14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
I Know Something About Heavy Burdens
Our reading from Psalm 145 begins with words that may be familiar. They speak of God’s grace and are often used as part of the assurance of forgiveness after a prayer of confession. This grace of God is then extended to all of creation and creation responds by giving praise to God. And then the closing words focus on God’s grace being a helping hand to those in need. Let us hear the word that God has for us in
Psalm 145:8-14
Last week we heard from Matthew about how Jesus was doing tremendous ministry throughout the countryside, in many villages and cities. Yet, the need continued to be great and Jesus commissioned the Twelve to go in his name, and he empowered them for their work. So good deeds are being done everywhere. You would think that when people saw good being done and how it impacted lives of people around them, and perhaps even their own lives, as well, that it would have made a difference in the choices they made. Doing good, showing love, being compassionate leads to others doing good, showing love and being compassionate. It’s like in the movie “Paying it Forward.” Except, too often in real life it doesn’t work out that nicely. It’s as if people are questioning, “Hey, if we allow all of this do-gooder stuff to continue, how will it really impact me? What will be the cost I have to pay? How will it impact my comfort and my quality of life?” So, too, Jesus’ ministry of compassion is met with opposition. It doesn’t matter what you do. If people feel the least bit threatened they’re going to question your motives, your actions, your intentions. That way the focus is taken off of them.
In our passage from Matthew, Jesus calls them out. He exposes their fear and hypocrisy. He then turns his attention to talking with God, which he follows with turning his attention back to those who are struggling, who feel the burdens of life. Let us listen for the word that God has for us in
Matthew 11:16-19,25-30
Over the past several years I have found that an important part of my preparation for preaching is to go to the Internet. There are a wide variety of web sites that offer reflections on the scripture selections from the lectionary. Some are written by scholars and theologians. Others are reflections by everyday preachers who are wrestling with the realities of their lives in their situations. With the reference in today’s passage about “those who are weary and are carrying heaven burdens,” I was struck by some of the situations I found in my readings yesterday.
One pastor is trying to balance concerns for a friend having an MRI for a possible brain tumor while preparing to do a Saturday afternoon wedding, all the while putting the finishing work on her sermon for Sunday.
A single minister is living in a church owned manse. The manse has a septic tank and plumbing that is old, old, old. So, she is having to move all her furniture and other stuff from one half of her house into the other half so that the workers can come in on Monday to do major tearing up in order to do major fixing up. Septic tank gases are not fun to live with.
Some are seeking to address the 4th of July Celebration. One pastor was reflecting on the notion of blessing. Many in our nation seek God’s blessings for our country. In the Bible, being blessed was often associated with becoming a blessing to others. Are we ready to live out the idea of being a blessing as we receive our blessing?
One preacher posted from her home in Australia. She is preparing for a Thanksgiving service, with the fall harvest festival and the beginning the winter break from school. Now that is something fun to explore -- reading posts from “down under.”
Moving from the South to the North, another entry reads: “What has been repeating through me this week is Jesus' invitation to rest. I serve in North Dakota where we have been experiencing epic, life-changing flooding this summer. Many of my brothers and sisters in Christ are exhausted and carrying heavy burdens. In walking with them, I hope they hear Jesus' invitation to them to remember to rest in God a little. :-)”
And another pastor writes: “On my mind this morning - friend Kirstin Paisley who died yesterday WAY too young. . . . it kind of brings a different sort of meaning to "all you who are weary."”
Through the magic of the Internet, I traveled to Kirstin’s blog page and found entries she had made before slipping into a coma from the advancing illness and medication to keep her comfortable. There were a couple more blog entries that were made by a friend, on her behalf. Kirstin was a 40 year old minister near Sacramento, California. Her ministry was with street people and homeless people. As a part of her larger ministry with them, she would take the Eucharist to a park where the street people could receive communion. Her intention was to do this until they are more accepted in the church. Her journey of fighting her cancer and then embracing this new part of her journey toward dying was simply remarkable. Her friend writes:
Yesterday, a group gathered here to celebrate the Eucharist with her, and to anoint her with the wonderful words written by her friend Margaret Watson:
"Thank God for your eyes which saw the world in Love; for your ears which heard the Word in Love; for your mouth which spoke truth in Love; for your shoulders which bore the burdens of the unloved for Love's sake; for your hands which worked unhesitatingly in Love; for your feet which walked under bridges and among the poor and suffering in Love; for your heart undone and remade without fear, for Love's sake; in the Name of the One whose Name is unutterable except in Love incarnate... the Name we all share through the imagination and work of the Spirit, in concert with the One who spoke Love in the very beginning..."
[Kirstin] woke to greet each person, to smile, to hold her hand over her heart in thanksgiving as I relayed message after message of love to her.
I am humbled to have stumbled upon the witness of someone who lived the love of Jesus so beautifully, even in her dying. And I am drawn back to the witness of Jesus loving people who are burdened and who are forgotten by the “good people” of the city.
Jesus invites those of us who are weary and burdened to take up his yoke. To me that sounds like adding burden on top of burden. A yoke is what is used to tie a beast of burden to another beast of burden so that together they can manage a bigger burden. That image isn’t working for me. But the metaphor of a yoke is also used to talk about a marriage. Now, all jokes aside, a good marriage is not, I repeat, is NOT a burden to be endured. So, maybe there is something in this image of a yoke that can be instructive for us.
The first thing I think about is how a yoke will restrict your activity. An ox who is properly yoked cannot simply go wandering where ever he chooses. If he sees a nice juicy patch of grass that entices him, he can’t simply wander over there to chomp down on a good meal. He is restricted by his commitment to the other ox and to the farmer. In a marriage, it’s less of a physical restriction as it is a moral restriction, and a choice. When I am enticed to go out and plop down a hefty chunk of money on a fancy new pick up truck I am constrained by my commitments to my marriage partner and to my family. Likewise, a single person who has enjoyed a single person’s life style may find herself making purposeful and conscious changes to accommodate her new marriage. The same is true when we yoke ourselves to Jesus by committing ourselves to be disciples. Our choices will change. As we purposely and self-consciously adjust our choices in behavior, after a while we find that our vision also changes. What used to entice us and seem so seductive loses it’s appeal and it’s power. So a yoke works by restricting our activity, and sometimes it is a self-imposed restriction that results from our understanding of a relationship that we value.
A second thing I think about is how a yoke also provides a purpose, a direction for our energy. Oxen are not yoked just for the fun of it. They are not tied together so that we are entertained by the struggle of each one trying to do something different and being frustrated - like yoking two cats. That would be plain cruelty. Animals that are yoked are ones who can learn to work in tandem. And as they are yoked together their energies are channeled for a purpose, a task to do. Applying this to a marriage, one task may be the mutual growth and well being of the marriage partners. Another task may be to provide a loving environment for the next generation of society to learn and grow. Perhaps another task would be for the couple to work together for the well being of their community. At the very least working in tandem with a partner reminds me that it’s not about me. It’s about us, and together it is about a larger US. And if I am yoked to Jesus in discipleship, and you are yoked to Jesus, and he is yoke to Jesus, and she is yoked to Jesus, then we are all yoked to each other. It’s not about me being happy or blessed. It’s about us working together to be a blessing to others. It’s about US working in tandem for the well being of the downtrodden, the burdened, the weary ones.
So here is my last comment about the yoke. When we take up the yoke of Christ, then we are taking up the Love of Christ. It is nothing else but love that binds us to Jesus and to one another. This love is not a romantic sentimentality. It is a genuine concern for others and a choice to show compassion. When a marriage moves beyond romantic sentimentality to a mutual interest and concern about the other then the two are discovering a true bond of love.
Kirstin, the minister to street people who died a couple days ago in California, knew something of this kind of love. By the testimony of her friends she took on the yoke of Christ as she saw the homeless as people, and as people who are loved. She had compassion. She demonstrated love by acting with compassion. And by the testimony of her friends, this yoke was not a heavy burden. Indeed it made other burdens a little easier. Even as she endured the “burden” of dying, her friends gathered around her to share the Eucharist. They gave thanks to God for the gift they had received through Kirstin. She responded with smiles, with gratitude, with grace. And even in her death she witnessed to the love of God that enfolded her.
When we take up the yoke of Christ we may, indeed find that our activity becomes more restricted. But it is destructive behaviors that are left behind. And when we take up the yoke of Christ we accept the burden of the love of Christ: that we are able to receive God’s love and that we are more able and willing to share God’s love. It is a burden of caring about others and acting with compassion. This burden is not heavy, as you may think, but it can indeed, make every other burden a little easier.
Let us pray.
Jesus, when you walked among us you sought to teach us about carrying the burdens of each other, to show kindness, to do acts of compassion. We are slow to learn. We are easily distracted by the seductions of the world. Help us to take up the yoke of your love that our lives may have new purpose, and truer direction. We pray in your gracious name. Amen.
Jess McCrosky
Orange Park Presbyterian Church
July 3, 2011
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