might be able to join him in another place. Jesus, just passing through to show us that there is more than meets the eye, even the eye of your heart.
In the 1800s there was a renowned Polish rabbi named Hofetz Chaim. An American tourist visited him and was astonished to see that the rabbi's home was only a simple room filled with books, with only a table and cot to live on. The tourist asked, "Rabbi, where is your furniture?" Hofetz Chaim replied, "Where is yours?"
The puzzled American asked, "Mine? But I'm only a visitor here. I'm only passing through." The rabbi replied, "So am I."
As you pass through, I pray that you might see a lot with the eyes of your heart. And that you will know the hope to which he has called us, the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints and the immeasurable greatness of his power.
