| PENTECOST XVIII September 22, 2024 “Getting A New Heart” He came running down the hospital corridor, his face alight with joy, calling out, “I’m getting a new heart! I’m getting a new heart!” And nurses, doctors, aides, orderlies, everyone stopped, breaking into huge smiles, and bending over to hug and rejoice with the brown-eyed little boy who was about to burst with excitement. His name is John Henry, and he’s only about 5 years old, but his heart had never worked properly — about half of it had not developed normally, and his body, trying to grow as a child’s is supposed to, was struggling to function. He’d been on the transplant list for some time, and of course his family had been experiencing a tremendous amount of uncertainty and stress. Endless questions go through parents’ minds, as they wonder if he’ll stay healthy enough to tolerate the surgery, praying that all will go smoothly, and their son will have a healthy body to match his lively personality. And through it all, they’re well aware that if a heart becomes available, it’s because another family has experienced a heartbreaking loss. But now the call had come, and it looked like all the pieces of the puzzle were matching up. What a roller coaster of joy and fear, anticipation and trepidation this family experienced! This short “good news” story on the evening news showed a happy scene that occurred six months later, as the hospital corridor was lined with medical personnel, some holding balloons, all of them smiling, applauding, as the bright-eyed little boy was finally going home. I swallowed the lump in my throat, blinked a few tears away, and silently sent a prayer of thanks for the new life this child had received. Throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, references to hearts are everywhere. The heart is spoken of as central to a person’s being, the place from which their spirit comes, the source of love or hate, of good or evil. My concordance of key words in the bible has over a full page of small print giving references to heart, hearts, and related terms. In Psalm 139, the writer speaks of how intimately and completely God knows us, and expresses his wish to be in close relationship, as he says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts.” Our Lord himself spoke of what is in our hearts several times, including his response to the question of which commandment is the greatest. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37, 39). When we give our whole hearts, we are new, we are changed, we are connected to God in a unique and complete way that is the gift of grace, generously and freely given. Mulling the various thoughts that have (kind of) come together in this devotion, I wondered if we Christians could loosen up and be like little John Henry, filled with joy and gratitude, calling out, “I have a new heart! I have a new heart!” And then living as people with new lives. Feeling “heartened” Your friend in Christ, Mary Rogers Down in My Heart https://youtu.be/Ah6ipfoR02Q?si=ABXRXW995qgU50HC All Night, All Day https://youtu.be/7kqyjP1v92M?si=m-MHjMmNoyrbfsHH Jesus Loves Me https://youtu.be/j0RUQDiD4CY?si=ykIePDtvjDQVQmkW |
Weekly Devotion for Week of September 22, 2024
2024-09-26