The Beauty of a Broken Heart
Published on October 21, 2025 at 3:03pm EDT | Author: frazeevergas
0By Pastor Ryan Stockstrom
Harvest Church
This past Sunday, we at Harvest Church welcomed guest speaker Pastor Ariel Nieves, who shared a powerful and heartfelt message titled “The Beauty of a Broken Heart.” Speaking from Mark 14 and Luke 7, Pastor Ariel reminded the church that before God changes anything around us, He first changes what’s within us.
Pastor Ariel began by saying: “It’s incredible to see the impact you’re having on your young people and your community,” he said. “That’s a sign that God is birthing something new — but before God births something outwardly, He always does something inwardly.”
He shared a personal story about when his wife was expecting their first child. Like most new parents, they were busy preparing — painting rooms, rearranging furniture, and checking off a long list of baby needs. But Pastor Ariel said what preoccupied his heart most wasn’t the timing of the baby’s arrival — it was whether he would become the kind of father his child needed.
“Whenever God is about to do something,” he said, “He doesn’t just transform circumstances — He transforms us.”
From there, he turned to the story of Mary of Bethany, who broke an alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it out over Jesus. “That jar,” Pastor Ariel said, “was valuable not because of what was outside, but because of what was inside — just like us.”
Mary’s act of worship, he explained, came from a heart of humility. “Every time we see Mary in Scripture, she’s at the feet of Jesus. That’s not coincidence — that’s posture. It’s the place of surrender and love.”
He went on to say that real transformation begins with brokenness. “She broke the jar before Jesus — and that brokenness represents a surrendered heart. A contrite heart before God is what attracts His presence.” Citing Psalm 51, he added, “David said, ‘A broken and contrite heart you will not despise.’ That’s what God looks for.”
But not everyone in that moment shared Mary’s heart. Some were offended by her display of devotion — particularly Judas Iscariot, who complained that the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. “He saw her act as wasteful,” Pastor Ariel said. “He was indignant because he couldn’t understand the value of her sacrifice. But worship never makes sense to people who haven’t experienced what God has brought you through.”
He explained that Judas’ reaction revealed something deeper. “He knew Jesus — he walked with Him — but he didn’t understand His heart,” Pastor Ariel said. “He was close to Jesus in proximity, but far from Him in affection.”
The difference between Mary’s tender heart and Judas’ hardened one, Pastor Ariel said, often comes down to disappointment and neglect. “There are moments when we feel like God didn’t show up the way we expected,” he said. “We thought He’d work one way, but He worked another. That’s when disappointment sets in, and if we’re not careful, it can harden our hearts.”
He shared a personal story of heartbreak from his own life, recalling a time when he and his wife suffered a miscarriage just before being ordained for ministry. “I remember standing on that stage, people praying for us, and inside I was angry,” he said. “I didn’t understand why God would let that happen. But years later, I can look back and see that He was still faithful, even in my disappointment.”
Returning to the Gospel story, Pastor Ariel said, “Mary’s worship filled the room — Judas’ offense emptied his heart. Two people, both in the same room with Jesus, but worlds apart in their response. One prepared Jesus for His burial. The other set in motion His betrayal. The difference was the condition of their hearts.”
Reading from Luke 7, Pastor Ariel highlighted Jesus’ words about the woman who anointed Him: “Her sins, which are many, have been forgiven—so she has shown much love.” “That’s it,” he said. “The difference between a heart that worships and one that grows distant is awareness. The one who knows how much they’ve been forgiven can’t help but love much. Gratitude fuels worship.”
He closed with a challenge for every believer: “Don’t hold on to the alabaster jar of your heart.
Pour it out before Him. Be the one who remembers where you’ve come from, who recognizes the grace that’s been given to you. Because when you live from that place — a place of brokenness and gratitude — your worship fills the room, and God’s presence changes everything.”
I pray that we all can surrender the ways we feel God has ‘let us down’ and remember all that we’ve been forgiven of. It’s the place of beauty and freedom. God bless you this week.
I also want to invite you: Harvest is turning 30! Next week we are celebrating during our Oct. 26 service at 10 a.m., and I want to invite you to join us. There will be cake and ice cream to follow, and all are welcome.