Where is Your Heart?
Jeremiah 17:5-10 and Luke 6:17-26
6th Sunday after Epiphany
February 16, 2025
I hope that everyone had a great Valentine’s Day on Friday. I like that our lectionary today focuses on matters of the heart.
Looking at our list of “Life Is Good” Superpowers that lead to Optimism, today we consider the authenticity of the heart. Do we live with an authentic heart?
First, let’s look at the definition of what it means to be authentic. When someone is authentic, they are genuine, real, and reliable. Authenticity is based on fact.
I would even argue, and you would probably agree with me, that people want to be around people who are authentic if they wish to live a life that is Christ-like. I don’t think anyone here would argue whether or not Jesus was authentic, and that he did and still does respond with an authentic heart.
For instance, in looking at definitions of what it means to be authentic, this one seems to perfectly fit the person who Jesus was. “Authentic people live by a code of values and morals; however (and I love this however!), they are more willing to listen to the opinions of others and are open to learning from their mistakes. Authentic people wholeheartedly accept other people for who they are.” Sounds like Jesus to me.
Here are 12 Key Traits of Highly Authentic People as defined by Psych Central:
- Their Words and Actions are Congruent. They do what they say.
- They are Transparent, Honest and Assertive. In other words, what you see is what you get.
- They Demonstrate Reciprocity in Relationships. They build relationships based on honesty, compassion and mutual respect.
- They are Open-Minded (Ironically, this is another superpower that we will get to in the next few weeks.) They are willing to entertain new thoughts and ideas that may challenge their own.
- They Make You Feel at Ease. They are not judgmental of others making authentic people approachable.
- They are Not Superficial, meaning they are who they are, and do not feel the need to have everyone like them. They are confident and self-assured.
- They Are Not Swayed by Material Objects. They find happiness from within and not in what they have or what they do.
- They Take Personal Responsibility. They hold themselves accountable for their actions regardless of the outcome.
- They Cultivate Meaningful Relationships. In other words, they seek to have relationships with other authentic people.
- They Are Not Driven By Ego. Authentic people are secure, sincere, and have a strong sense of self. This allows them to lead from their heart and not seek validation from others.
- They Have Strong Character. They say what they mean, do not make promises they cannot keep, and maintain a sense of integrity in their interactions with others.
- They Live in the Moment and Create Their Own Paths. (Creativity, another Superpower of Optimism.) Authentic people demonstrate gratitude (Superpower) and are able to live in the present moment in a thoughtful, mindful
It would be fun to elaborate more on each of these 12 traits of authentic people; however, we will have to leave that for another day. I think you get the idea of what it means to be authentic, and how we can find these characteristics in our teacher, Jesus.
Our two scriptures are speaking to us today about being authentic; questioning the matters of our heart.
In our Gospel of Luke, the scripture is often referred to as the Sermon on the Plain because we are told Jesus comes down with his apostles, who have just previously been called by him in the verses preceding our reading today. His apostles were the twelve that were chosen to be the closest of confidants and witnesses of Jesus. They came down with a great crowd of his disciples or a great crowd of followers who believed in Jesus, and together, they stood on a level place, or a plain.
There was also a multitude of people from Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon, and Jesus healed their diseases and unclean spirits.
We are told that the power came out from him, and I can’t help but think of the song, “There is Power in the Blood;” a power that heals.
Jesus goes on to teach to them what are known as the “Blessings and Woes” of life. Blessed are the poor who will know the Kingdom of God. Blessed are the hungry who will be filled. Blessed are those who weep because you will laugh. Blessed are the hated, the excluded, the criticized, the insulted, and those slandered on account of the Son of Man. These will be blessed, and will rejoice and leap for joy. These will receive their reward in Heaven, just as the prophets did before them.
But woe to those who are rich, full, laughing, for you will be poor, hungry, and will mourn and weep. Woe to those who are prideful like the false prophets.
The use of the terms poor and rich here can literally mean just that; however, it also refers to being poor in spirit verses rich in spirit…a matter of condition rather than wealth.
These are matters of the heart, and Jesus, our Lord, is the reader of our hearts.
Our Lord speaking in Jeremiah, reminds us that our “heart is devious above all else; it is perverse — who can understand it?”
Wow! What?! Our heart is devious, which means a skillful use of underhanded tactics to achieve goals, or to take a longer and less direct route in order to be sneaky to achieve goals.
And perverse, means someone is or is acting in such a deliberate way that is unreasonable or unacceptable. They are obstinate regardless or in spite of the consequences.
Surely, this must be a misprint in the scripture of what our Lord is saying to us about the possible conditions of our hearts.
We, however, have been given the ability to make a choice. We were granted by our God a free will to choose how we use our heart, how we choose to live and act toward others, and our Lord is the only judge of these actions.
And then he says, “I, the Lord, test the mind AND search the heart, to give all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings.” We are blessed or not by our Lord according to the actions of our heart.
While we may be pointing fingers at others about their actions, it is only our Lord who knows the true state and purpose of our mind and our heart. Far be it from us to judge the actions of others.
So how are we to be authentic? We trust in the Lord. We are blessed when we trust in the Lord, we are blessed when we plant ourselves next to the great stream of life filled with water that provides what we need. We can’t have shallow roots, however. We have to firmly plant ourselves, deeply secure our roots, in our Lord.
When we study the Word of God, and we read the teachings of Jesus, and put these things into action, and do this with an authentic heart, we will be blessed beyond measure.
The beautiful thing is that when we do this, we want to share this with others. We want others to know what a joyful life there is to be lived. We can rejoice and leap with joy knowing that we are planted firmly next to our Lord, and he has us and cares for us through whatever we face on this earth.
Let me make one more point from Jeremiah. “Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord,” for they will perish.
In the last 12 to 14 years, there has been a lot of polarization in our country about what side of the political spectrum you stand, and I hope you never hear me preach about who you should be following in the government, because these people, these politicians on both sides of the spectrum are mere mortals, as are we.
Our hope is in our Lord, our trust is in our Lord who is authentic, not the governments of this world.
I’m not saying there are not good people in politics because there are those who also have an authentic heart; however, it is our Lord, not us, who is testing their mind and their hearts. When we point to how awful someone is or how awful something is that is happening, all we have to do is trust our Lord.
We see throughout the Old and New Testament how God used, and I believe still uses people…some even awful in our opinion, to carry out his plan to fulfill his promises.
Ironically, as humans some of us may think someone is awful while others think they are great.
We may be stressing ourselves out with “the sky is falling,” when rather than getting angry and being filled with anxiety, we can let go and give it to our Lord, and we can pray, “Lord, I am letting go of this anger because I know you know the heart of everyone, and I trust you to carry out your plan and your promise in your time.”
We can trust our Lord and follow his lead when he directs us to take care of the poor, the hungry, the ailing, those burdened with grief and depression, those who are being abused, and we can start with those right here in our own community.
Where are our hearts today? Are they authentic? Are they following the will of our Lord, or some mortal flesh on either side of the political spectrum?
Indeed, let us live in blessed faith together…in our Lord.