“What Makes Your Heart Burn?”
April 23, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
I’ve found, as I’ve gotten older, that there are certain foods, especially certain combinations of foods, that I have to be careful about eating, and especially eating at certain times of the day. For example, even though I’m frequently guilty of doing so, I’ll tend to eat spicier foods right before going to bed. Which means I’ll wake up in the middle of the night with heartburn. And I’ll know exactly what’s caused it, too. Oh, well – one of these days I’ll learn about what makes my heart burn. Fortunately, that’s not what we’re talking about this morning. Instead, we’re talking about a different kind of burning in the heart: one that we hear about in today’s Gospel reading, that comes from encountering the risen Jesus.
In the story, two of Jesus’ followers, named Cleopas and Simon, are walking along the road to Emmaus, possibly the city of Emmaus Nicopolis, which used to be located in between modern-day Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv, on the main roadway. Since these are followers of Jesus who probably had to be somewhere else separate from the main group when Jesus appeared to His followers, as we talked about last week, they’ve heard the stories about how Jesus has appeared to various people, but, like Thomas, because they haven’t seen Him for themselves, they’re having trouble believing it. Again, just like we talked about last week, human nature is to demand proof, being able to see something to believe it. But as Jesus encourages us, we are blessed if we still believe, but don’t see it. Which means we hang on to God’s Word in the Bible, and believe what He says is true.
The way God speaks to us, keeps us inspired, and keeps us going, is through the Bible. That’s why it’s important for us to listen closely and carefully to the Bible passages being read each week. Even if certain passages or verses don’t make it into the Sermon, that doesn’t mean God isn’t speaking through them. So, for example, if there’s been a particular verse that’s caught your attention, but you haven’t heard it mentioned in the Sermon so far this morning, think about it all the rest of this week. What is God trying to say to you, what’s He trying to get you to hear from it? How does He want to inspire you, and in what direction is He trying to lead you? Most of all, what is He trying to tell you that He wants you to repeat to others, to inspire, encourage, and uplift them? That’s what witnessing is: telling people both what God has done, and what He’s telling people, especially from the Bible. Which is what Jesus did to Cleopas and his companion: showing them in the Bible how what had happened to Jesus had been predicted long before, but then everything happened as promised, because Jesus came back to life. Which, at that moment, caused the disciples’ hearts to burn. It wasn’t just the fact that Jesus was alive that caused their hearts to burn: it was the power of Jesus burning in them – the power which helped them realize Jesus was alive, and the power which gave them new enthusiasm. Because Jesus was alive, they now had meaning and purpose: they hadn’t wasted their time following someone who was just going to be put to death, but they now were committed to following someone who was truly alive, and who was with them. The Holy Spirit, the very power of Jesus, is that same power that helps us to do the same: we’re here not because we’re part of a group or a club, but because we follow the living Jesus. As Peter says in today’s Second Reading, we’ve been saved by the blood of Jesus, and only by Jesus. Not by any good works we do, or any rules or laws we follow, but only by the sacrifice of Jesus. Through Him we believe in God, who raised Jesus from the dead, and so our faith and hope are in God. So we no longer live an empty, unfulfilled life: our lives now have meaning, and Jesus is that meaning. As long as we believe in Jesus and follow Jesus, we will have a fulfilled and purposeful life.
Then, after Jesus had ascended into Heaven, the Holy Spirit continued to make Jesus’ followers passionate, enthusiastic, and on fire about witnessing to His truth and living for Him. Peter was not afraid to say, with absolute confidence and boldness, that the only way to be saved was by believing in Jesus, and encouraging people to be baptized according to the command of Jesus as a demonstration of their own passion and enthusiasm for believing in Him. Then, as a way of living out their commitment even more, the disciples became passionate about making sure each other was cared for – that everyone had what they needed. A lot of the reason for this as well, was because, as He Himself had said before, following Jesus meant sacrificing livelihood, stability, even family ties – people could get disowned from their families for following Jesus. So, in order to make sure Jesus’ followers could still have what they needed in order to live, the church stepped in and provided them with basic needs until they could get back on their feet. Also, the widows and orphans, who had no other support system, depended on the church to be able to live. This is also important for us to take note of: that we, whether we realize it or not, depend on each other. Maybe not materially, but we do depend on each other for support, affirmation, guidance, and encouragement. This means it’s important for us to have the same attitude about each other that the early Christians did: making sure that we feel supported and built up. So, we always, once again, have to make sure that we are listening to God, we have the right attitude towards each other, and and we are supporting and encouraging each other with the words God gives us to say. The more we are welcoming and supportive of each other, and others, the more we will be able to grow in every way.
The stresses of the pandemic, of life, even of the wider world, have had a tendency to cool our hearts, our passion, and our enthusiasm. But here’s the good news: we’ve actually been moving forward, because God has not left us to try to figure things out for ourselves. For the past couple of years, God has actually been warming us up again. But not just reheating. What I mean is, when food gets reheated on the stove, or in the oven or microwave, it doesn’t taste the same, it doesn’t have the same flavor or maybe even the same appeal like it did before. But God’s not just reheating us to make us something less than what we were before: instead, He’s preparing us to be something new and improved, to be able to speak His Word and life out our life together in Him in new, innovative, and creative ways. Even though we’ve had to deal with issues with our roof and building the past few months, what they’ve shown is that God has been actively clearing obstacles to making us new. The roof is actually the best example: rather than just a temporary fix, we now have new and more sturdy materials to be able to withstand the weather, especially as it becomes more extreme each season. In the same way, God isn’t just patching us up temporarily: He’s making us into something better than we were before, even years before. But we have to keep trusting Him, going where He leads, and being passionate about doing so.
What’s your passion? What are you enthusiastic about? What do you hope for, and what do you live for? What are you especially devoted to for living out your faith in Jesus? All of us have something we’re committed to, that feeds us and gives us fulfillment, and we believe is our purpose. Myself, my passion is bringing people together – especially individuals, families, organizations, to serve the local community with God’s love in special ways that address the needs of the community. Some others of you might be passionate about praying. Some others of you might be passionate about studying and teaching the Bible. Some of you might be passionate about music and the arts. Some of you might be passionate about children and youth. Some of you might be passionate about making sure people’s physical needs are met. Some of you might be passionate about making sure the building is maintained and safe. Still some others of you might be passionate about leadership.
Whatever your passion is, share it! The world needs you to be you and share what keeps you going. Don’t be afraid to live your passion, and don’t be shy about showing your passion. Don’t let things, circumstances, events, or even people keep you from being who you are, and living what you’re passionate about. Don’t let things try to make you conform to what you think would be easiest or safest, but live, and live out, whatever is burning in your heart. Keep on being inspired, and don’t let anything try to silence your inspiration or creativity. Don’t let anything, or anyone, erode your confidence, because it’s your confidence that allows you to live out the gifts God has given you to witness and live for Him. Also, God has given you a voice to be able to express yourself, your passion, who you are, and, again, what He wants you to tell people. Don’t let anything, or anyone, try to silence your voice, or keep you from speaking as yourself. If you’re burning, good! Even though our area may be under a burn ban until the end of next month right now, for us Christians, every day, all year, is burning season – we are to burn with passion for following Jesus, and be committed to setting the world on fire for Him. So don’t be afraid – let your heart burn for Jesus!
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
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