“Soul Rest” based on Matthew 11:28-30, July 6, 2008

 

Reading from Matthew 11:28-30

We know from the National Institutes of Health:
- 35 million Americans (more than 16% of the population) suffer from depression severe enough to warrant treatment at some time in their lives. 19.1 million Americans 18 to 54 years-old suffer from anxiety disorders. This represents 13.3% of this age group. Many of the people who suffer from depression also suffer from anxiety (and vice versa).

In my own life I have faced some battles with anxiety.  I think in some way or another all of us do.  It is often heard as we are talking to someone that they will say, “I am totally stressed out!”  Well if you are feeling a little stressed out then today’s sermon is for you.

 

My theme for today is: Following Jesus is not meant to be burdensome.  As we learn from him we learn that it is easy and light. 

 

Many people though have not grown up with that interpretation of what following Jesus will do in one’s life.  Many people see Christianity as a set of rules, and mainly “no, no, no, no’s”. (slide) In the context of Jesus’ teaching, his primary opponents for this easy and light path were the Pharisees.

 

Listen to how one commentator puts it, “The Pharisees and teachers of the law were trying to impose religious burdens. In Matthew23:4, we hear that the scribes and Pharisees “bind heavy burdens and place grievous weights on peoples’ shoulders.” The religion of the Pharisees was a religion of rules and regulations. They wanted to impose their religious rules and regulations (600 of them) on others. Religion then became a weight and burden to be loaded onto one’s shoulders. “  (slide)

 

Honestly how many of you grew up with that understanding of the Christian faith? 

 

Often Christians are known for they are against, not what they are for! 

 

Yes sometimes being a Christian can be difficult, but as we survey people around us, it certainly seems not being a Christian is not very easy either.  We look at the wreckage in people’s lives and we want to say, “there is a better, easier, lighter way.”

 

Jesus us today following him is not to burdensome and he first says, “Take My yoke upon you.” 

 

Many of you might have heard this before, as many biblical scholars remind us that Jesus was a carpenter, and we often assume that Jesus was a master carpenter in his day. One of the primary jobs that Jesus would have done for others was to craft yoke for their oxen.

 

 

Jesus would design and craft personally tailored yokes that would be a “perfect fit” for the shoulders of a particular oxen. (slide) The yoke wore easily, like a fine fitting pair of shoes or a fine fitting dress or suit. Because Jesus’ yoke was well fitting, it was both easy and light. To pull a plow with ill-fitting yoke created unnecessary burdens for the oxen

 

Another way of saying this is that the Christian life, the one Jesus modeled and passed on to the disciples, is perfectly fitting for us.  It is the way we were meant to live.  It is the way that is “well-fitted” for us to receive maximum joy. 

 

The other sense is that as we pull our loads that we don’t do it alone, that Jesus is with us.  Another writer has said, “The yoke is not one that Jesus imposes but one he wears! We remember that commonly a yoke was a wooden instrument that yoked two oxen together and made of them a team. In this word Jesus may be saying: "Become my yoke mate, and learn how to pull the load by working beside me and watching how I do it. The heavy labor will seem lighter when you allow me to help you with it."

 

I think often when I am most frustrated in life is when I have taken on the burdens that I was not meant to carry.  Part of it I think is pride as we think I can control this outcome.  Sometimes we have to get to the end of our ropes and say, “I surrender” I can’t do this anymore. 

 

Some people were asked what this passage meant to them.  Here were some of the responses:

 

-“This means that if we stop, look, listen and turn over our load to God, God will help us carry our burdens and solve our problems.”

 

-“This means that in times of trauma, friends lift us up. Friends are the hands of God.”

 

-“I have learned to pray before the burdens get so heavy and that helps me.”

 

-“Don’t wait for the big crisis to finally go to God.”

 

-“When the doctor told me that I had three years to live, the prayers that I prayed made me feel a huge burden was lifted off my back. That was eleven years ago.”

 

As the old hymn goes, “Oh the peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”

 

The bottom line is that God want to help us. 

Jesus just doesn’t throw us out to the wolves ,but he says, “learn from me”.  Jesus taught his disciples not just by giving them head knowledge but said, “watch how I do it”, then “I’ll watch how you do it”. 

 

Part of our mission statement is “equipping everyone”.  This means helping people to learn how to do ministry. 

 

I've heard of pastors who require a layperson to accompany them on visits to potential members, to the sick, to the care facilities, to the hospital, etc. They use the term "mentoring," when talking about this way of teaching members to minister to one another. A pastor mentioned this to his council. Someone responded quickly, "I'd ask, 'What are we paying the pastor for'?"

After further thinking, the pastor responded with, "You are paying me, in part, to teach you to be disciples. It is like paying a driving instructor to teach your child to drive a car. If the instructor does all the driving, the child won't learn."

Learning from Jesus has to be more than just "head knowledge." It is being mentored into discipleship by other disciples. Related to what I wrote at the beginning, deeds are important -- not as a means of salvation, but as witnesses to our faith in Jesus.

Finally we see the promise of Jesus, “You will find rest for your souls”.

The invitation of Jesus in 11:28-30 is beautiful. Listen to how one writer says it so eloquently, “The promise is not joy one day after we get all the rules right on earth. But joy now, embedded in the life of God and located in the midst of the world in its joy and pain - also in its hostility. With such a sense of rest we can turn our attention to what really matters, people, and turn aside from the busy hassles of religiosity with its industry of piety which continues to make of many churches its factories.”

A question I might ask myself as your pastor is, “Is our church a factory of joy, or a factory of religious do’s and don’ts”  When you come here do you find rest for your soul? 

One of the cool metaphors for a church is one of oasis, a place of water in the midst of a dry, thirsty and weary land. My prayer is that our church would be that place for you.  That as we worship you soul might find rest in the shadow of God’s wings.  As you listen to God ‘s Word that your soul might be fed a meal.  And as we fellowship together we might be able to share some of our burdens so that as we walk out of here they might seem a little lighter! 

A church can create an environment for this to happen, but ultimately it is Jesus who said, “Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest for your souls.”  (slide)

As you come up today we invite you to fill out the back of your information cards with maybe something that is burdening you. As a way surrender as you come up to Communion drop it into the basket at the cross.  I assure you no one will read it but Jesus himself.  Let’s pray…Amen.