In the original fairy tale version of The Wizard of Oz, the Tin Woodman had once been a real man who was in love with a beautiful maiden and dreamed of marrying her. The witch hated their love, so she cast a spell on him so that one by one his limbs had to be replaced with artificial tin limbs. The tin limbs allowed him to work like a machine. So with a heart of love for his maiden and arms that never tired, he seemed destined to win over the witch's spell.

But the Tin Man said, "I thought I had beaten the Wicked Witch then, and I worked harder than ever; but I little knew how cruel my enemy could be." The Wicked Witch made Tin Man's axe slip and cut himself in half, and though a tinner was able to fasten him back together again, alas, he had no heart … so that I lost all my love for the girl, and did not care whether I married her or not."

Most of you know the rest of the story: caught in a rainstorm, the Tin Man began to rust, remaining in that spot until Dorothy came all the way from Kansas to rescue him and begin his journey to Oz. In the book by Frank Baum, the Tin Man tells Dorothy, "During the year I stood there I had time to think that the greatest loss I had known was the loss of my heart. While I was in love I was the happiest man on earth; but no one can love who has not a heart, and so I am resolved to ask the Oz to give me one."

Possible Preaching Angles: John Eldredge comments, "Notice there was a man who was once real and alive and in love. But after a series of blows, his humanity was reduced to efficiency. He became a sort of machine—a hollow man." Life has a way of doing the same thing to us. We, too, have suffered a series of blows. And, as a result, we may still go through the motions of life—busy, productive, efficient, and religious—but we've lost our heart. But the risen Christ can renew our hearts with his hope.