Rev. Debbie Cato
Matthew
11:28-30
Fairfield Community Church
July 16, 2023
Holy God. In the reading of your Word, may we be given light to see. May your word rest in our hearts, minds, and souls and in doing so, transform us into your faithful people. Amen.
Come All Who Are Weary
I have a
confession to make. Last week I was
totally unprepared for a children’s message.
I was not expecting to have children in our service and so I had not
given any thought to a children’s message.
I was delightfully surprised to see Melissa and Eli, and Clara and Henry,
but I had no idea what I was going to d0.
So I did the first thing that came to my mind.
I talked about nature and when I had driven from the Valley to Fairfield and experienced the beauty of the fields. I talked about that because it was fresh on my mind. But it was what I was going to use this week in this sermon. So you are going to hear it again – in the grown-up sermon! I ask for your forgiveness and your tolerance, but here I go!
A couple of weeks ago I was driving home from the Valley, and I was just mesmerized by the beauty all around me. The green of the rolling fields, the brown wheat fields that were ripening, (is that the right word?!) and the gorgeous yellow canola fields surrounding me as I drove down 27. I marveled at how the colors contrasted and also blended together. The sky was bright blue, the sun was out, and I was in my air-conditioned car. I felt so at peace, and I was awed as I thought about the beauty and creativity of God’s creation.
Lately, I had been feeling so weary. A weariness deep in my soul. I was weary of being sick. Weary of having no energy. Weary of not being able to do what I want to be able to do. And at that moment, driving home on 27 like I do so many times, I realized I was at peace in a way I hadn’t felt for a long time. And this verse that I knew I would be preaching on in a few weeks came to mind. “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” I was aware that this peace I was feeling came from Christ. My circumstances had not changed. My health was what it was. My energy was still low. I still could not do all the things I wanted to do. But in the midst of it all, I was at peace – a deep peace, a peace deep in my soul. Noticing the beauty of my surroundings and recognizing that it all came from God, had brought me a peace and a restful spirit that could only come from Christ. I felt very close to God at that moment.
“Come to me all who 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.” What beautiful words spoken by Jesus to each of us. This passage almost makes me cry. Who among us does not carry heavy burdens? Who of us do not get weary? A weariness deep in your soul? Whether it’s health like me, or relationships or finances or employment or big decisions you are facing or just life in general, sometimes it all gets really heavy. It weighs you down. It makes you weary. It’s hard to believe you could feel peace and restfulness in the midst of these kinds of heavy burdens. And honestly, I don’t think we can. Not on our own. But Jesus promises that we can. We can find it in Him. Jesus Himself will give us rest for our souls. A rest that is deep and pure. A rest that comes from Christ.
The offer of a lighter burden is not offered to those of us that think we can do it all on our own. It is offered to the weary and the burdened. It is offered to those who recognize that they just can’t make it on their own, no matter how hard they try. It is offered to those who long to be delivered from forces too terrible to handle or manage. It comes from the gentleness, humility, and solace of Jesus, whose burden, as it turns out, is the only one light and restful enough for us to bear.[1]
Notice that Jesus does not say he will take our burdens away. He does not say he will solve our problems. No where does he say, “Come to me and you won’t have anymore burdens.” No. He says, “Come to me and I will give you rest.” He’s saying, “I know you carrying burdens that are heavy and draining. I know life is hard. But I can give you rest for your soul. I can give you a deep rest so that you can continue on; so you can make it.”
That day in my car, while I was driving home from the Valley, I began praying for people like I so often do. But I prayed differently that day. I prayed for Brook, knowing how weary she must be from her cancer journey and now radiation treatments. I prayed that while she lays on that radiation table, she might feel the deep rest in her soul that only comes from Christ. That she would find peace deep within her despite her difficult journey. I prayed for the family of the young man who Marci told me had drowned. I prayed that in the throes of their deep - seated grief, they would find rest and peace deep in their souls from Christ. I prayed for Cindy Davidson, I thanked God that despite her pain and struggles with her back, that Cindy knows the peace that comes only from Christ. I can sense that every time I talk with her. And then I prayed for each of you. One by one I prayed that each of you could feel the kind of incredible restfulness and peace that I was feeling deep in your own soul. I prayed for you …
You see
it’s available to all of us. It’s
available when we are at our worst. When
we are at the end of our rope. When we
are thoroughly exhausted and we feel like we can’t take it anymore. Christ is there offering us rest for our
souls. “Come to me all who 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.” Amen.
[1] Debie Thomas. A Lighter Burden. June 28, 2020. https://www.journeywithjesus.net/essays/2678-a-lighter-burden.
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