Did you know that February is Heart Health Month? Now this may seem obvious based on the romance that pervades the air at this time of year but it’s not really about that kind of heart health. This awareness month was initially set up to be “a time to reflect on the importance of our cardiovascular health and to learn about how we can manage our risk factors for heart disease.” As many of you are aware, my own heart health has been a catalyst for some changes in my life following a diagnoses of high blood pressure nearly a year ago. In celebration of heart health month I looked up some fun facts about the heart. Yes the heart is an involuntary muscle but did you know that the average heart beats about 115,000 times each day and that it pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood. Laughing is good for your heart because it reduces stress and gives a boost to your immune system. The heart has long been associated with love because it is the organ that moves the blood around, without which we can’t have life and since life and love are so intricately related, the heart became synonymous with life and as a result love. But the love that Jesus describes in today’s passage is no laughing matter. It is a very serious, even rebellious, love that requires sacrifice, courage, and to be frank, is often impossible- but it could do our hearts a lot of good.
We continue to hear from Jesus’ “Sermon on the Level Place”. Last week we heard both blessings and woes- words that should make us a little uncomfortable. Today Jesus’ sermon continues to raise some eyebrows and should push us well beyond our comfort level. Our passage begins with pushing us to think about how and who we love. “Love your enemies”- a challenge indeed. Jesus expands on this simple sentence a little further along when he says, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.” It’s true. It is a lot easier to love the people who love us back. In fact, it makes my heart glad when we express love for one another. Oh, but the heartache I get when I am forced into awkward situations of trying to love someone who is so different from me.
I think I read more commentaries and sermons in preparation for this service then I have in a long while. This was in part because the more I read, the more I kept feeling like what Jesus asks of us is impossible. Over and over again history has demonstrated that humanity prefers to return violence for violence- in part because we do not want to appear weak or become the victim or be taken advantage of. One sermon I read, it was the title that stuck out the most, the title was, “Love Your Enemies-It Will Drive Them Crazy”. Due to the retaliatory feel to that sermon title I thought, “ah! Now that I can get behind!” but of course this continues the vindictiveness of our human nature and is likely not going to help our hearts heal. Thankfully there were a few other sermons and commentaries that helped.
The late baptist preacher Carlyle Marney said of Jesus’ words, Love your Enemy, that “the truth of this passage makes you flinch before it makes you free.” He then told of a story of a Jewish man in Israel who every day would go to the Palestinian border with food. He would take it across to an elderly Palestinian couple and they would have a meal together. The soldiers at the border would give him a hard time. It was eventually discovered that the man was eating with a couple whose son had been killed by an Israeli solider and that it was their son who had killed this man’s Israeli son. When the soldiers asked why he was doing this he said, “The only way to stop is to stop”. The only way to stop this cycle of violence was to stop and eat together. This is the kind of love that Jesus is describing and commanding his followers to live. It not only does the heart good but so much more!
The kind of love that Jesus is telling us to practice is a merciful love. All of Jesus’ examples, be it turn the other cheek or do not withhold even your shirt, are all examples of mercy. Be merciful as God is merciful. I read that one definition of mercy is “releasing people and circumstances from recrimination with compassion and forgiveness.” Due to the fact that Jesus mentions, “Give to anyone who begs from you” it means that the socio-ecomonic situation of the day is one in which people are exploited, live in poverty and struggle to make ends meet. It is deeply distressing to realize that things have not changed much.
Yet, the story of the Jewish and Palestinian families breaking the cycle reminds me of how important one small step can be, how good it can be for the heart and the community. And perhaps that is where we need to start- the larger socio-ecomonic problems won’t be solved if we can not show love at an individual level. Yes, Jesus’ words are speaking to forms of non-violence that we have caught glimpses of in various game-changers in the world but what I think Jesus is really saying is, it begins with us, with our small actions in building relationships that demonstrate a care for the well-being of all people.
The issue of course is, that it can often feel like an impossible task. Sometimes we mistake loving our enemy as a way of remaining victims. Certainly when Jesus says, “turn the other cheek” we can interpret it as, “if you get hit, let them hit you more” but that is not what Jesus is saying. Rather, we need to find new ways of combating violence- ways that are grounded in love and forgiveness. One commentary beautifully put it this way, “Jesus is inviting all of us into forgiveness into a deep, unlimited and radical kind of forgiveness that we can fully appreciate only when we have been on the receiving end of it. All of us can experience the extraordinary peace and healing that comes from letting go of bitterness and letting go of anger. Because when we let go, the peace of God that passes all understanding flows into our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.”
(Our country has faced a lot of anger these last few weeks, and I have struggled to love people who are reacting to things in a way that I find profane and unsavoury. As was shared last week there are real problems with the use of symbols and slogans that are offensive and it is even more dangerous when Christianity is thrown into this mix. Everyone has to consider how their actions hurt their fellow citizens. But part of that call was that we need to boldly reach out to one another -in love. That does not mean we have to agree, it does not mean we respond with counter-violence or words, but it definitely means we need to pray, for one another.)
Building on that I am reminded of a passage from theologian Frederick Buechner who said, “When somebody you have wronged forgives you, you are spared the dull and self-diminishing throb of a guilty conscience. When you forgive someone who has wronged you, you are spared the dismal corrosion of bitterness and wounded pride for both parties. Forgiveness means freedom again to be at peace inside your own skin and to be glad in each other’s presence.” That sounds like good heart health advice and an example of what it means to love enemies, turn the other cheek and be merciful.
We are still in the season of epiphany- we tend to forget that this late into the month of February- but it is still a season in which we celebrate that light always overcomes darkness. To borrow from some other non-violent movements, love conquers hate. We know this to be true but we often struggle to embody that knowledge. However, we need to practice good heart health- yes that means eating well, exercise, and laughing a lot but I am also confident that there is no better way to be heart healthy then to let the light and love of Christ burst from your heart. Amen