What's In Your Heart?

Ezek 18:1-4, 25-32; Psa 25:1-8; Phi 2:1-13; Mat 21:28-32

Two sons. One has a problem with authority, the other with commitment. One says “no” to his father, then ends up doing what the father asked. The other says “yes” to his father, but then doesn’t follow through.

I don’t know about you, but I identify well with both of these sons. Neither one is a model child, and when you look closely, you can see each of us in both.

You might think that the first son, the one who said “no” at first and then went ahead and did the father’s work, actually is OK. After all, don’t actions speak louder than words? Isn’t the end result the most important thing?

There are some problems with that. First of all, as Lutherans we know that we are saved by grace through faith, not by works. So doing the right thing doesn’t score more points with God. God is obnoxiously generous with forgiveness and new chances, so doing God’s will doesn’t gain us position or status with God at all. So the works by themselves aren’t it.

So what’s left then is the words. The words we say often convey what’s going on in our hearts. We talked about the 2nd commandment in confirmation last week: You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God. One of the things God is getting at is for us to look at what’s inside us. What are our attitudes toward God? Is using God’s name a casual, meaningless thing? Our words reveal something about how we feel toward God.

So this son, who ends up doing the will of the Father, has already revealed his heart. He says “no.” He says, “You have no authority over me. You can’t tell me what to do. I make up my own mind about what needs to be done. I don’t have to listen to you. I make my own decisions based on my own experience, what I think is best, my own rationalizations, my own evaluations. Maybe it’ll be what you want, and maybe it won’t. But what gets done is my call to make – not yours.”

I know lots of people like this. I am often like this. This, by the way, is the heart of new-age relativistic spirituality, the predominant religion of our culture, e.g., Church of Religious Science, Unitarian Universalism, any individual spirituality apart from a community of faith. Relativism says, “it’s my experience that counts. Sure there’s a God, but I’ll experience God on MY terms, in MY way, and follow in a way that I choose.” This is the religious attitude that says, “I am spiritual on my own terms – I have no use for organized religion.”  I hate to tell you, but God says the most complete way to experience God and follow God is through the community created by God in the name of Jesus Christ. “But I can find my own way,” “the church is full of hypocrites,” “Christians are so closed-minded,” “I’ve got to experience things on my own.” That’s what the first son said.

Our stewardship campaign for 2006 is coming in October. God is pretty clear about possessions and money. God gives us more than we need, so we can give away as much as we can, and keep what we need to live on. Do we say no to God, and do what we want with the money God gives us? Our budget next year will tell. Your checkbook will tell.

That’s the first son. Maybe I’ll do the father’s will, maybe I won’t. But I’m going to do it on my terms, not God’s. The first son does not recognize the sovereignty, the authority, the Lordship of the God who creates us, saves us, and gives us life. But God is at work, bringing about a change.

Then there’s the second son. This one says “yes,” but doesn’t follow through. This is the one who looks good, but really has no commitment. This one we can relate to quite well also.

This son is similar to the first in that he ends up doing what he wants to do. He just recognizes that the Father has some authority. This son wants to appear good to the Father (and maybe to others), but just has too many other important things to do first – his own priorities. He knows that the Father’s will is right, he just doesn’t want to be bothered with doing it.

We know God’s will is to help the poor, the distressed, the helpless. And we’re all for that, unless it cuts into our lifestyle. Unless it inconveniences us. Unless it’s hard, or requires sacrifice, or asks us to make a change in the way we live.

This second son is the way of far too many of us who call ourselves Christian. We keep our names on a church membership list, we own a Bible, we do the superficial things that make us look religious. But we have no deep commitment to being a part of God’s mission in the world.

We’re voting at our congregational meeting Nov. 6th on whether or not to proceed with an additional full time staff person. The leadership here believes we need to pursue this in order to be a faithful congregation. Most of the financial cost to us for the first two years has already been donated. But we still have to step up. If we approve this position (say yes), we need to follow through and fund it. We need to be committed. We need to actively be part of what God is doing amongst us. Through the ministry of this congregation, and in our lives in the world. In the face of Rita, Katrina, the homeless and poor of our own community, how is God calling us to join in showing mercy and help? What is the work of the vineyard in our culture right now? We can’t just say “yes,” and then go about our normal business.

God is at work in and around all of us – revealing his identity as ultimate authority of creation, as a forgiving, gracious, redeeming God; and then inviting us to join him in the forgiving, gracious redeeming work of God’s kingdom.

Steven Curtis Chapman wrote a song that speaks to what God is doing in our lives. Follow along, and sing it if you know it.

“The Change” by Steven Curtis Chapman.

Let’s pray: . . .