7.3.16 - Who Are We? Head & Heart Colossians 3:12-17 Theme: balancing our questions with our faith Let s start with a riddle: What two partners live less than two feet apart but never meet? They re both CEOs of vast organizations with overlapping areas of responsibility; they communicate instantly, and work in perfect coordination. One would perish without the other. One specializes in intellectual pursuits all day while the other pumps iron. These two allies work tirelessly for a lifetime without ever taking a vacation or a day off. Even the slightest interruption of their labors would be catastrophic, so they never sleep. They re both exactly the same age, and never rest. Their combined efforts keep us alive and well. I m talking, of course, about your brain and your heart. Last week, we began a mini sermon series on Who we are as the Body of Christ. This week we focus on two key components of any Body, whether it be our own physical bodies, a body of government, a business, or the church. We re looking at the relationship between the Head and the Heart. Jesus said to love God with all your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength. The Bible speaks of the brain as the center of our thinking and has much to say about the condition of our minds. The heart represents our affection, emotion, and personality. It s entirely possible to have head knowledge of God and Jesus the Christ without its filtering down into heart knowledge. Not only is it possible, but it s where most of us begin our faith journey and our religious studies. What do we do in Sunday School with our children? 1
We begin with the head. We teach stories from the Bible. As we get older, and more mature in our understanding, we try to learn how to apply those stories and the lessons of scripture to our lives. We seek deeper understanding of God and why God created this world, and what is our purpose all those things are great. It s when that learning and thinking connects with our hearts, and changes our hearts, and changes our actions, that our lives are transformed. This is true of individuals, but also true of groups, like the church, the government, or countless others. There's a phenomenon called the 100th Monkey. Maybe some of you remember it from the 1980's. Scientists observing Japanese monkeys on an island starting dropping sweet potatoes on the beach. The monkeys loved the potatoes but didn't like eating the sand. THe scientists realized that one monkey learned to wash the dirt off its food, and then showed other monkeys how to do the same. After about six years of observation, every monkey was doing it. They concluded that when one mind shares what it knows with another, and that sharing continues, eventually a whole society can change. A single idea CAN make a difference! It seems so obvious to us now, but only a few decades ago this was BIG NEWS! Although I'm not sure why it came as a surprise. Jesus changed lives one at a time, through words that penetrated minds and changed hearts. Margaret Meade reminded the world that we should "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Many other people have shared similar ideas. Let me offer you a great example of what I m talking about that changed our own society.this Fourth of July Weekend we celebrate our Independence Day. 2
A Revolution was started with the words "we the people..." The very definition of "people" has been transformed through the years, and that in and of itself has been revolutionary. Our highly educated founding fathers were inspired to take the lessons they d learned from historians, philosophers, and theologians to create a new form of government that continues to change the world even today. One of their great disagreements was the issue of slavery.the pro-slavery voices and the voices of Abolitionists were heard on both sides of the Atlantic even before our original colonies had broken from British rule. The arguments on both sides were largely ruled by the head, by intellectual arguments, rather than by hearts that felt the injustice of slavery and hearts that were willing to die to change the institution. It wasn t until head knowledge became heart-felt belief that there were actions taken to end the enslaving of people from the continent of Africa. When what we have in our heads meets the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and embraces our hearts, we become passionate and committed to living a new way. It happened with slavery, and it has altered peoples consciousness repeatedly, whether one considers themselves religious or not. For me, and for most Christians, this is part of the Divine Mystery we call God. This is how God intervenes in continuing to create - with the help of the human mind and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit acting upon our hearts. The founding fathers of our country and our founding Methodist clergy were all greatly influenced by the time period in which they came of age the Enlightenment, often referred to as the Age of Reason. 3
Education, developing the mind, and improving ones intellect was highly valued and became the form of power to be coveted. Both John Wesley and his brother Charles were Oxford educated as their preparation for Anglican priesthood. But in the 18 th century the growth of Deism became a challenge for orthodox Christian believers. The founders of the United States were heavily influenced by Deism, which argued that HUMAN EXPERIENCE AND RATIONALISM determined the validity of human beliefs. That s one of the GREAT strengths of the United Methodist church, to value both the Head and the Heart in understanding who we are as the Body of Christ. The faith of John Wesley and the eighteenth-century Methodist revival combined intellectual interests with passionate personal faith in Jesus Christ. From this comes the understanding we call the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. That term was coined by 20 th century scholar Albert Outler to explain the process Wesley used in his own discernment process. He used Scripture as his primary source, of course. But he also used Reason, Tradition and Experience to form his own beliefs. Our denomination has continued to use this process to address issues of church and society, and it s a cornerstone of who we are. Adam Hamilton, senior Pastor of the Church of the Resurrection in Kansas and prolific writer, speaks of his own personal experience as he writes, A balance between head and heart was what led me in college to The United Methodist Church." Why should we have to sacrifice science and stop asking difficult questions of faith? Wesley, the Oxford fellow and preacher, had a way of holding together a passionate faith and a rigorous intellect. God gave us a brain and a heart. And God wants us to use both. 4
Adam Hamilton s congregation has grown for several reasons, but a key source of their vitality is Small Group Ministry. We ve used several of his studies here at Medford UMC. The tradition of small groups to help the members grow in relationship to God and to one another, and to maintain a sense of accountability to their membership vows, is something foundational for who we United Methodists are. The early Methodists gathered in small groups and asked one another How is it with your soul? It was a confessional, of sorts, but instead of a priest behind a wall, you were with people you loved and trusted, and who shared their burdens and their joys with one another. For many church members, corporate worship is where our head and our hearts are united in praise and prayer. We corporately confess our sins. We gather together around the Communion table as forgiven people. We go into the world carrying the light of Christ to transform the lives of others. However, the churches that really experience rebirth and renewed vitality are those that have almost every member connected to a small group of one sort or another. Small groups are incredible vehicles for the transformation of lives. They provide a safe place to share joys, ask questions, discover ways to be of service to others, and even express our doubts. As we think about RESETTING our lives, small groups are a key ingredient our denomination has been using to RESET the local church. John Wesley himself had moments of struggle, challenges in his life that left him questioning his faith. All the knowledge in the world can t help us when we get into those dark places. It s only when our hearts are transformed by the Holy Spirit that we can see the world, and our place in it, with a new heart. 5
I remember a great lesson that John Wesley received from a friend, the Moravian missionary, Peter Bohler. Wesley had not yet experienced his famous Aldersgate conversion, and frankly, he was burned out. He was struggling with preaching, and found his faith faltering. The question that kept him up at night was, How can you preach to others if you don t have faith yourself? Peter Böhler told him, Preach faith till you have it; and then, because you have it, you will preach faith. This radical idea places the teacher in the role of student. As a result, teaching becomes more about God helping us to stretch our faith boundaries and less about simply imparting information. This is the beauty of small groups. We all become both teachers and students. We use our heads as we teach and care for one another, and our hearts become transformed by the Holy Spirit. My challenge for you this week is to consider how God is inviting you to transform your head knowledge into a response from within your heart. What have you learned that might transform the life of yourself or someone else? Might this be the time that you will step into the role of Sunday School teacher or small group facilitator even though you have so many unanswered questions about faith? John Wesley did it, as have thousands of others. Why not you? 6