by Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
v28″Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. v29Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. v30For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light.” (Read: Matthew 11:25-30)
These verses from the gospel lesson this Sunday, the 6th Sunday After Pentecost (Proper 9 in the Liturgical Calendar), remind me of this song entitled, ‘Lift Up Your Hand’ sang and popularized by Basil Valdez in 1994.
Life is not all that bad, my friend, hmm/If you believe in yourself
If you believe there’s Someone/Who walks through life without you
You’ll never be alone/Just learn to reach out,/And open your heart/Lift up hands to God,
And He’ll show you the way.
And He said, “Cast your burdens upon Me/Those who are heavily laden,
Come to Me, all of you who are tired/Of carrying heavy loads,
For the yoke I will give you is easy/And My burden is light,
Come to Me and I will give you rest.”
When you feel the world/Is tumblin’ down on you,
And you have no one/That you can hold on to,
Just face the rising sun/And you’ll see hope,
And there’s no need to run/Lift up your hands to God,
And He’ll make you feel all right.
The song tells of some human conditions and Jesus’ generous and gracious invitation to all who are tired and heavy laden to come and rest with him.
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Jesus’ gracious invitation comes to all “who are weary and burdened” with the troubles of life and the sins of their human nature. By coming to Jesus, becoming his servant and obeying his direction, he will free you from your insurmountable burdens and give you rest, peace and his Holy Spirit to lead you through life. What trials and cares you carry will be borned with his help and grace. Matthew describes Jesus’ intimate language of prayer to his Father and reveals Jesus’ generous and gentle invitation to those carrying heavy burdens. His gift is rest and discipleship, a burden that is light.
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Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” As we know, at the time of Jesus a yoke was a heavy wooden bar by which two oxen were attached to each other so that they would work together. I remember an old story about a little boy who was out helping dad with the yard work. Dad asked him to pick up the rocks in a certain area of the yard. Dad looked over and saw him struggling to pull up a huge rock buried in the dirt. The little boy struggled and struggled while Dad watched. Finally, the boy gave up and said, “I can’t do it.” Dad asked, “Did you use all of your strength?” The little boy looked hurt and said, “Yes, sir. I used every ounce of strength I have.” The father smiled and said, “No you didn’t. You didn’t ask me to help.” The father walked over and then the two of them pulled that big rock out of the dirt. One of the great Biblical truths seems impossible. Liberty comes through being yoked with Christ.
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“Come to me, I will give you rest.” Many in today’s world are tired. Many need rest for their souls. Many are carrying heavy burdens. The original hearers of these words of Jesus were the rabbis and teachers of the law who would describe the law as a yoke. Jesus is speaking to the crowds who have struggled with the powerful burden of the law. He is addressing the people who feel crunched by the weight of hundreds of precepts to obey in order to appease God. In a culture seldom characterized as guilt-plagued, not all our struggles have to do with obeying God’s law. Other struggles with God are just as wearying or burdensome. There is the struggle to find God.
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How can I find God when my life is chaotic and filled with confusion? Great stories of faith being recovered and discovered occur when a person is in crisis. When we are in crisis, we grow weary. When a loved one dies, grief fills our life and we are weary. When we are angry at parents, or children, or boss, or anyone, there is no energy to look for God. When life is oppressive and dark clouds of sadness engulf us, we can’t see God. Our soul, the sacred place where we experience God’s enlivening presence, is filled and cluttered with debris of grief, anger, and sorrow. That is a heavy load. To those with such weariness our Lord says, “Come. Here is rest.” He offers himself as the companion through the inner and the outer darkness. He is the light who has been through the darkness. He knows the way. He undertakes the struggle on our behalf. Rest for the soul is in knowing you aren’t alone.
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If you are simply tired because you didn’t ge enough sleep, then take a nap. But if your very soul is weary, hear a great invitation. Know that the one who invites you knows your struggles and uis anxious to be your companion on your life’s journey.
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There is an old legend that says when God created the birds and named them, the birds strutted about cooing and preening their feathers. They took delight in their colors and their appearance. The beauty of their songs was marvelous that they continued to impress one another. But their legs grew weary, and as they walked about they complained about the heaviness of their wings. Some even tripped and fell. They look stoop-shouldered and weary. Only when they took the burdens of their wings, spread them wide and reached for the sky and fell, only then did they discover they could fly. We can not fly. But let us look to our weariness, our burdens and our struggles, our soul-wearying efforts to keep walking upright. Is it possible that what we are carrying around could be shared by the wings of the Spirit? Is it possible that the door to our soul could be entered by the one offereing the rest? The burdens will never disappear, but there is one who desires to exchange yokes with us, and his burden is light.
“Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.” The invitation is open. What is your response?
Let us pray.
O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united with one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.**
