Good morning and welcome… It’s a phrase we hear quite often but perhaps don’t think a lot about. In the Book of Common Prayer we hear it used a lot… “Come unto me all that labor and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.” It is a part of today’s Gospel reading and is used just before the Prayer of Consecration.
This is a good Gospel message to hear at this time of year when folks are gearing up for vacations or are winding down from perhaps a stressful time or circumstance. All of us labor at something, whether in the home or at work or even at play…most of us know about being heavy laden. That is when the trials and tribulations of life get to you. Perhaps it is during a time of illness, when coping day to day is difficult. If in hospital, it can be debilitating, as I have discovered in pastoral visits.
Or, perhaps the tribulation is at work, with a difficult contract. We have all lived through the postal strike and Air Canada negotiations. That was difficult on everyone, the staff and the businesses in the case of the mail and those who depend on the airlines as well as those who work for the airlines.
Tribulation can also come in relationships, whether it is dealing with the stress of separation in a family, or easing a marriage that been troubled or a relationship that has soured. It is stressful and difficult for all concerned. Then think of other tribulation—if you have been listening to the news or watching it on TV you can see the devastating effects of the flooding in Manitoba. I couldn’t believe the pictures I was looking at in places like Souris where the water is right underneath the swinging bridge. This, of course, is hard on everyone—homeowners and farmers and their families and local businesses are all affected.
Tribulation comes on a wider basis as well when we examine global conflicts and violence, especially the violence we see at home in our own neighborhoods. Then there is the tribulation that comes when life transitions occur—a new job is on the horizon, a parent making a decision to downsize to a smaller home or a nursing home or assisted living. Perhaps one of the more difficult transitions is losing a loved one through death. These tribulations all cause us to labor hard. There are many other tribulations that come to us in life and on our own we can labor hard to deal with them.
And so, into this comes Jesus who asks us to do one thing, to come to Him. This, my friends, is a conscious decision. No one can make another person decide for Christ, to invite Him to be a part of one’s life. This is a very personal matter. Even though we may be baptized, many of us when we were just infants, at some point we all need come to the understanding of this need to invite Jesus to be a part of our lives. This is made harder by the fact we are all humans with free will. We are not forced to come to faith. In the letter of Paul to the Romans, we hear more about why it is hard to come to faith.
“I do not do what I want, I do the very thing I hate,” says Paul, the great Apostle. “Now, if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But, in fact, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now, if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but it is the sin that dwells within me.”
If the Apostle Paul struggled mightily with sin, we cannot expect that we will do any better. Temptation is all around us. We fall into sin when we choose to do things contrary to God’s will, and we miss the mark so to speak, like the bullseye. We miss the centre. We sin and when we do, it can be very troubling and difficult to turn back to Christ.
Unfortunately, what sometimes brings us to Christ is crisis or turbulence. We labor hard. We face tribulation or crisis. We simply cannot cope on our own. That first step of turning to Jesus may be the hardest but it certainly pays off, as Jesus promised “I will refresh you.” Then, Jesus says this… “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” We can all learn something from this agricultural expression.
What is a yoke? For those who might not know, a yoke is used by farmers to train young animals. The yoke is a bar of wood constructed to unite two animals, in this case two oxen, the young and old. When yoked, the old ox will take the major load and the young ox learns from the older one. It is a way to allow the two animals to work in the fields, drawing loads and pulling instruments used for farming. This is a model for us for ministry. Often, when we first choose, or arrive in, a church, there is a tendency to want to get heavily involved. On our own, this can lead to quick burnout and disappointment. If we are not careful, some will choose to leave due to the stress this may bring on.
Instead, if we are “yoked” to more experienced members of the Church, those who have been in ministry for some time, and the task of ministry becomes easier. We all are called by Jesus into some kind of ministry. It is the responsibility of the church to ensure new folks are equipped and trained, whether it is a new choir member, or a new Altar Guild member or new ACW person or greeter or reader or any new task within the church. This is one of the reasons I wanted the chairs of various committees to write out their functions in a manual of sorts, so new members could follow along. It is also the reason the Worship Committee has helped me plan a Ministries Conference in October, where we will all learn about the various ministries in our midst—readers, greeters, servers, administrants, crucifers, acolytes, etc.
Being yoked with someone will make it easier, but this task is strengthened when the yoke is with Jesus. When we learn to put our full trust in Him, we begin to see that whatever weight we face in life is easier. When we learn to turn to Jesus in prayer and rely on the community of faith which is the Body of Christ we begin to mature and grow in faith.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, says Jesus. What do we learn? We learn how to love unconditionally. We learn that on our own we suffer, but with the help of Jesus burdens are lighter. We learn to forgive and we learn to accept forgiveness when it is offered. What was that saying in the Bible? We love because we were first loved. We learn by watching others in faith. The Bible says many in the early Church came to faith because of the deeds of the Christians… “Look at how those Christians love each other.” When we love, we are living the faith. The letter of Paul to Galatians Chapter 5 Verse 22, says this. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.” When you see these attributes working in someone you are seeing the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Jesus at work. The deeper we love, the more Christ-like we become.
“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.” What a wonderful image Jesus gives to us, to those who are weary, exhausted or burdened from carrying the load by themselves. What a comfort and joy to know that Jesus is with us, walking alongside us, teaching us and strengthening us on our journey of faith.
This summer, as you are out and about remember you are never alone. Remember that Jesus is as close as your breath and you can turn to Him in prayer. Remember to call upon Him in times of stress and remember that as Christians we are called to serve, to love and to go out into our neighborhoods with a message of love and faith.
This summer, may you find strength for your journey and rest for your souls as you rest in Jesus, and may He bless us all in the days ahead.
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