Matthew 11:25-30
25At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26yes, F4ather, for such was your gracious will. 27All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
We had a funeral the other day. She is a woman who has died at the age of 94 years old. She was a hard worker, raised her brothers and sisters when her mom died and consequently, never graduated from high school. She sacrificed for her family and always put them first. She was blessed with six children. Two of her children died early in life. Death of a child should never be what a parent should go through. I honestly cannot fathom how overwhelming that would be and I pray I never have to experience that.
I love the text for this service, Matthew 11:25-30. Jesus says, “Come to me all who are weary, and I will give you rest.” I always thought of this text as an invitation to our last days of life on earth. I do believe that when we leave here, we finally get to rest – there will be no more worries, no more tears, and finally, there will be justice for all!
And while that is true, I have realized that there is so much more. This is not only an invitation to rest in our final days, but also an invitation for us right now! We do not have to wait for our last days to accept and experience God’s invitation to rest. We can have it right at this moment!
As I think about my own life – always trying to get it right – always wanting to do the right thing – and praying that I am always doing the will of God. It wears me out! I have some days that are difficult to get up in the morning because of the burdens that I carry to make the right decisions for my myself, my family, and the people of God that I have been entrusted with!
These words from Jesus are refreshing to me: Come to me, all who are weary!
Well, Lord Jesus, I’m coming! I am tired. I am weary. And my load is heavy. And as I go to my Lord in prayer, I see him standing before me. I can feel His abundant grace, mercy, and love being poured out for me. As tears run down my cheeks, the weight of the world is being lifted off my shoulders. I know down in my heart that His grace is for me – even when I mess up – even when I can’t fix everything – and even when it’s hard to get out of the bed in the morning.
I met a homeless guy today who came and knocked on our church doors. He had been in a motorcycle accident that crushed his leg. He got addicted to pain medication – most likely opioids. He now rides his bike most places and confesses he has been clean from his addiction for over 6 months now. He has a car that he drives to deliver scrap metal for money. I gave him a gas gift card, a bag lunch, and a bottle of water. We talked about his faith. He says to me, “I could never be where I am today without Jesus Christ in my life.”
Come to me, all who are weary and I will give you rest.
It is true, right? We can make the choice to live our lives without Jesus, but it will be a really hard and difficult journey. Jesus went to the cross so that you and I can face anything that life throws at us. It’s not saying that we will not have trials and tribulations, but it is saying that we will have rest along the way. Jesus will take those trials and tribulations and carry them for us and with us.
Accept Jesus’ invitation and give him your worries of the world. He will give you rest for the journey.
Thanks be to God!
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