Hearts Laid Bare

Text: Luke 2:22-38

Focus: Jesus' Mission

Function: To help us see that following Jesus confronts and changes our principles.

Form: Storytelling

Intro:

A little over 300 years ago, Alexander Mack and 7 other people were baptized in the Eder River.

Their baptism was seen as an act of treason by the authorities since The Church Territorial Concept forced people to be baptized into whatever faith the count of the County held.

It was a compromise that took place after the reformation was in full force. It was designed to keep people from fighting over which church, or religion, was the best.

Alexander Mack and his cohorts had a heart change. It seemed to them that the only reference to baptism in the New Testament happened to adults who could choose for themselves. It seemed to them that Jesus statements about non-resistance were just as important as the rest of the creed. It seemed to them that Churches had grown into political institutions and therefore, they had become corrupted.

And so, they started studying the Bible for themselves. Which was also an illegal act and out of that the Church of the Brethren was born.

I love our history.

I do not want to imply that it is the only valid one, or that we are the only valid Church. But these people, men and women of equal standing, decided to buck the status quo of their culture in order to be faithful to what they believed in their hearts.

They were called radicals. Back then, it did not hold the negative connotation that it holds today. Today, that term has changed meaning somewhat because of radical Islam.

My next door neighbor is a beautiful elderly Jewish woman. She attended Bear Creek COB with us once, and we attended her Temple with her.

Believe it or not, a hurricane hit Southern Ohio. A Freak storm. The neighbors across the street are Brethren too. Well, it seems that half the neighborhood is Brethren. And the ones across the street invited Kathy, I, my mom, and our neighbor, Charlotte out somewhere else where the tall trees wouldn’t threaten our houses and our lives.

During that meal, our neighbor included us in a discussion of what she called “sincere Christians.”

I like that term better than “radical,” or “fanatic.” Sincere Christians.

But that is what this scripture is about. God will prove the hearts of His followers for their good.

But dealing with the Living God is not always easy:

Mary and Joseph were amazed, by Simeon's words. And so, Simeon says to this to Mary: ^34b-35“This child is chosen by God for the destruction and the salvation of many in Israel. He will be a sign from God which many people will speak against ³⁵and so reveal their secret thoughts. And sorrow, like a sharp sword, will break your own heart.”

Listen to these phrases from Simeon's warning to the parents:

“Destruction and Salvation.... ...Sorrow will pierce your heart... ...people will speak against this sign from God...” and “...reveal secret thoughts.”

God's process for getting into our hearts.

I guess I can understand the Radical nature of the early Brethren.

What they saw was a dis-connect between the teachings of Jesus and the practices of the Church.

Hmmm.

It appears that they were opposed to religion, or a form of religion that they believed merely went through motions and didn't focus on actions.

In essence, we all are.

And yet, the more I meet other believers, the wider and broader the size of God's Church becomes, the less apt I am to ever criticize the sincerity of another.

So who, are the ones who will speak against Jesus as a sign from God?

Who are the ones destined for destruction?

I do not know. Neither do I understand these words of this prophet.

And never will I be the one who ever tries to make that judgment.

Instead, I think of myself: Sincere Christians.

Being sincere.

I think one of most profound Christmas Eve messages I ever heard was at the big Downtown Methodist Church in Lancaster, PA.

I got to know the preacher, because he and I performed the marriage of my daughter to her husband.

My Daughter's husband's family comes from old money.

And the Church does a good job ministering to people who come from lots of money.

Her mother in law has one of those voices that should be in the Opera.

We loved the 11:00 PM service. Her Mother in law sang, the music was beautiful, the decorations were incredibly opulent.

And I do not envy that pastor his job. We joked about it once. He had a picture, a comic picture from the New Yorker Magazine framed on his desk.

The Picture showed a couple in incredible opulence. She is wearing a full length mink coat, she has diamond studded opera glasses in her hand. The Husband is wearing a Tuxedo and a top hat. And, this is sort of “casual dress.” Well, it was their Sunday dress.

The couple is standing on the steps of a big huge Cathedral, presumably in New York City. And the caption is her speaking. She says: “It is amazing how he preaches that, without offending us.”

And this preacher was in a similar circumstance. His parishioners had to have seen that cartoon. But they loved him.

And his message was really good. The whole theme of it was this, a good Brethren bumper sticker: “God bless the whole world, no exceptions.”

It is a contrast to the circumstances that Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus, Simeon and Anna were in.

Simeon prophecies how this Baby will be the savior of the world.

So, I get the Salvation of many, but I don't get the destruction of many.

I understand it unless I see it from Simeon's perspective.

Waiting, the text says, for Israel to be saved.

I suppose that inherent in this idea is understanding that for Israel to be saved, then the nation that was enslaving them had to lose its power.

And, I suppose the prophet understood that people just don't voluntarily lay down that kind of power for the good of others: Hence: “The destruction of many.”

So instead, I love the idea of that sermon in that Methodist Church: “God bless the whole world, no exceptions.”

None. Bless them all.

Perhaps Simeon is still at the level of thinking that the Messiah is going to be either a political, or a military leader who will throw off this yoke of oppression.

I wonder if that part of the prophecy is merely Simeon's hope in his understanding of what the Messiah will do.

But Look at the two other statements.

To Mary, he says: “A sword of sorrow will pierce your heart.”

And, this Baby will expose the secrets of everyone's hearts.

God knows our hearts.

God reveals to us, our own hearts.

And those who live honestly with God, those sincere believers that my neighbor mentioned, are the ones who are saved by listening and letting God change their hearts.

Perhaps the ones who are destined to destruction are those who either ignore the prompts in their hearts, or lie to themselves.

Again, God does that judging, not me.

I have enough to deal with in my own heart.

Simeon seems to have a glimpse of the mystery of who Jesus was.

Jesus came to save the world.

And it wasn't just from its sins.

Jesus came to foment the prophecy from Isaiah that “the lion and the lamb will lay down together and a little child shall lead them.”

Jesus came to bring about God's kingdom.

The whole picture was this: God was in the world reconciling the world to God and to others.”

And when I see those two phrases: “pierce my heart” and “have the secrets of my heart exposed” I realize the power and the work of the Holy Spirit to help me see myself as one whom God can use in spite of who I am and what I have done, or because of who I am and what I have done.