Render Your Heart

“Rend your heart and not your garments.” Joel 2:13 (beginning). I guess because I relate to visual imagery that descriptive phrase made me pause and want to know more and consider what that might look like. As an “orderly” people, it would be a break in our tradition to have these outward signs of tearing of clothing as a part of the expression and release of grief and sorrow. Tears yes, but tears? This passage in Joel is usually associated with Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. I knew that rending, or tearing of one’s clothes was an outward sign of someone’s deep sorrow or remorsefulness. Keriah is the Jewish ritual for rending of garments before the funeral of a family member. For close relatives, the cut should be visible and on the left side, close to the heart. The act of tearing may act as a psychological release of anger and can serve as a symbolic severance of family bonds. The cut should not follow a seam, instead ripping into the clothes as a scar and not an accidental unthreading. The call in Joel to rend your heart and not your garment is a plea to invest your heart and not merely to follow rituals or attend church as a superficial demonstration. The heart for the ancient Jew was the seat of emotion, intelligence, understanding and feeling. It was the heart that gave direction to the brain and not the other way around. To invest one’s heart was, and is, to surrender all that one has.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You call us to return with full devotion and intention. You ask us to tear off our outer shell and allow our hearts to be opened and changed. We are so cautious and protective; it seems we are unable to let our guard down for inner revolution because we know the consequences are life-changing. We are proficient at choosing the correct words, showing the right emotion, and following the roles of good church goers. But you ask more than that, you ask us to be Christians. Let us return to the Lord with broken hearts made whole. Amen.

12 The Lord announces to his people,
"Return to me with all your heart.
There is still time. Do not eat any food. Sob and cry."
13 Don't just tear your clothes to show how sad you are.
Let your hearts be broken.
Return to the Lord your God.
He is gracious. He is tender and kind. He is slow to get angry.
He is full of love. He takes pity on you. He won't destroy you.
Joel 2:12-13 New International Readers Version (NIRV)