Shema Part 4: The Heart

Pastor Heather Thomas talks about the heart in the Shema prayer. Over the last few weeks we have been doing a word study on the Shema which is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and for thousands of years Jewish people have been praying these words daily. This week the word we are focusing on is the word heart and much of what will be explained Sunday in terms of an ancient understanding of heart will be taken from the Bible project. You can find the video here: https://thebibleproject.com/explore/shema-listen/ The biblical text gives us a diagnosis of the heart though its narrative and that diagnosis is summarized by Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately (or irreversibly) sick; who can understand it?” At the same time Jeremiah is clear that God will do something about this problem and both he and Ezekiel point to the hopeful solution (Jer 31:31-33; Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26+27)-- in his own faithfulness God will send help and through his personal presence will transform and heal human hearts by changing them at a fundamental level. That change happens through Jesus and the power of his Spirit in us. He restores and heals our hearts to enjoy right relationship with God and others but also to restore us to our God given purpose and vocation (Genesis 1+2). We bear the image of God in the world and become a distinct people who, reflective of Gods act of love and grace, scandalize the world through self-giving love.