Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and 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)
Matthew is my favorite Gospel....
The well known composer Georg Friedrich Handel put these word's so beautiful, beautiful to music and I will be singing them soon in early December, when we perform the "Messiah" composed by him.
Like the heavy, smoky air from the wildfires in Florida that have engulfed some of us this past summer, I feel there is a weariness that is cast over our world. I can feel it. Perhaps you can feel this weariness too. We are a people who are weary from our declining economy and inclining cost of living. We are weary of increasing demands on our time and attention and decreasing availability of resources to meet those demands.
My church is supposed to be a place of refuge. The sanctuary of God is supposed to be a place where, each week, I can come and be filled to overflowing instead of drained dry – where I can be reassured of God’s life-giving presence instead of feeling like I am dying a slow death from the enormous, life-stealing burdens I carry day to day.
And yet, the church is sometimes just another repository for the weariness that I bring into it. It affects us all. And it drags all of us down. It can engulf us in as real a way as the pressures of the world around us. Jesus has a response to this weariness. He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
There is no qualifying of who may come. No one is left out of Jesus’ invitation. If you are weary, Jesus is calling.
If you are carrying heavy burdens and can’t carry them anymore, Jesus is calling.
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If you need rest, Jesus is calling.
God had our weariness in mind when he rested on the seventh day of creation and gave us Sabbath rest. Jesus had our weariness on his mind when he invited all who are weary to come to him and find rest.
There is no qualifying of who may come. No one is left out of Jesus’ invitation. If you are weary, Jesus is calling.
If you are carrying heavy burdens and can’t carry them anymore, Jesus is calling.
If you need rest, Jesus is calling.
God had our weariness in mind when he rested on the seventh day of creation and gave us Sabbath rest. Jesus had our weariness on his mind when he invited all who are weary to come to him and find rest.
But, there is another element of God’s Word that is part of this passage; that we take Jesus’ yoke upon ourselves and learn from him. I understand this as a reminder that responding to Jesus’ invitation to come to him, means that I will find myself in the nearness of his presence. So near, in fact, that I can take the yoke he offers and place it on myself.
In the Bible, a yoke is a symbol of belonging, of obedience, of service. Jesus offers me rest from my weariness, but he also offers me a place of belonging in his kingdom. Belonging in the kingdom means caring for one another and caring for your/my church.
This time of the year, I will try to find rest from my weariness. Find rest on vacation – time off – time away.
I will receive rest from Jesus.
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Once rested and renewed, I devote myself to caring for the world, my neighbors, my friends and family, and my church.
Receive the yoke of belonging from him also – the yoke of obedience and service.
I will receive rest from Jesus.
Once rested and renewed, I devote myself to caring for the world, my neighbors, my friends and family, and my church.
Receive the yoke of belonging from him also – the yoke of obedience and service.
I am with you finding rest for my soul and praying you will find the same.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/78894662/soul-word-block
http://www.etsy.com/listing/78894662/soul-word-block
Spread the WORD....
Until next Monday, find your rest...in Jesus
Monika of Myeuropeantouch