WATCHWORD:
28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Speak to the people of Israel, When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt, 7 he shall confess his sin that he has committed.[b] And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong. 8 But if the man has no next of kin to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for wrong shall go to the Lord. Numbers 5:5-8
Meditation:
Come to Me, All You…
Have you ever extended that broad invitation of Jesus to anyone? You know, “Come to me all you who are burdened and I’ll take it from you…” or words to that effect. Have you told someone ‘you can always call me, anytime, day or night’. Did you mean it? (Riiiing, riiiing — I know it’s 2:30 a.m., but I just couldn’t sleep and, you know, you said I could always call anytime. Well, here I am. Can’t sleep. What do you think about the pandemic? Think it will go away? How about the vaccine? You going to take it? My legs are feeling a little weak, do you think I’m coming down with Covid?) So, did you really mean it when you told your friend he could call, anytime, for any reason?
Well, here’s the deal, when Jesus said “come, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest”, He meant it–no conditions, no restrictions. That’s what He is about. That’s who He is. Jesus appeals to us to bring Him those things that burden us down, that keep us in sin. Often times those burdens are related to sin and we are not designed to live with sin comfortably. Oh, we think we can do it for a time, and then it just gets too heavy. You know the weight of our worries is often too much for one person to carry alone. But, guess what? Jesus wants them all.
In his book, Give It All to Him, Max Lucado pens this letter to Jesus:
Dear Jesus, I’ve been carrying around sacks of shame, worry, pain, resentment, and failure for too long. I have tried to live with the guilt and the hurt, but they’ve grown too heavy. My arms ache. My heart grieves. I can’t move forward any longer. I realize that freedom begins not only by confessing my sin but by giving it to you. Once my sins are released from me to you, then you take my burden to the Cross and there dispose of it. Forever. I once carried failure, but now I have forgiveness. I once carried hate, but now I have hope. I once carried fear, but now I have freedom. Thank you for removing the garbage of my life. No longer is my life the same ol’ story. Now there is a new beginning. I am free because it is all in your hands. Amen
There is a difference between accepting Christ as Lord and Savior of your life, and truly trusting Him with your life. There’s a difference between surrendering the worry, fear, and guilt of your life to Him, and letting it go. Turning your back on all those things and trusting that He will carry that load to the cross and dispose of it forever, and we walk free.
The symbolism of His birth it’s just around the corner. This is the Christ Child that has become the center part of our faith. Trusting in Him gives us a new, clean lease on this life of ours. What do you say? Let’s trust Him with it all. Let’s give it all to Him. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
The Four Stages of Man
- He believes in Santa Claus
- He doesn’t believe in Santa Claus
- He dresses up as Santa Claus
- He looks like Santa Claus
Closing Prayer:
Father, I pray that you will turn our hearts toward you as Christmas approaches. Let us not get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season this year and miss the chance to celebrate the gifts of hope, peace, joy, love, that you sent to us on that first Christmas. That first Christmas, you gave us the gift of hope wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. Thank you, Father, for your immeasurable gift. In Jesus’ precious name, we pray. Amen.
