Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 on biblegateway.com
Verse 16"But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, Verse 17'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.' Verse 18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon'; Verse 19the 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."
Verse 25At 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; Verse 26yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. Verse 27All 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. Verse 28"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Verse 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Verse 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Devotion
It was a quiet afternoon in my first parish when this newbie pastor answered the phone. On the other end was the local funeral director asking me to go tell Alma that her husband had been killed in an auto accident. As I drove to the farm, I realized the accident had occurred not too far from the farm. Such heavy traffic on the farm road was not a common thing, but I realized that traffic had been rerouted right past Alma and Elmer’s house. Young, nervous, and literally trembling, I was searching for words to say. I drove in, breathed a hurried prayer, and knocked on the door. Emerging from the other side was Alma. Without me saying a word, she looked up and said, “It’s Elmer, isn’t it?” The traffic rushing past the house, Elmer late from work, and the pastor showing up unannounced in the late afternoon were enough. And then how freeing were her words and the invitation of Jesus, “Come to me.”
Prayer
Lord, give us your yoke. Let us take it upon us and learn from you. Give us rest and free us from all that wearies us and weighs us down. Amen.