The theme of this week in the church calendar is focused on our hearts. One of the Old Testament passages that has been associated with this week has been Psalm 101, a song of praise followed by a commitment on the part of the Psalmist to lead a blameless life before God and towards other people. There are many similar statements found throughout the scriptures; yet, interwoven with the call and response to commitment is the warning and lament sounded by Jeremiah the prophet: The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure; who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9).
In Matthew 6:19-24 during the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus as well calls for a pure heart that commits itself first to the things of God. A few chapters later, in Matthew 13:1-23, Jesus tells the parable of the sower; the soils in the parable are reflective of the choices confronting every human heart. But who can understand, let alone completely control his heart?
The only faithful and true answer that can be given is that we cannot, and that we must turn to another whose heart was absolutely pure, the one who gave his life to cleanse and renew our own hearts. With that in mind, the last passage for this week in the church calendar is found in 1 John. In 1 John 1:5-2:2, a passage that both encourages us not to sin and points to the source of forgiveness when our hearts go astray. The result of continuing commitment to this one, this Savior and Lord, our is the life described in 1 John 4:7- 21, a life of love, confidence, and joy. May the Lord increasingly work this life in our hearts.