When We Experience Heart Burn We Experience

Heart Burn “This transaction caused me great heart-burning.” It’s interesting that the idea of “heartburn” in Dr. Stephen D. McConnell this day and age does not bring to mind anything pleasant. When someone tells you they have When we experience heart burn we Matthew 6:19-21; Luke 24:13-35 heartburn – what comes to mind is that acid reflux related burning pain behind your breastbone experience first the loving presence of that makes you think you’re having a heart attack. No fun. Or, like brother Grant, heartburn “the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” The 18th President of our country, Ulysses S. Grant, in his memoir tells the story of when he was a is that word we might give to some nuisance brain is the nerve center of our bodies’ functions fanned inside us?” “Was not the fire kindled inside young boy about 8 years old and he had his eye on or unfortunate event that causes distress or – but spiritually the heart is the nerve center of us?” “Was not the command and life of love ignited a horse owned by a man who lived outside of town ridicule. “This transaction caused me great heart- everything our souls tell us to feel and to do. inside of us?” This is what happens when you and -- a Mr. Ralston. This Mr. Ralston had offered to sell burning.” Heartburn in the 21st century is a painful I find ourselves within the presence of the Father the horse to Ulysses’ father for $25 but his father physiological and/or emotional event. To say we’re sad, we say, “My heart is broken.” To and the Son and the Holy Spirit – we experience would only pay $20. He said it was only worth $20. say we’re glad we say, “My heart is full.” To say But the Bible looks at heart burn in a very different Heart Burn. Something catches on fire. Were not Well, Mr. Ralston took his horse and went home we’re in love we say, “I give you my heart.” To say way. First because the Bible looks at the heart in our hearts burning inside of us? So when you hear not accepting the offer. Young Ulysses was very that someone should be more compassionate a very different way. No other word is used more “heart burn” in the Bible what you hear is this disappointed. So he begged his father to buy the we say, “Have a heart.” To say someone is often in the Bible (other than the names of God) awakening to the very essence of existence which is horse at the asking price, but his father said it was uncompassionate we say, “He is heartless.” than the word “heart”. this life of fiery, passionate love that we find in the only worth $20. But young Ulysses kept pushing So the Biblical understanding of heart is always to • Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When we experience and finally the father relented and gave his son imply that that it is in our hearts where we find the not upon your own understanding. heart burn we experience first the loving presence $25 and explained to him the art of negotiation. passion and the joy and the meaning of life and the of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. C.S. Lewis said, “Go to Mr. Ralston and offer him again the $20, • Above all else, guard your heart, for greatest of all the gifts – the gift of love. “If you want to get warm you have to get close to and if he doesn’t take it, offer him $22.50, and if everything you do flows from it. So it is interesting in the story read this morning that fire.” And then second, if you want to stoke he doesn’t take that then offer him the $25.” So • Create in me a clean heart, O God, and – that we find two, shall we say, broken-hearted the fire, the heart burn, as it were, you begin to – young Ulysses walked the couple of miles outside renew a right spirit within me. men. They have been followers of Jesus and have share your heart with those with whom God shares of town to Mr. Ralston’s house and embarked upon • Do not let your hearts be troubled, and signed on to Jesus’ mission of love – love God, love God’s heart. I’ll say that again: When we experience his first experience of horse trading. He knocked neither let them be afraid. neighbor, love stranger, love enemy. But this whole heart burn, Biblically speaking, we experience the on Mr. Ralston’s front door and when Mr. Ralston mission of love has come to a violent end with loving presence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – answered young Ulysses blurted out: “Papa says • Take delight in the Lord and he will give you Jesus dead on the cross. And they are heartbroken. and we know that to share our lives with the Father, I may offer you $20 for the colt, but if you don’t the desires of your heart. They are sorely disappointed. They are disoriented Son and Holy Spirit is to share our hearts with take that, I am to offer $22.50 and if you won’t take • (And from our scripture this morning) For because they believed that this love mission was those with whom God shares God’s heart. Heart that, to give you $25.” Grant adds in his memoir: where your treasure is there will your heart an eternal one, a perpetual one. So as we read burn is what you feel when you take the share of “It would not require a Connecticut man to guess be also. this morning the men are joined by another man your heart – the shares of your time and your talent the price finally agreed upon.” But then Grant also So when you read the Bible what you learn is that with whom they have a discussion about these and your treasure – and you place them with those adds: “This transaction caused me great heart- the heart is the spiritual epicenter of your life. things – and when they sit down to break bread places and people where we know God’s heart burning. The story got out among the boys of the When you say “heart” Biblically speaking – you’re scripture says that the two men’s eyes were opened resides. village, and it was a long time before I heard the saying not the organ, but the soul, you’re saying and they realized that the resurrected Jesus was in And that’s what those disciples remembered – all last of it.” the core of your soul, you’re saying the deep, their midst. And here’s what they said, “Were not those places and people where Jesus took his heart deep essence of your being. Physiologically the our hearts burning inside us?” “Was not the spark and shared it. The poor, the hungry, the grieving, own home. And you know there is a great deal of someone and helping them to see and to hear that the disabled, the lepers, the unclean, the outcasts, pride and love and preoccupation to goes into God loves them. To draw them a little closer to the the opposition, the nobodies, the somebodies. your home, especially your first home. You work fire. All those people who might wonder if God really on things, you decorate, you furnish, etc. – and It makes me think of my old friend George. loves them. And that’s where we are going to find it preoccupies you. And because it preoccupies George was a guy in my first church whom I would the resurrected Christ today – when the fire of our you it’s where your heart is. Our hearts are in ask to join me in serving home communion to hearts compels us to give the shares of our hearts this house. So we close on this our first house, homebound people. Every couple of months to where God gives the shares of God’s heart – and sign our lives away…and two days later I flush the George would accompany me and we would visit what happens is that just keeps fanning the flame! toilet and what I flush comes up into the shower. with these isolated people. And George would So much so does God identify with these people Isn’t that special??? This is, shall we say, when the make good conversation with them and charm that Jesus says, “When you feed the hungry – bloom falls off the rose. When the flame begins to them with the twinkle in his eye. And one day we you fed me. When you offer water to the thirsty, flicker. Now remember this is where my heart is –so visited Fanny. Fanny was a 92 year old sweet spirit, you gave me something to drink. When you visit imagine what is now happening to the flame of and without going into details Fanny’s family had somebody in prison, you came and visited me.” All my heart? A little bit doused. And with every little placed her in a pretty bad nursing facility, nothing those folks who might wonder if God loves them – repair since … a little bit more. like any home you’ve ever been in, and she was that’s precisely where Jesus shows up. That’s where So it makes all the sense in the world when Jesus suffering from it.

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