Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish. Our Church Services today are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' and 11 am at St Thomas'. If you are unable to be with us in person, you can find today's Gospel reading, a reflection and prayers below.
Our first hymn this morning is "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Rest for the Weary
Jesus said to the crowd, “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.’
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the 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.”
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; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All 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.
“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.”
Reflection
One could be forgiven for thinking that Jesus is having a good old moan here, but He is engaging the crowd based on what He sees in the behaviour of the Scribes and Pharisees. It seems that whoever God sends and whatever they do – it’s just not right. I’m sure you’ve heard or even used the phrase, “whatever I do is just not good enough”.
Here Jesus points out, that the learned and so called wise people, rejected John the Baptist because he was rough, austere and kept preaching about the need for repentance in order to be saved. So the powers that be claimed that John was a lunatic possessed by demons.
On the other hand, they didn’t accept Jesus either. He claimed to be a rabbi, but he was too soft on those that the wealthy and elite looked down upon. He socialised with the poor and the sinners and told them that their sins could be forgiven. So they branded Him as a glutton, a drunkard and a blasphemist.
I’ve mentioned in previous reflections that part of the problem in Jesus’ time was that the Pharisees and lawmakers took the basic 10 Commandments, and added so many other rules and interpretations that it made it almost impossible for the common people to comply. The law was more or less used as weapon or a straight jacket to trap the poor or less educated folk. They didn’t like it when Jesus came along and effectively said, look guys don’t make this so hard, it all boils down to how you behave towards God and each other. Don’t worry about how many steps you’ve walked on the Sabbath, or if feeding your animals on the Sabbath is wrong, just love God and love your neighbour! The rest will take care of itself.
He is not telling them to break the law but He is reiterating what’s most important. It’s about living in the spirit of the law.
Jesus takes time to reflect and pray to the Father, as perhaps we should all do when we are frustrated, and as part of His prayer, He describes what God is doing to reach out to the ordinary folk. Therefore, when Jesus says, “ 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;” , He is not ‘literally’ referring to children or infants. God is reaching out with grace and mercy to those who are not necessarily deemed wise or intelligent by human standards. God is reaching out to those who are wise by His standards. Those who, like infants, have an open and trusting mind, who are willing to be led by Jesus and His teachings. People who are willing to believe and trust in the kingdom of Jesus and what it stands for. People who are willing to be nourished and fed by Jesus just as an infant would be fed and nourished by its parents.
Jesus goes on to offer to share our burdens and give us rest: "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
I wonder what burdens you have? We all lead such hectic and busy lives full of turmoil and stress. For many it seems that everything is so urgent these days, especially as most things are instant in our online or ‘app’ based world. When communication was by letter, we would read it and give ourselves space to think before acting, maybe even leave it until the weekend until we have more time. But nowadays it seems like we are expected to respond immediately to everything, even if it’s just to send a smiley emoji, when someone shares a picture of their dinner or cat. More importantly there are the endless worries that face us, maybe financial, work related or about health matters.
However, if we make time to rest and make time for Jesus, He will always be there for us. Obviously, I’m not saying that all the pressure in our lives will miraculously be sorted overnight, but, when we take time out and share our thoughts and worries with Jesus, and invite Him into our lives, he will come alongside us and help heal and lift our stress.
It may take time and it won’t be easy, but if we keep ourselves surrounded by Jesus, the source of life, we will be healed. And when we are healed, we will experience the love, peace, hope and rest that Jesus can bring.
Jesus uses the metaphor of Oxen sharing the burden when they are linked by a yoke. He is inviting us to come to Him so that He may take some of the weight off our shoulders and give us rest.
Jesus’ easy yoke is not an invitation to an easy, carefree life, but it does offer some relief from our man-made burdens and enables us to take a little rest. As the saying goes, ‘A trouble shared is a trouble halved.’ If we accept the promise that Jesus offers and let Him dwell in us we will feel the load lighten through His grace and compassion. Paul
Our Prayers
Loving Father, thank you that you love and care for us all.
In our hectic lives, let us never forget to make some space for you.
Lord, you are always willing to listen to us
and surround us with your healing power.
As we take time to talk and pray with you,
we ask you to dwell in us
and lift some of the burden we bear.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "The Lord Bless You and Keep You"
