Lectionary 14; July 6, 2008; Bethel Lutheran Church, Rochester.
Matthew 11:16-19,25-30.

Dear Friends in Christ, Grace to you and Peace, from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. AMEN.


(slide 1) A young mother was describing a terrible day she had experienced. The washing machine broke down, the telephone kept ringing, her head ached, and the mail carrier brought a bill she had no money to pay. Almost to the breaking point, she lifted her one-year-old into his highchair, leaned her head against the tray, and began to cry. Without a word, her son took his pacifier out of his mouth and stuck it in hers. It goes with the pressures of modern life. Some of us are stressed out and we are tired. Some of this is due to work. Studies show we’re working harder than ever. As a result many of us are not getting enough sleep. This is true for young people as well as adults.

And it seems to be getting more and more ridiculous. It is reported that the Mall of America is now offering the opportunity to take naps by the minute at the Power Nap Sleep Center. It costs $.70 a minute to enjoy a time of relaxation in one of their themed rooms which feature art and soothing music. Weary shoppers are expected to enjoy a time of refreshment in privacy, rather than napping on the benches with shopping bags tied to their feet.

I will be the first to admit that I am not a power shopper. But is this going a bit far? I just can’t see myself saying, “Kathy, I’m off to the mall to get a new suit, check out some sports equipment, and take a power nap.” I know that some people spend all day at the Mall of America, but taking a nap? I guess I’ll have to wait for the day that they put up cots at the back of Menard’s.

But sleep deprivation is probably not our biggest issue, either today, or in Bible times. We’re like an old Peanuts comic strip. It shows Linus holding on to his familiar blanket. The caption reads, “Only one yard of flannel stands between me and a nervous breakdown.” Some of you know what Linus is talking about.

(slide 2) Jesus says to Linus and to all of us, “Come to me, all you who 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.” Jesus wants to make life not only tolerable, but meaningful for everyone. He has come to give abundant life, not abundant burdens.

And those burdens seem to be many in every generation. (slide 3) We have mental and emotional fatigue to accompany physical fatigue. Often they go together. A week ago a Canadian newspaper lamented the horrible situation of the nursing profession in Canada. Because there is such a shortage of nurses, in part because of a cutback in the 1990’s to their national health care system, last year Canadian nurses worked 18 million hours of overtime—the equivalent of 10,000 jobs. A registered nurse named Heather Cross said, "There’s a lot of stress in the workplace," she says. "We’re doing the work of more than one person . . . it leads to physical fatigue and emotional fatigue."

And, of course, there is the constant topic of the cost of gasoline which, in turn, leads to higher costs for all kinds of things. People are in a tizzy these days.

Pastor Lloyd John Ogilvie tells a delightful story about speaking to a group of adults in his church. This group met in the home of one of the members. In order to express a warm welcome to their pastor for speaking to their group, the class reserved a special parking place for Ogilvie’s car. A beautiful, gothic lettered sign read, “Please reserve for Dr. Ogilvie.”
After his talk, Ogilvie and his host walked out to Ogilvie’s car. “Why not take the sign with you? You may need it,” the host said warmly. Ogilvie thanked him and put the sign in the front seat of his car.
The next morning when he left home early for a breakfast meeting, a humorous idea popped into his mind. His wife, Mary Jane, was still asleep. He crept back into the house, went to their bedroom, and without waking her, put the sign in their king sized bed, “Please reserve for Dr. Ogilvie.” When she found the sign, she called him at his office with affectionate laughter in her voice. She was glad, she said, that a place in their bed was reserved for him.
Later, after a night in which he found it difficult to sleep because of some concerns, his wife added eight words to the sign and put it in the bed while he showered the next morning. When he returned to the bedroom, this was the message he read on that sign: “Reserved for Dr. Ogilvie to sleep trusting the One who never sleeps!”

(slide 4) We worry about so many things that belong to God. We are always trying to fit into the world. But when we are yoked to Jesus we no longer have to prove to the world that we belong. Many of us have a vast insecurity in our hearts about our own self worth. This insecurity makes every task we handle more difficult. Often we expend an enormous amount of energy trying to be something we are not.

Today, scores of Bethel youth will be going to Confirmation camp. It is a time to learn about God’s word and about themselves. Sometimes campers decide that they will try to be different people for a week and try something new. They put aside the pressures of being who they are in their school or home. Sometimes they try out an identity of what it means that God has created them to be his children. They will learn about God’s great love—a love that has gone all the way to the cross. Perhaps they will learn something about finding rest in a God who loves them.

Do you recall a time in your life when you were overly burdened? It could have been school work and tests that didn’t stop. It could have been a scrape with the law. It could have been a doctor’s diagnosis. It could have been almost anything.

And then you came into the presence of one who loves you. That one opened his or her arms—a parent, a friend, a spouse. And the pressures melted away—at least for a time. Jesus wants to be those open arms. Jesus wants to replace your heavy burden with his lighter yoke. A yoke, you know, often has two places for oxen. Jesus’ lighter yoke has two spaces. And your partner in the yoke is none other than the one who wants to lighten your burden. Who would you rather have pulling with you than the one who has died and risen for you?

(silde 5) When we are yoked with Jesus, surely there are some responsibilities. There is no relationship that comes without some responsibilities. Among them are caring for the poor, loving the neighbor, worshiping God, using our gifts wisely. The list is as long as our imagination and our calling.

But the yoke has tremendous benefits beyond responsibilities. That yoke includes the love of Christ. That yoke includes being accepted by Christ. That yoke includes being forgiven by Christ.

You are exhausted. You are alone. You are fearful, and you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. And there is one who looks lovingly in your eyes and says, “Let me help you with that.”

“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.” AMEN.