Laying Down Stones 6
Stone Hearts
Ezekiel 11:17-20
Tonight we end our Lenten series on Laying Down Stones. I hope this has been a helpful journey for you. I know that everyone processes things differently. For some of us we process information visually. Some people are very auditory in how they process information. Others are what are known as kinesthetic – they process information through feelings. And some of us are tactile in our information processes. We like something we can touch, hold on to and physically experience. Of course, all of us use all of these processes to one degree or another, but it seems to me the tactile people are often overlooked in spiritual endeavors. Church folk like to dream dreams and see visions and talk theology but for those who just need something to hold onto, this series has been for you.
It seemed appropriate to me that in our series of using stones as various symbolic representations we would finish looking at the idea of stone hearts. The scripture often uses the metaphor of a stone heart or hardened heart to depict someone who is no longer pliable to God’s touch – who no longer is sensitive to the leadings of the Spirit. You remember that Pharaoh was said to have a hardened heart when Moses challenged him to let his people leave Egypt. In another passage in 1 Samuel a man named Nabal is given some hard news to hear when he wakes up sober after a drinking binge. The news was so disturbing that the scripture says his heart became like a stone and he died ten days later. (1 Samuel 25:37)
Although we speak of the heart as the organ that pumps our blood and the heart as the center of our emotions, we understand that when the Bible speaks of a hardened heart, it is not referring to atherosclerosis. When the Bible refers to a stone heart it is talking about the center of our self – you could even call it one’s soul or spirit – that part of you that is spiritually aware of God’s presence.
What are some of the things we associate with a hard heart? Obstinacy, anger, rigidity. Sometimes it is really easy to tell when you have a hard heart. The feelings are intense – the emotions high. There are other times when the signs are a bit more subtle. You might feel resistant to doing something without knowing why. Seeing a particular person or situation causes you to want to withdraw or disengage.
Ezekiel 36:26 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
Tonight you are invited to receive a Holy Spirit styled heart transplant. No anesthesia is required. No pain medication. No after treatment physical therapy – although you might find you are carrying less weight in your chest after this transplant.
Easter is almost here. It is so close we can almost touch it. If there is anything that is keeping your heart cold or hard or stone-like, let it go tonight. It could be grieving a loss that is slow to heal. It could be resentment over someone’s actions. It could be fear or jealousy or anger or disappointment. Stone hearts come in all shapes and varieties. God’s longing for your life and my life is that we give up that heart of stone and allow God to transplant a new spirit within us. It simply takes willingness on our part to let go of the hardness – to put the stone down.
Sources:
www.crosswalks.com