6 Easter 2004

Have you ever opened fortune cookies from a Chinese meal with a group of people and to liven them up a bit added a couple of extra words, like “in bed,” or “in church.”  They are sure a lot more fun that way.

We could add some deeper understanding to today’s Gospel by adding the words “in their hearts.”

Those who love me will keep my word—in their hearts.
And my Father will love them—in their hearts.
And we will come to them and make our home with them—in their hearts.

Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give to you—in your heart. 

And then—the heart of the whole passage—Jesus says:
Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 

It all comes back to the heart.

A few weeks ago, I had an interesting experience—what ee cummings would call a ‘sweet spontaneous.’  I had had lunch with the Ecumenical Center members, and we were invited to visit the SERV store in that same building, where crafts from around the world are sold for the benefit of the people who actually made them.

I saw this drum—and I had a lightning response to it. I didn’t think—I just acted.  It was like the time our family was walking in the Catskill Mountains , and my four year old son was taking his next step into midair.  I did not stop to think; with lightning speed I grabbed him.  In the same way, I picked up the drum and knew it was to go home with me.  As I stood there with it under my arm, waiting for my turn to pay up, I started to think about why I had been so immediately sure that I was to have this drum.  If you have ever shopped with me, you will know that I agonize a long time before I buy anything.  Just ask my daughter or my sister. 

I thought—well, it’s my son’s birthday in a few days, and he is a drummer.  Hmm…

I continued—it’s Mother’s Day in a few more days, and perhaps I am getting myself an early present.

I went on further—I am responsible for a segment of a woman’s retreat in a few weeks and I asked everyone to bring a drum— and  I don’t even have one.

I went on still further—Philip Newell is coming and one of his books is Listening for the Heartbeat of God.

And then I began to make my connections:  I was already meditating on this Gospel passage for today, “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid.”

And I knew this was it.

The drum is the heartbeat of the earth in all native cultures.  The earth is our collective mother, and as I was holding the drum, it felt a bit like holding a small child on my hip.   Our biological mother’s heart is the first one we hear, in the womb and as newborns.  John who wrote our gospel was the one who put his head on the heart of Jesus at the Last Supper, and heard his heart beat.  No wonder John is so full of talk about hearts and love.  He heard the heartbeat of God.  No wonder he is called the Beloved Disciple.

But John is not the only Biblical writer who talks about not letting our hearts be troubled or afraid.  Philosopher Beatrice Bruteau points out that the one imperative that appears most often in the Bible is “Don’t be afraid.”  She says that one of Jesus’ most important concerns was relieving anxiety.  And that to be relieved of fear  is salvation.

When we are afraid, our hearts close down.  Think of the last time you were afraid.  We become so caught up in self protection that we no longer hear or see clearly, and we become very defensive.  Our breathing becomes more rapid and we are reactive.  The only heartbeat we are aware of is our own, beating fast!  Peace and calm are far from us; and we probably are not thinking about love in our hearts, let alone able to act lovingly in that moment.

What was your favorite childhood story?  There is a pastoral counselor who has written a book about helping people learn about their early decisions as children that in turn influence their entire lives based on their favorite childhood story. 

At the risk of incredible self disclosure, I will tell you that mine was The Three Little Pigs. No wonder I eventually came to live in Iowa ! And of course, I was not one of the foolish pigs.  Oh no, I built my house of brick.  Four strong sturdy walls around me and between me and the cold cruel world.  Yet I did not keep everyone out—I was there to save my fellow pigs who foolishly used straw or twigs.  Together we confounded the wolf, enticing him to fall down the chimney into a pot of boiling water.  And we lived happily ever after, doing circle dances.  I can still see the picture in my book!

Well, those four strong walls went around my heart as well as my body.  And much of my adult life has been spent trusting God enough to take the bricks down, one by one.  To let God take care of the wolf and thus be saved from the anxiety of always having to be so well defended.

I have over the years become convinced that the only way to really love or save the world is one heart at a time.  To invite each person to trust God enough to listen to the heartbeat of God; to become that close to the sacred mystery of life.  And to live open heartedly, with everyone, no matter who they are, what they think, or what they do. 

Is this hardwork?  Yes—but it’s more fun to think of it as heartwork. We do not have to do this as an act of will power, but as an act of desire.  The Spirit stands ready to help us. 

Ed Stivender, a modern-day troubadour travels around the country with his banjo singing songs and telling stories in the Gospel tradition.  He strums his banjo and says, “Live your life in the key of B, “Be not afraid.”  Be not afraid.  This takes practice, daily, and is best done practicing with each other.

We gain courage from one another and from the Holy Spirit in our midst.  Courage, you know, is from the French word “Coeur” meaning “heart.”  Encouragement of each other helps us grow in courage.

Joan Chittister says “It’s when we speak the truth in our hearts that we become real adults.  That’s when we become the fullness of ourselves and leave room for the voice of God in us.”

The kingdom of God is within—within our hearts. 

Meditation helps us find that heartbeat of God within us, and helps us know our own truth and that of God’s and helps them to become closer to one another.

There is so much more I could say about the heart.  Let me just mention Lydia from our first reading from Acts.  Lydia was the first Greek to become a Christian.  The account says, “The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul.”  And she became a baptized believer, a lover of Christ.

I would like to end by teaching you a meditation I do every morning.  I learned it five years ago when I was in my life and death struggle with cancer.  It has made all the difference in my life—not only in keeping me alive, but in keeping my heart open.

Before we start, however, I want to invite you, on your way to communion to look at the icon of the Beloved Disciple John putting his head on the heart of Jesus and to imagine yourself doing this.  John has his hands out to receive communion, and Jesus is gesturing to the bread and wine.  To be fed at the altar is to lay our hearts on Jesus’ heart.

And at the end of the service, anyone can hold and play my drum!

Now, please put your hands over your hearts—thumbs touching, close your eyes, and just listen to my words.

(A Meditation for the Heart Center     with thanks to Brugh Joy)
Sit quietly, with your feet on the floor, your spine straight, your hands over your heart, with your thumbs touching.  Make this position comfortable. 

Begin to become aware of your breathing.  Put your attention into your heart center, where the breath of life, the breath of God, comes into your body and your heart beats. 

Breathe in the breath of God, breathe out distractions and burdens.

Now, saying out loud or to yourself, slowly, pausing between lines

God, open me to the mystery of the heart center…
Source of compassion…
For me…
In all my need…

(When you have felt the compassion of God for you, then take it outward in ever widening circles as a pebble thrown into a pool of water makes increasingly widening circles.)

Source of compassion for everyone in this place…
For everyone in this community and county…
For everyone in this state…
For everyone in this country…
For everyone in North America , Central and South America …
For everyone in Australia and New Zealand …
For everyone in Asia — India , Japan , China …
For everyone in Europe …
For everyone in the Middle East , troubled heart of the world…
For everyone in Africa , mother continent of the human race…

(Now bring your attention back to your own heart center)

Returning to the heart center, source of innate harmony…
The peace beyond all understanding…
Calm in the midst of chaos…
The still point of the turning world…
That which makes the heart lighter than the feather…
The source of gratitude…
The home of hospitality…
The healing presence, the mystical body of the healing presence…
And unconditional love, for me…
For each, for all…
The unconditional love that makes us all one.

Sit in silence for a few moments before lowering your hands.