Jar of Hearts

Christina Perri sings a song called "Jar of Hearts."  I like it.

If you care to listen to it, you can find it here.


The thief

The song is good.  But what I like even more–what I cannot get out of my head is the image.  A bloody jar of hearts, makes for a vivid picture on the dusty shelves of my mind.  And like pretty much all of my writings, sermons, ideas, and above knuckle-dragging-level thoughts, an image is the basis for what you are about to read.

Christina is fed up in "Jar of Hearts."  Her person on the other end is selfish, inconsiderate, damaging, and plays some sort of a game; stealing as many hearts as they can get away with.

And who do you think you are?
Runnin' 'round leaving scars
Collecting your jar of hearts

Well Christina is not going to let them get away with it any more.  What Miss Perri is describing is a thief.  A thief takes something from somebody else unfairly, and to the damage of the original owner.  A heart, beating and bloody, or symbolic of "love" and infatuation–doesn't belong to other people.  It is not a play-thing.  And as most 20-something, Romeo and Juliets finally figure out, romantic love, and the feelings of another person must be handled delicately–it's not right to be selfish with another person's stuff; especially the intangibles!  I don't know who this thief of young girls hearts is, but he should stop.

I can't get the image of the jar of hearts out of my mind.  Good.  Seems like the Lord is not letting me off the hook.  There it is again–a big blood-smeared jar of hearts.

I'm not interested in lovey-love-love hearts.  I mean, I am, but not enough to write about it.  I am VERY interested in what lies in the heart of mankind though.  I am interested because there is another heart-thief out there.  He's not James Dean cool; but he's slicker than snot on a door knob.  He's smart, and crafty, and tenacious, the absolute gold-standard of hatred and evil, and he's been at this a lot longer than you.  He will absolutely not stop–he will never stop–until he has stolen your heart for good.  Your heart does not belong to him; but don't tell him that because–he thinks it does.  He won a small victory in the Garden of Eden, and now he walks around chest puffed out, head too big to handle.  He is Satan–and he currently has a great big bloody jar of hearts.

Who does he think he is–runnin' 'round leaving scars...collecting his jar of hearts?  He thinks he's God; and he's all to happy too have you imbibe the same lie.  Stubborn hearts.  Egocentric hearts.  "Spiritual but not Religious" hearts.  Calloused hearts.  Intellectual hearts.  Tolerant hearts.  They all go perfectly nice on his mantle.  He's a well traveled thief, with an eclectic taste for what's not his.  One with a great big bloody jar of hearts.

Another thief

There is another thief.  He is a heart-thief just the same.  Except he is taking back from the nasty little claws of Satan that which already belonged to Him.  He's collecting a jar of hearts, and closing the gaping whole in your chest.  Like a thief in the night He is coming quickly to put the heart-thief away forever.  Taking hearts back, and making them whole, He is filling His jar.  The broken hearted.  The black hearted. The faint hearted.  The heavy hearted.  The strong hearted.  The kind hearted.  It's all a big bloody mess of a jar!  And why shouldn't it be?  He is Jesus–and his jar is big enough for all the big bloody hearts of His creation.

Friends, in the words of Johnny Cash, keep a close watch on that heart of yours.  Your heart belongs to Jesus, and Jesus alone.  Your heart is too valuable to be in the enemies jar.  Your heart is spoken for.  Your heart is not on the market.  Your heart is not single and ready to mingle.  Your heart belongs to Jesus.  Jesus has a good and glorious place for you and your heart.  Your heart is a kingdom heart.

Good for you Christina.  We all have something to learn.  I keep a close watch on this heart of mine.  The evil heart-thief will not get away with it much longer.  Jesus says, "the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly"–John 10:10
There is Jesus.  He is coming back.  He is coming with His Kingdom.  He is coming soon.  He is coming with the piece in our chest that has been missing all of our life.  He is coming to put the last piece of us back into place.  He is coming.

And He is coming with a great big bloody jar of hearts

Fear not

If you were to meet a disciple of Jesus what would he tell you about him?  To clarify, if you were to ever meet one of the 12 Disciples of Jesus what would he tell you about Jesus? You know, one of the special 12, those inner 12; one of those guys who lived beside Jesus, walked beside Jesus, ate with him, camped out with him, worked with him, laughed with him, cried with him, learned from him, for over 3 years.  Those guys; if you met one of those guys what would they tell you about Jesus?

Chances are that they would tell you a number of things.  They would tell you stories that followers of Jesus have known and love for years.  They would probably also tell you things you’ve never heard before.   You will not meet one of the 12 this side of the Kingdom of God.  And yet their Gospel accounts live on.  And according to what has been recorded, Jesus said, “fear not”…a lot

He said it in sinking boats.  He said it when sending his followers out into the world.  He said it when he himself had more to fear than anyone else.  He said it when he was departing from his disciples to “prepare a place” for all who believe.  He said it when his disciples saw him walking on the water.  He said it when Peter, John, and James watched Jesus Transfigure.  He said it a lot more.  Easier said than done Jesus.  Fear not?  How do we do that with all there is to fear in this life? 

Jesus doesn’t point to you when he says fear not.  He doesn’t ask you to look in the mirror.  He doesn’t ask you to muster up your strength.  He doesn’t ask you to do anything.  In fact according to Jesus, fearlessness has nothing to do with you at all.  It has everything to do with Jesus.  Fearlessness for Jesus is not closed eyes.  Fearlessness is not sitting buried–head in sand.  Fearlessness is not foolishness; nor is it pulling yourself out of a world full of dangers, toils, and snares.  Fearlessness is completely, totally, utterly and alone...life in Christ.  It is a life that in all the scariness and real danger of this real world, that continually stands behind our great big Savior Jesus Christ.  A great big Savior that went first–like a big brother.  He is–He's our big brother.  And this big brother has won for us the right to be in His family...to be a Child of the Heavenly Father.  And He is fierce–He is fearless in our place.  Even when the REAL scary shadows creep–the evilness of Satan, and Sin, and Death that eye has not seen, and tongue cannot tell.

In the Revelation given to John of Christ in His Kingdom Jesus says this, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one.  I died, and behold I am alive forevermore…” –Rev. 1:17-18.  Jesus has died and raised back life in order to say to you, “fear not!”  I have overcome death, I have overcome sin, and I have overcome any fear in life.  The creator and sustainer of all things seen and unseen says, fear not; not because of who you are, but because of who I am.  And because he is the God of the universe, we know he is able to what he says.  He will receive all who believe in him, into his Heavenly Kingdom.  A place where, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away”—Rev. 21:4