Skip to main content

The Assurance of Sabbath Rest

"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.”

The evening news stresses my soul.

I watch the 6 O'clock news and the 8-10 O'clock analysis and commentary of major events including on-location of the Ukraine War.

It's possible to disconnect from the evening news by pushing a remote button and watching "Jeopardy".

For me, that's irresponsible discipleship because I would also be disconnecting from those weary and carrying heavy burdens such as the traffic director on a road crew in the summer heat or the undocumented worker in a Florida citrus grove.

After all, Jesus taught the disciples, the weary ones were the sick and the lame, the lepers and demon-possessed, the tax collectors and sinners, the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, and the persecuted.

Ordinary folk labored wearily under the weight of their low social position within the Roman society based on secure wealth, status, and power at their expense. 

"Take my yoke upon you," Jesus says, and you will find rest.

Jesus' invitation is an assurance for the ordinary folk laboring wearily to find rest for their souls.

For Jesus, rest was an image of salvation, of what the world will finally look like with God’s purposes enjoying complete Sabbath.

Under Roman occupation, yokes were laid on the necks and shoulders of oxen, prisoners of war, and slaves.

Jesus is offering a liberating yoke: the assurance his teaching and way of discipleship, are life-giving, not oppressive.

Taking up Jesus' yoke is joining God’s kingdom of justice, mercy, and compassion breaking into this world, and finding the sabbath rest for which the soul longs.

Life yoked to Jesus under God’s grace and mercy, frees the burden of sin and the need to prove oneself.

The assurance of the Sabbath is resting deeply and securely in God’s grace.

Think about it: What is truly restful? What spiritual practices help you put down your burdens?


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grantchester's Warning

"But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, the owner would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (from Luke 12:32-40 ) I regularly watch Grantchester; a murder mystery set in 1950s England. The main characters are a local detective and an Anglican priest who, as a team, solve mysteries set in the town. Two aspects of Grantchester impress me. First, the simplicity of the 1950’s police communications done by a landline phone and not cell phone. Second, the simplicity of daily life with little television and fewer possessions allowing the characters to focus on their vocation of detective and priest. This simplicity is more than a nostalgic return to the “good old days”. Instead, it’s a Shaker type of simplicity where austerity allows freedom from distractions to focus on worship and community. Today’s distraction-filled world has seemingly countless activ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Walking with God

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. (from Ps.103:1-8 ) Thomas Merton, American Trappist monk, writer and theologian, once asked himself a question he immediately answered:   How does an apple ripen? The apple, by simply being in the sun, fulfills its purpose of ripening, The apple doesn't try to ripen faster, it simply allows the sun to do its work.   There is nothing it can do to ripen itself. It can’t do workouts, tighten its muscles and then suddenly be a red, ripened, juicy apple in the morning. The apple just hangs on the branch in the sun, naturally ripening, where it receives its daily nourishment. This is the basic plan for how Christians ripen in their relationship to God. The difference is that Christians don’t naturally ripen in their relationship to God, we have to place themselves where we can be nourished. The beginning place of nourishment I find most helpful is the Guide to Prayer For All Who Walk With God. The daily walk in the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jesus, Deliverance, and Demons

"Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind." (from Luke 8:26-39 ) Astrid is a streaming program I often watch. The plot is a basic cops and robbers action until the criminal is caught. The uniqueness of the program is Astrid, who is on the Autism spectrum, is brilliant at solving puzzles including connecting clues to solve the crime. Watching this program has given me a more profound insight to people living with this condition and their acceptance in society. My first-hand experience with children on the Spectrum was driving a Special Needs school bus for 6 years. With this experience, I can imagine the life the possessed man was experiencing, especially living among the tombs, bound with chains and shackles, having to live in the wilds. It was no wonder he cried for mercy. Jesus, with his power and mercy, cast the demons out and even...
Post a Comment
Read more