Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 NRSV by Lori Martell

16 ‘But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market-places and calling to one another,
17 “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.”
18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon”; 19the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.’*

25 At 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, Father, 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.

28 ‘Come 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.’

   The scripture passage for today reminds us of Jesus’ humanness as he expresses his frustration at people’s lack of understanding, and then his grace as he invites people to rest in him.  We also sometimes fail to understand how to truly emulate Jesus in our lives, and, yet, he still welcomes us into his waiting embrace. 

  We each need a regular reminder of Verses 28-30:

“Come to me, all you that 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.”

   This isn’t simple platitude to give us a fleeting sweet warm fuzzy.  This is a heartfelt invitation to let Christ be our safe place in the midst of the storms of life, and to let Christ reorient us when we lose our way. This passage also provides wise counsel for us to take care of ourselves, to seek rest when we are depleted.

   Spend a few minutes exploring Matthew 11:28-30.  We’ll do this in two stages, first a confession, then a celebration. 

Confession time:

Explore with your group this question, “When have you resisted resting physically, spiritually, or emotionally, and how did that go for you?”

Celebration time:

Explore with your group this question, “Being weary or burdened, when have you rested in the Spirit and how did that change your state of being?”

“Come to me, all you that 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.”

This scripture is particularly meaningful to me because there have been times in my life I was desperately in need of rest.  Probably the most extreme example came when I was trying to recover from Lyme disease.  Until that point in my life I didn’t really know I had limits.  But then my 30s happened and I found myself fighting for my life. 

I had a complicated case of Lyme that wasn’t diagnosed until I had it for a year or two.  I would improve and then relapse again.  I was exhausted, couldn’t think straight, and was unable to read for pleasure.  I had terrible joint pain and body aches.  At my worst I needed to sleep 16 hours per day.  Eventually, I found myself working at an integrative medical center in Washington DC.  There I ran the practice of one of the preeminent Lyme doctors in the country.  He figured out why I wasn’t healing and came up with a treatment plan that worked.  The treatment, while it worked, took its toll on me.  I didn’t use wisdom and failed to rest even through weeks of daily intravenous antibiotic infusions.  I never missed a day of work.  I never took a break.  I just kept pushing beyond my limits until the candle I was burning at both ends melted in the middle. 

I had to quit my job and we moved from DC to co-house with my parents in the lovely North Georgia Mountains where my family gave me a generous gift of a year off.  After six or seven years of illness, I gave myself the space to finish healing and God met me in that space.  I rested in the Spirit, sometimes laying in the woods right on the ground and just soaking up all that peace.  My hymns were birdsong and the gurgle of cascading streams.  The lush greenery of the mountains spoke to me of the life-giving power of God.  I truly let myself rest and my body, mind and soul responded by healing.

“Come to me, all you that 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.”

Let us pray,

Dear God, Here are your people.  Some of us are weary; and some are burdened with heavy hearts and concerns.  Help us turn to you and trust you and listen to the counsel your still, small voice whispers to our souls.  Gather us in to the safety of your embrace and give us rest.  Give us peace that we may walk with a lighter step and walk even closer with you throughout our week.  In Jesus’ name, Amen