September 3, 2006
Rev. Terry D. Campbell

Time for a Heart Check
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

“The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and ²saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean," that is, unwashed. ³(The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. ⁴When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)
⁵So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, ‘Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands?’
⁶He replied, ‘Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘’These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. ⁷They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’
⁸You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.’”
“ Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, ‘Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. ¹⁵Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean.’’
“ For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, ²²greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. ²³All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.’”

A man in my first set of churches refused to take communion. He said that he wasn’t worthy to take it. I never could convince him that that is who communion is for—those who KNOW they are unworthy. He tried to use 1 Cor. 11:26-28-“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
²⁷Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.”

“Proclaiming the Lord’s death”—Affirming our hope for forgiveness and life with God.

“An unworthy manner”—not the method by which you do Communion, but the meaning you give it and attitude you have. You can honor Jesus death by receiving His gift as He intended you to have it, or you can make it worthless to you by playing around with it and not taking it’s purpose seriously—or—by thinking your sin is greater than Jesus’ grace and not using it.

Jesus knows the destructive power of sin. That’s why Jesus came and died. Pat Novak, pastor in a non-sacramental denomination, was serving as a hospital chaplain intern just outside of Boston several years ago. Pat was making his rounds one summer morning when he was called to visit a patient admitted with an undiagnosed ailment. John, a man in his sixties, had not responded to any treatment; medical tests showed nothing; psychological tests were inconclusive. Yet he was wasting away; he had not even been able to swallow for two weeks. The nurses tried everything. Finally they had called the chaplain’s office.

When Pat walked into the room, John was sitting limply in his bed, strung with IV tubes, staring listlessly at the wall. He was a tall, grandfatherly man, balding a little, but his sallow skin hung loosely on his face, neck, and arms where the weight had dropped from his frame. His eyes were hollow.

Rev. Pat was terrified; he had no idea what to do. But John seemed to brighten a bit as soon as he saw Pat’s chaplain badge and invited him to sit down. As they talked, Pat sensed that God was urging him to do something specific: He knew he was to ask John if he wanted to take Communion. Chaplain interns were not encouraged to ask this type of thing in this public hospital, but Pat did.

At that John broke down. “I can’t!” he cried. “I’ve sinned and can’t be forgiven.”

Pat paused a moment, knowing he was about to break policy again. Then he told John about 1 Corinthians 11 and Paul’s admonition for us to repent of our sins before we take communion. He asked John if he wanted to confess his sin. John nodded gratefully. To this day Pat can’t remember the particular sin John confessed, nor would he say if he did, but he recalls that it did not strike him as particularly egregious. Yet it had been draining the life from this man. John wept as he confessed, and Pat laid hands on him, hugged him, and told John his sins were forgiven for Jesus’ sake.

Then Pat got the second urging from the Holy Spirit: Ask him if he wants to take Communion. He did. Pat gave John a Bible and told him he would be back later. Already John was sitting up straighter, with a flicker of light in his eyes.

Pat visited a few more patients and then ate some lunch in the hospital cafeteria. When he left he wrapped an extra piece of bread in a napkin and borrowed a coffee cup from the cafeteria. He ran out to a shop a few blocks away and bought a container of grape juice. Then he returned to John’s room with the elements and celebrated Communion with him, again reciting 1 Corinthians 11. John took the bread and chewed it slowly. It was the first time in weeks he had been able to take solid food in his mouth. He took the cup and swallowed. He had been set free.

Within three days John walked out of that hospital. The nurses were so amazed they called the newspaper, which later featured the story of John and Pat, appropriately, in its “LIFE” section.¹

It is time for a heart check. What is in your heart that you know is wrong and not pleasing to God. From vss. 22-23 we check for forms of “evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, ²²greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.” What is in your heart pulling you away from God and God’s good and peace-filled life?

What will you do now?

Now is the time to let go. Ask the Lord to reveal to you anything you need to be made aware of and then confess it, and give it to Jesus. Give it away to Jesus and He will wash it away from you through the power of His forgiving and life-restoring blood that He shed on the cross for YOU.

God promises us that, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (John 1:9) Let your spirit meet the living Christ as we share the Holy Communion elements—and be freed!

Amen.