A new heart I give you

A dear friend received a new heart today. Literally

Not a Valentine’s Day heart. Not a sappy, sentimental heart-shaped gift. Neither construction paper cut-out nor “heart”-shaped facsimile, the heart he received was an organ. A life-saving, life-giving organ. This heart is a living, pumping cardiac-muscle of a heart. Sewn into the opening left when they extracted his old heart that wasn’t working well, really it was failing, not strong enough to pump life support to his body that was still young and strong and virile.

Yes, today God replaced his old heart of (nearly) stone with a heart of flesh, and it is beating in his chest right now. Receiving blood, pumping blood, delivering blood continuously, obediently, constantly to all the places in his body that were desperate for it.

Just twenty-four hours ago, this heart was perfectly happy to beat in someone else’s chest. To receive, pump and deliver blood there. What of this? What of these? What of him?

Why must someone die so another might live?

I cannot fathom this. Cannot explain this. Certainly cannot condone this. Yet.

Yet, one man of old did just such a thing. Died, giving Himself up for us. This is my body, for you. This is my blood, for you. This, I will give you. This is what you need. This will give you life.

Day by day, we’re offered a new heart, signed by God. A heart offered without price, save what was paid on the cross.

There for us when we need it. Before we know we need it.

This is no Valentine’s cut-out and no slobbering sentimentality. This is God’s own heart, work horse of our effort, unsung hero of our inner workings, grinding out our days supplying the lifeforce of our very being.

Day in and day out.

Awake and Asleep.

Conscious and unconscious.

Constant

Persistent

Resilient

So reliable, we don’t even remember it in our prayers.

So trustworthy, we don’t even think to question its methods.

So diligent, we don’t even begin to doubt its lastingness.

Yet.

Yet, sometimes when we cry out for a new heart, God complies. Our heart of stone is replaced by a heart of flesh, rock of ages past, usurped by flesh and blood. Gift given. Gift received.

And in gratitude, we pray: May the heart of Christ fill the space left behind. May the soul of Christ occupy this void. May the mind of Christ show the way to this generous spirit whose life ended too soon and yet. And yet.

There is life. And in its name, in His name, we rejoice.