The Blessings of a Sanctified Heart
An Examination of Deuteronomy 4:1-9 and Mark 7.

Sermon by Ella D. Auchincloss, M.T.S. Candidate ’04, Harvard Divinity School, delivered to her brothers and sisters in faith at the Church of the Redeemer, August 31, 2003.

MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH AND THE MEDIATATION OF MY HEART BE ALWAYS ACCEPTABLE IN THY SIGHT, O LORD, MY STRENGTH AND MY REDEEMER.

Today’s gospel lesson from Mark and the reading from Deuteronomy illustrate the diversity within the Bible and the contradictions that can arise from the literal interpretation of this timeless collection of sacred writings.  For what is apparent from these two lessons is that the instructions of Moses to the exiled slaves of Egypt and the lesson of Jesus regarding the 1^st century, Jewish dietary laws seem to teach opposite things.  We, as Christians, are taught to interpret the Hebrew Scriptures through the lens of the New Testament understanding that the laws have been fulfilled through the teachings, life, the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.  So it is on this basis that our tradition analyzes Deuteronomy 4 believing that, according to the New Testament, the law is no longer necessary and that we, faithful believers in Jesus Christ, can directly approach God in prayer and worship with confidence because of the power of Jesus’ sanctifying blood.  Our religious system says that we are cleansed by his perfect sacrifice. 

            While I strongly believe, as a matter of faith, in this fundamental premise of the Christian religion, I also believe that the Spirit of God challenges us to understand what these two writings have in common and what they say about the nature of God, Himself.  The Hebrew Scriptures offer a picture of the nature of God that we would do well to re-incorporate into our meditations.  I am not talking about the “fire and brimstone God”, that so often comes to mind when we study these marvelous writings.  I am talking about the God of Israel who emphatically tells his chosen people, over and over again, that He cannot be present in the midst of sin.  In Deuteronomy 4, we see that Moses is preparing his people to enter the Promised Land.  One purpose of the law is to prepare the people to take possession of the land.  But these are not simply the rules underpinning the creation of a civil society.  In verse 7, the text suggests that implicit in the gift of the Promised Land is the Divine Presence of God within the Promised Land itself.  Moses is telling the people that this Divine Presence cannot exist in the midst of sin and chaos—it is categorically impossible.  This is what he means when he says in verse 7 that the “Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him”.  The law is intended to preserve this incredible blessing by creating and maintaining a sanctified people unto God.  Moses warns the people not to let these “righteous decrees and laws” slip from their hearts so that the promise of the Divine Presence of God is guaranteed and preserved.  So in this passage we see that the purpose of the law is to ensure that the blessing of this Divine Presence is maintained.  We can thereby infer that God cannot be present among sin or, looking at it another way, the Divine Presence can best be experienced on the pure and hallowed ground of a clean heart.  The law, therefore, is intended for the sanctification of the people in order to maintain the blessing of God’s Divine Presence.  

Fast-forwarding about 1500 years to 1^st century Jerusalem, we see the Markan Jesus debating the law with the Pharisees.  At this point in Jewish history, the laws of Moses had evolved considerably.  The Divine Presence of God was thought to reside within the Temple of Jerusalem, preserved and accessed through a complex system of ritual sacrifice intended to cleanse and atone the community of the impurity caused by sin.   Jesus is pointed in his critique of the law and the Pharisaic leaders, effectively condemning what has become of the whole system claiming that it has failed in its primary mission of maintaining a sanctified people unto God.  For central to this sanctified state is a heart that is close to God and this lack of devotion is what is at the center of Jesus’ accusation.   

Jesus’ condemnation of empty worship and his indictment of a complex, liturgical system have much resonance today, here, in this magnificent sanctuary, in the midst of the elaborate liturgical tradition of our Book of Common Prayer, among a faith community who, as recent events would indicate, cannot even agree on what constitutes sin.  Our liturgy is a wonder; the words of praise and worship are marvelously composed and artfully crafted.  Clearly these are words of a sanctified heart that soars, rejoicing in the incredible glory of God and the manner in which God has chosen to reach out to humanity through the exaltation of Jesus of Nazareth, whose heart for God was unmatched and whose sacrificial blood purifies us.   Yet, the words of our liturgy, as well crafted as they are, are only as potent and pure as the heart from which they emanate.  Their power can only be activated under certain conditions.  Jesus and Moses are reminding us in these passages that it is the sanctified heart that experiences the closeness of God.  They are also reminding us of the categorical impossibility that exists between God’s Presence and the presence of sin but Jesus significantly “ups the ante” by saying that the outward gestures of a community are not enough.  He goes further than Moses by taking the law—intended for a sanctified community--and making it individual and personal.  He talks about all that exists from within the human heart that pollutes and defiles that cannot be atoned by the traditions of man.  This radical Jesus denounces the whole fancy system in his bold arguments to the Pharisees by saying that their system only regulates human actions but God’s laws seek to address man’s intentions as well. 

Well, I do realize that at about this point, I need to think about finishing up with some personal application and a pithy, erudite conclusion that ties everything together very neatly.  I am humbled by this task because of the difficult and strident tone of this week’s lessons and because it also means that I have to reveal something of my own weakness and struggle with the wisdom these lessons seek to impart.  The truth of this exercise for me is that, despite all of my academic work regarding the quest for the historical Jesus, the place where I meet God, as mediated by the exalted Jesus, is in the silent moments of my early morning, when I pray.  When I ignore or put off this time of scripture study, meditation and prayer, my polluted heart is far more prone to those evil intentions that were the subject of Jesus’ indictment.  I am strengthened by my time alone with God—and I daresay that I do experience his presence when I set my heart to meeting him humbly and contritely, honestly confessing my multitude of sins.  The liturgy prays words of praise for me that I cannot utter on my own and they come to life because of this time of intimacy I experience alone in quiet solitude.  If you are coming to this sanctuary looking to be filled, and coming away empty, then I urge you to try to take more time alone with God.  Seek him the way Moses and Jesus did, alone in a garden or a mountain or in the quiet of house not yet awake and busy.  Seek him honestly about what exists inside your heart and open your mind to what this exercise reveals.  The clean heart is the heart that perceives the Presence of God.  Now, I cannot say that I have this clean heart but I can say that through Jesus, I can boldly ask for the blessing of this Divine Presence, knowing that the blood of the purest heart was shed for this privilege.  Our religious system is unique in this promise.  Partaking in this gift through meditation and prayer will enable our beautiful liturgy to run with all of its engines fired.  So I end with the words that have resonated in my heart since I started the exercise of writing this sermon—the words from our liturgy and scripture that the Spirit of God held out for me as an anthem, if you will.  Simple words that get to the crux of both lessons and form the core of Christian spirituality; words of prayer and supplication to a loving and merciful God: 

Let us pray…

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me.  Give me the joy of your saving help again and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.  Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever.  AMEN.

Return to Sermons page