Giving Rest to the Burdened

Romans 7:15-25; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Have you ever found yourself lying in bed at night worrying about something? It could be almost anything. Are the children all okay? Do I have enough money to retire? Will we get enough rain for the crops? Will I keep my job if layoffs come? My own worries range from the very personal – will our grandson, Timmy, grow up happy and healthy – to the global – will humanity avoid global nuclear warfare? But, whatever our worries, there is a very good chance that we are worried about things over which you have little if any control. Yes, I can add a little extra to my IRA account to help with retirement; but, I have no influence over whether the president might decided to take military action against North Korea and start World War III. So, what to do? I could try playing some music to see if that might distract me; I could try some relaxation technique; I could confide my fears in Alice (which might calm me down but ups her own worries). Or, I could hand my worries over to someone who is in control; someone who can make a difference; I can give my worries to the Lord.

In today’s reading from Matthew, Jesus makes an incredible offer: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” I believe those are some of the most beautiful words in the whole Bible. All of us are burdened in some way – it may be guilt; it may be anxiety; it may be fear – whatever it is, all of us are carrying burdens that are weighing us down. I also believe that we are weary; we have carried our burdens far too long and they have sapped our energy and they prevent us from living our lives to the fullest. We are burdened and we are weary, and Jesus says, “I will give you rest.”

But, exactly how do we take Jesus up on his offer? What do we need to do to receive the rest that Jesus promises? Well, I can offer a few suggestions. I believe our first step is to name the burdens we are carrying and offer them to Jesus. Here I believe in being as specific as possible. So, if you are worried about having enough money to survive then say so. If you are worried about the direction our country is taking then say so. It might help to even write them down so you can see the burdens you are carrying. Now, I know in my case this may take more than one sheet of paper; but, we cannot turn something over to Jesus if we do not know what it is. So, the first step in accepting Jesus’ offer is to list the burden we need him to take.

Then, I believe we need to go to God in prayer and ask Jesus to take each burden by name. Again, this may take a long time; but, by doing so we are taking a concrete action to be relieved of our burdens. You might want to take your list and draw a line through each “burden” and mark the date on which you handed it over to Jesus.

Now, the next step may be the hardest; Do Not Take You Burdens Back! Once we have given our burden to Jesus then they are no longer ours. Now, that does not mean that we are no longer involved with that particular burden. God has taken control, but we do need to be engaged with the solutions that Jesus is offering. Notice that Jesus did not say that he would take our burdens and free us to do what we please. I believe that Jesus leads us into solutions for our burdens – solutions we would never have conceived on our own.

Next, I believe that Jesus will guide us into new ways of living that keep us for acquiring new burdens. Notice that Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” I believe that one of the reasons we have the burdens we do is that we insist on doing thing our way instead of following God’s lead. When God lead the Israelites out of Egypt one of their first stops was Mount Sinai where God gave them “Ten Steps to A Good Life.” You may have heard them called the Ten Commandments, but notice how many “burdens” they can relieve.

I believe many of our burdens come because we have our priorities all wrong. We believe that fame and success are what we should be striving for; but what does God say should be our number one priority? It is right there in step one: “You shall have no other gods before me.” Are things like food and shelter and safety and meaningful work important? Sure they are. But, they are not as important as God; and when we put God first, the other things find their proper place.

How many of our burdens come from bad relationships? We have tried to create relationships based on our infatuation with superficial qualities like beauty or power. But, what does God say, about relationships? God says “honor your parents;” God says love your spouse and not someone else’s; God says love and care for your neighbor. These are God’s rules for healthy relationships; and, when we follow God’s “rules” our relationships fall into place.

How many of our burdens come from loving the things of this world too much. We want what we do not have so we take from someone else. We fear for our lives so we take the lives of others. We fear having someone discovering our falsehoods and deceit so we create elaborate lies to try and deflect the truth. But, what does God say about the things of this world? God says, do not worship the things of this world. Do not take another’s possessions. Do not impede the truth. Do not take another’s life. When we follow God’s rules our relationship to the things of this world fall into place.

The “yoke” Jesus offers us IS easy; it is not there to constrain our actions but free us from our burdens. When we put God first and live according to his rules and his guidelines then we are relieved of many of the burdens we have created for ourselves.

So, when Jesus takes our burdens he offers us an “easy yoke” in their place; an easy yoke that guides us in the right paths according to God’s will. And, Jesus does more, he offers us forgiveness for our past. Many of the burdens we carry are guilt for the sins and mistakes of our past. All of us have sinned against God and against one another. All of us have said and done things we would rather not talk about. All of us have hurt those we loved. And, all of us have failed to love our neighbors as ourselves. We carry our guilt as a burden, and the only way for that burden to be lifted is by receiving forgiveness from God. And, when we confess our sins before God and ask for his forgiveness then he is sure to forgive; he is sure to relieve us from the burden of guilt. We may confess our general sins in public (as we do during Communion), but, as with our worries, I believe it is best to be as specific as possible with God when confessing our individual sins. Some people find they need to confess to a trusted friend in order to feel God’s forgiving power; but, whether we do that or not; God forgives us when we come before him and truly confess our sins. And, when we accept the forgiveness God offers then we are freed from the burden of sin and guilt.

When Jesus forgives us for our past he then offers hope for the future. Many people feel trapped by their past and feel unable to move into the future. Jesus offers us hope and a new beginning. To the woman who was brought before Jesus for judgment for her adultery, he offered her a chance to “Go now and leave her life of sin.” To Paul, who had persecuted the early church, Jesus offered him a new life as an apostle and evangelist. And, to each of us Jesus offers a new future where we are freed from our burdens and filled with hope. Yes, the future Jesus offers may be colored by the consequences of our past; but, it is filled with the possibilities only God can envision. Because of Jesus and his love for us we are not trapped in our past. When we offer our burdens to Jesus; when we take Jesus’ “easy yoke” upon us; when we receive forgiveness for our sins then we are freed to a new life filled with hope and filled new possibilities.

Jesus says “Come, all you who are weary and burdened.”

Let us pray:

Lord, we are weary from carrying too many burdens.
We need rest; we need guidance; and we need hope for the future.

Help us to release our burdens
so you can carry them.
Help us take up your yoke
so you can guide us.
Help us receive your forgiveness
so we can live new lives filled with joy and hope.

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

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