“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.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

(the following was published in the St James PlainDealer, 4/30/2020 edition) 

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen

We are tired. We are tired of waiting; tired of watching the latest news reports and statistics; tired of doing things differently; tired of fear and anxiety. We are tired.

Many yearn to go back to the ‘way it was,’ forgetting the complaints we had prior to the ‘way it is.’ Now, experiencing our current weariness, we view our previous weariness with nostalgia.

Human beings are funny creatures. In winter we complain about the cold. In summer we complain about the heat. We can always focus on something less than desirable in the present and remember something more desirable from the past. Even the Israelites managed to recall their time of slavery and oppression in Egypt through eyes of nostalgia while wandering the desert.

There is weariness in every time and in every place and always has been. The disciples experienced weariness. They were tired of being rejected; tired of being confused; tired of waiting. Christ said to them, “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.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

No matter what the cause for the weariness, the ability of Christ to carry those burdens remains the same. Christ carries your weariness and gives you rest. Christ carries your burden of sin and death to the cross. He frees you by the resurrection. His yoke is new life. Jesus places that yoke upon you and gives you rest – now and forever. Amen.