Jeremiah 31:31-34

John 12:20-33

            When I was in 7^th and 8^th grade I spent most of my Friday nights memorizing answers to the Heidelberg Catechism.  I can still remember sitting at my mother’s desk with catechism in hand trying to get those words to stick in my mind.

            Unfortunately most of the words have not stuck in my mind.  I can still recite for you some of the phrases in the first question, but beyond that ---- not much.  Sometimes we speak of memorizing as learning “by heart.”  I believe Jeremiah would have a different opinion.  He spoke of knowing and living “by heart” when he gave these prophetic words:

“…this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord:  I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

            Jeremiah was offering hope to people who had lost hope.  He was speaking good news even after he had offered bad news.  He was looking to the day when God and the people would be one, in community and in fellowship.  He was proclaiming forgiveness.  He was looking to the day when people who do God’s will naturally.

            The psalmist proclaimed a similar hope:

“Sacrifice and offering you donot desire, but hyou have given me an open ear.  Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.  Then I said, ‘Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.  I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.’”  (Psalm 40:-6-8)

            “Your law is within my heart.”  This is what it means to be a person in synch with God.  This is what it means, in the fullest sense, to be a Christian.  In this Lenten time we proclaim that God has come to dwell among us, to share our common lot, and to bring us God’s forgiveness through the cross.  We lift up the man who broke written laws, but proclaimed a much tougher law in some ways ------ a law which is not written, a law which is not memorized, a law which does not come from fear, a law which does not come from compulsion.  But rather a law which comes from the heart.  To use the words of Walter Brueggemann, an Old Testament seminary teacher who made the Bible come to life for me, living in the new coveneant proclaimed by Jeremiah and the Psalmist and Jesus Christ is to live a life of “glad obedience.”

            Imagine a relationship with God so intimate that a sense of God’s purpose is innate.  It comes naturally to us without having to think about it.  We act not sullenly, not grudgingly, but out of “glad obedience”.

            Living in this way we would never worry in our church about meeting the budget and giving “stewardship sermons” because everyone who give with “glad and generous hearts,” to use another biblical phrase.  Living in this way would not mean that a minority of the church supports the church.  Living in this way would not mean that we set rules for our confirmands to submit a certain number of worship reports, because everyone of you would be writing the words on your hearts each Sunday.

            I reflect on the election we in Clark County will have on Tuesday.  Living in our society “by heart” and out of “glad obedience” all of us would go to the polls, not a minority as will probably be the case.  Living in a society of “glad obedience” and “by heart” would make the whole controversy over “smart growth” irrelevant.  We wouldn’t have to worry about somebody dumping manure in a stream that flows into our land or housing covenants because each of us would be looking out for the benefit and welfare of the other.  We would be living in the New Testament Community where people would remark about us, like  pagans of the first century remarked about the early Christians: “See how they love one another!”  As one reads the newspaper and attends governmental meetings we know this is not a reality for us.  For this reason we have a sometimes contentious debate over something called “smart growth” and each of us voters will have to make an informed decision on Tuesday.  We simply ask God’s guidance and also God’s forgiveness.

            This weekend our Confirmands had the privilege of visiting places with names like “Hope House” and “Repairers of the Breach”.  We saw people who could not participate in our debate about property because they have no property.  We sat with homeless men who sleep in a dorm and eat food prepared by one of the local churches.  We made breakfast for homeless women and children who live on the locked floor of a large building, now feeling safe from abusing spouses and finding refuge off the street.  These people were receiving the love and care of others who had been through the same situation.  They are trying to live lives without drugs.  They are trying to reestablish themselves in society.  One of the things they are trying to learn, as each of us needs to learn, is to live “by heart,”  to let God’s law of love flow through them so they can live lives of “glad obedience” and once again be full members of society.

            For us this little trip to Milwaukee was a reminder of our great privilege and our great responsibility to one another.  We do not act under compulsion.  We do not act out of a sense of “must” or “ought” or “should.”  Rather we act from the heart, feeling with our brothers and sisters in need, knowing also that there are brothers and sisters just like them living here in Clark County.

            The question for each of us on this day after April Fool’s Day is:  “What about God is written on your heart?”  Today we have the privilege of eating together in a community meal program called “The Lord’s Supper.”  We will commune together in this covenant meal.  My prayer for each of us is that through our communion with God and one another this morning we will grow closer to God and to one another so that we depart from this place knowing God in our hearts and living lives of glad obedience.

Amen.