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SERMON for JUNE 28, 2020
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REST
Text: Matthew 11: 25-30
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“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11: 28-30
Come to me, take my yoke, learn from me – and then you will find rest.
Jesus gives very specific directions, and He tells us that if we do what He commands, He will give us rest – rest for our souls.
Rest – the promise of rest sounds wonderful in these very trying times. I don’t know how it has been for you over the past few months, but I am growing weary – weary of having to think and plan and prepare and wait and see - with uncertainty - about almost every single activity of ordinary life. From sunrise to sunset, simple activities - like opening the mail and doing grocery shopping - are now fraught with stress and anxiety under COVID-19 conditions. States where beloved family and friends live are reporting big spikes, and though numbers are trending downward in Maryland, the pandemic is not over yet, and probably will not be for months and months, maybe a year or more. Rest sounds wonderful – more than ever before!
Jesus presents a compelling offer: come to me, take my yoke, learn from me – and find rest. It sounds far simpler than it is. As a person of faith, a “come to Jesus” moment would offer welcome relief from the current state of affairs in our country and world, yet the invitation comes with some conditions that I am not so eager to accept.
“Take my yoke upon you,” Jesus says. Wait a minute! The yoke that Jesus carries is a cross – a cross that brings pain and suffering – persecution unto death. That offer does not sound very appealing or restful. These words are similar to other teachings of Jesus about discipleship – “and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” [Matthew 10: 38]
Taking up a cross sounds very hard, yet Jesus says: “for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” [Matthew 11: 30]. We are presented with a curious paradox, which is not so simple to understand.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,” Jesus teaches. Learn from me – lifelong learning is what Jesus is implying – life-saving learning – learning that comes from the school of life – or perhaps better described – from the school of hard knocks: of pain, suffering, persecution, death – not the usual and ordinary optimal choices.
Learn from me – Jesus teaches. In general, I love learning, and I love learning from Jesus. I love to read the Gospels and learn from what Jesus taught in word and deed. After decades of reading and studying the Gospels, even though I know many things about what Jesus taught, still there is so much more to learn and understand from our Lord and Savior. The Gospel is both simple enough for a child to understand and so deep that the most brilliant theologians can devote years and years of study and write volumes about their understanding of the faith.
We have to be willing to sit at the feet of the Master and listen to Him in order to learn from Him. We can sit at His feet because the Lord Jesus is gentle and humble in heart – not a severe, scolding, and shaming kind of teacher. Jesus is not sitting with a lightning bolt, eagerly waiting for us to make a mistake, ready to zap wayward sinners like us. If that were the path of discipleship, there would be no hope for any of us. We can learn from Jesus because He does not act arrogant, proud, or superior. Clearly, He is far above us and ahead of us – yet He is always reaching down and back – encouraging us to follow. He leads us back to His path when we wander. He searches far and wide for us when we get lost. He waits with arms wide open – ready to celebrate and rejoice when we come home to Him – time and again.
Nevertheless, I still confess that I do not find the yoke easy or the burden light. The yoke of discipleship is not easy for me – it’s tough! And following Jesus can be a real burden – one that is the opposite of light – it is very heavy! When I consider how it was for the first disciples, how they were misunderstood, judged, rejected, and persecuted, how greatly they suffered for following Jesus – when I compare my situation in life to theirs – I feel guilty for finding the yoke of discipleship tough and the burden heavy given how much easier I have it compared to those first disciples.
Nevertheless, discipleship demands taking risks and being vulnerable – opening our hearts to the suffering of others so that we might convey Christ’s love and healing to those who suffer. We are called to come alongside them and offer rest for their weary souls - by taking upon ourselves their yokes of suffering and burdens heavy to bear. We are commanded to love and serve the most vulnerable we encounter with the healing love and amazing grace of Jesus Christ.
Learn from me – Jesus teaches. When we make the commitment to learn from Him, we will find that the yoke is easier and the burden lighter than we had thought. It is not our doing – Jesus does these things for us; it is a gift of God. So, whenever I feel tempted to veer off the path of discipleship because I think that it is too hard, whatever the reason might be, I have to check myself and remember to sit – and rest - at the feet of the Master who already carried the yoke and burden for me and for all of us.
Thanks be to God - there are many times when I have experienced the rest that Jesus promises – that peace of Christ that surpasses understanding. I am thankful for these moments – these times of rest, renewal, restoration, resurrection. Recalling these experiences is humbling – especially when I consider what it cost Jesus to offer this life for us – the gift of His own life on a cross. When reflecting on rest, it is important to note that Jesus is speaking of rest for eternity. I am not yet ready for that state of perpetual rest – the eternal reward for discipleship – but I am very thankful that it is promised.
While we yet live, disciples are called to live into the vision of God’s kingdom. We are called to journey together on this side of heaven’s gates – doing our best to learn from the Lord as we take His yoke. In word and deed, in ways that we may not even recognize, each one of us is helping to build God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven above. Whenever we feel weary and heavy laden, the Lord Jesus always offers rest for the soul. Yes, even in these trying pandemic times, the Lord still calls to us – come to me, take my yoke, learn from me, and find rest.
May the good Lord help us to sit at His feet and listen – and rest - not just for our sake – but for the sake of the whole world. Amen.
Text: Matthew 11: 25-30
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“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11: 28-30
Come to me, take my yoke, learn from me – and then you will find rest.
Jesus gives very specific directions, and He tells us that if we do what He commands, He will give us rest – rest for our souls.
Rest – the promise of rest sounds wonderful in these very trying times. I don’t know how it has been for you over the past few months, but I am growing weary – weary of having to think and plan and prepare and wait and see - with uncertainty - about almost every single activity of ordinary life. From sunrise to sunset, simple activities - like opening the mail and doing grocery shopping - are now fraught with stress and anxiety under COVID-19 conditions. States where beloved family and friends live are reporting big spikes, and though numbers are trending downward in Maryland, the pandemic is not over yet, and probably will not be for months and months, maybe a year or more. Rest sounds wonderful – more than ever before!
Jesus presents a compelling offer: come to me, take my yoke, learn from me – and find rest. It sounds far simpler than it is. As a person of faith, a “come to Jesus” moment would offer welcome relief from the current state of affairs in our country and world, yet the invitation comes with some conditions that I am not so eager to accept.
“Take my yoke upon you,” Jesus says. Wait a minute! The yoke that Jesus carries is a cross – a cross that brings pain and suffering – persecution unto death. That offer does not sound very appealing or restful. These words are similar to other teachings of Jesus about discipleship – “and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” [Matthew 10: 38]
Taking up a cross sounds very hard, yet Jesus says: “for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” [Matthew 11: 30]. We are presented with a curious paradox, which is not so simple to understand.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,” Jesus teaches. Learn from me – lifelong learning is what Jesus is implying – life-saving learning – learning that comes from the school of life – or perhaps better described – from the school of hard knocks: of pain, suffering, persecution, death – not the usual and ordinary optimal choices.
Learn from me – Jesus teaches. In general, I love learning, and I love learning from Jesus. I love to read the Gospels and learn from what Jesus taught in word and deed. After decades of reading and studying the Gospels, even though I know many things about what Jesus taught, still there is so much more to learn and understand from our Lord and Savior. The Gospel is both simple enough for a child to understand and so deep that the most brilliant theologians can devote years and years of study and write volumes about their understanding of the faith.
We have to be willing to sit at the feet of the Master and listen to Him in order to learn from Him. We can sit at His feet because the Lord Jesus is gentle and humble in heart – not a severe, scolding, and shaming kind of teacher. Jesus is not sitting with a lightning bolt, eagerly waiting for us to make a mistake, ready to zap wayward sinners like us. If that were the path of discipleship, there would be no hope for any of us. We can learn from Jesus because He does not act arrogant, proud, or superior. Clearly, He is far above us and ahead of us – yet He is always reaching down and back – encouraging us to follow. He leads us back to His path when we wander. He searches far and wide for us when we get lost. He waits with arms wide open – ready to celebrate and rejoice when we come home to Him – time and again.
Nevertheless, I still confess that I do not find the yoke easy or the burden light. The yoke of discipleship is not easy for me – it’s tough! And following Jesus can be a real burden – one that is the opposite of light – it is very heavy! When I consider how it was for the first disciples, how they were misunderstood, judged, rejected, and persecuted, how greatly they suffered for following Jesus – when I compare my situation in life to theirs – I feel guilty for finding the yoke of discipleship tough and the burden heavy given how much easier I have it compared to those first disciples.
Nevertheless, discipleship demands taking risks and being vulnerable – opening our hearts to the suffering of others so that we might convey Christ’s love and healing to those who suffer. We are called to come alongside them and offer rest for their weary souls - by taking upon ourselves their yokes of suffering and burdens heavy to bear. We are commanded to love and serve the most vulnerable we encounter with the healing love and amazing grace of Jesus Christ.
Learn from me – Jesus teaches. When we make the commitment to learn from Him, we will find that the yoke is easier and the burden lighter than we had thought. It is not our doing – Jesus does these things for us; it is a gift of God. So, whenever I feel tempted to veer off the path of discipleship because I think that it is too hard, whatever the reason might be, I have to check myself and remember to sit – and rest - at the feet of the Master who already carried the yoke and burden for me and for all of us.
Thanks be to God - there are many times when I have experienced the rest that Jesus promises – that peace of Christ that surpasses understanding. I am thankful for these moments – these times of rest, renewal, restoration, resurrection. Recalling these experiences is humbling – especially when I consider what it cost Jesus to offer this life for us – the gift of His own life on a cross. When reflecting on rest, it is important to note that Jesus is speaking of rest for eternity. I am not yet ready for that state of perpetual rest – the eternal reward for discipleship – but I am very thankful that it is promised.
While we yet live, disciples are called to live into the vision of God’s kingdom. We are called to journey together on this side of heaven’s gates – doing our best to learn from the Lord as we take His yoke. In word and deed, in ways that we may not even recognize, each one of us is helping to build God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven above. Whenever we feel weary and heavy laden, the Lord Jesus always offers rest for the soul. Yes, even in these trying pandemic times, the Lord still calls to us – come to me, take my yoke, learn from me, and find rest.
May the good Lord help us to sit at His feet and listen – and rest - not just for our sake – but for the sake of the whole world. Amen.