My Yoke Is Easy, and My Burden Is Light

Woman under yoke carrying wicker baskets. Photo by Basile Morin.

My Yoke Is Easy, and My Burden Is Light
by Heather Larson

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Rejection. Failure. How is it possible to stay joyful when our work does not succeed, and we feel rejected by those we try to serve?

Matthew 10 and 11 are good reading for Lent, when we’re reminded how hard and bitter this life can be. In these chapters, Jesus and his disciples do not have an easy season of ministry. Jesus sends them out with warnings about people trying to kill them, with predictions that families will split over him, with teaching about shaking the dust off their shoes in towns where they will be completely rejected. They hear that John the Baptist is feeling some doubts about Jesus. They hear that Jesus is being criticized as a glutton and drunkard. Then Jesus himself is deeply disappointed about the response in the towns where he has done miracles: people just are not repenting.

In the face of all this pain, however, Jesus does not just offer his presence. He does not just offer the comfort of a warm hug. He offers to teach them something. “Come,” he says, “…and learn from me…” What is it, exactly, that we weary disciples are supposed to learn? “Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart.” I think we are called to learn his attitude of heart, to become like him in our response to failure and rejection.

Jesus has just been performing miracles; he has been instructing and sending out teams of workers; he has been criticizing major religious leaders. So whatever “lowly in heart” means, it does not mean self-effacing, shy, and “nice.” His words in the passage just before this were far from “gentle.” He cursed the unrepentant cities and compared them to Sodom and Gomorrah. So what does he mean by “gentle and lowly in heart?” And how can this heart attitude help us deal with our struggles, failure, and rejection?

Throughout Matthew 10 and 11, Jesus does explicitly teach the disciples about what attitude to have. He tells them not to fear, because physical death isn’t destruction. He tells them not to worry about what to say, because it is the Spirit’s job to speak through them. He tells them to shake the dust off their feet and move on when they are rejected, because the response of the people is not their responsibility. Act, in other words, like you have nothing to lose. You have no need to avoid death; no ego to protect. Could “lowly in heart” mean “not self-protecting”? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had taught them to turn the other cheek. When someone takes your tunic, he said, give him your cloak. (Perhaps, in our context: when someone accuses you, don’t accuse back; when someone spurns your loving work, love again.) These are “lowly”—meek—actions, only possible if you have no need to protect yourself.

What does it feel like not to protect yourself? I read a book about play, this week. (Brown & Vaughan, Play, 2009) The authors made a case for play being a crucial part of human thriving: the situation in which we learn best, forge emotional connections best, have the creative breakthroughs that move the world forward, and receive a rejuvenation that seems to be almost as crucial as sleep. What is the essential precursor for a playful attitude? Not being afraid. Not being worried or needing to protect the self—knowing that “it’s just a game.” For most adults, those moments of fearless love are rare, and only occur when normal responsibilities are put aside for a special “game.” But maybe for adults who are living out the Sermon on the Mount—whose real treasure is fully in heaven and can’t be threatened–they are not so rare. I think Jesus felt real, deep disappointment over Capernaum and the other cities, but I think he also experienced his “yoke,” his work, as “light.” “Come to me,” he calls us, “…for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Reflection Questions:

  • When have you felt rejection and ministry failure? Are there feelings you need to take to the Lord today?
  • What do you find yourself protecting in those situations? Your image in others’ eyes? Your self-image? Your position? Financial security? What is it that makes earthly disappointments feel like a real threat?
  • Can you remember a time of working fearlessly and feeling as free as a child at play? Can you imagine your ministry “yoke” being as light and joyful as that?

 

3-17-19

Sunday Services at Muir: March 24
Stephens’ auditorium is undergoing renovations, so FOL will meet in the Muir Elementary School Auditorium today and next Sunday, March 24th.

Family Sunday Potluck: March 31
Our monthly potluck will be Sunday, March 31st, following the service at Stephens Middle School. Please sign up at the Info Table to bring a dish.

Middle School Brunch: March 23
Fay Mandalia and Chef Julie are hosting a party for FOL Middle School students on Saturday, March 23rd from 11am-2pm. Brunch will be provided at no cost. Please contact Cecilia Russell (russellcecilia@yahoo.com) to RSVP.

5000 Pies
If you’re looking for a way for you to use your gifts for the kingdom, 5000 Pies has some great opportunities to serve. From marketing, administrative details, tasks in the shop, etc., please email beckyteter@folcov.org.

Weekly Events

  • High School Group meets on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm
  • Middle School Group meets on Fridays at 7:00 pm.

Living the Lenten Life: For the Joy Set Before Us

Living the Lenten Life: For the Joy Set Before Us
by Pastor Dan Palomino

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

The realities of Lent are the realities of the Christian Life. The Lenten life is the Christian life in miniature. What keeps us going, then, when we choose a life of sacrifice, self-denial, and discomfort or when we are subjected to temptation and pain? Our reward is not in this life but in the life to come.

As we look to Jesus as our example we, too, can endure our “cross” for the joy that is set before us, even to be “seated with him in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 2:4-7). Through his intimate relationship with the Father, and by the power of God working in and through his humanity, Jesus not only endured a 40-day fast and the temptations that followed, but faced and overcame temptation that could have led him away from the Cross.

In our Lenten fast, and in the wilderness experiences we must endure, we also encounter temptations. We might be enticed by the easy way out, give into sinful desires, compromise our values or rationalize as to why it would be okay to break our fast, or not face challenges that loom before us. When things are especially difficult, we may even get angry with God. But in our anger, do we continue to trust God in the wilderness or do we turn away from him? (See the Book of Exodus for examples.)

At a time when Jesus shared some really hard words, many people turned away. Jesus asked his twelve closest disciples if they were going to leave as well. Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:60-71). They recognized that, even when he raises the bar of discipleship and things get really tough, Jesus is still trustworthy and true. Of course, they also gave into temptation and fear, faltering in their faithfulness to the Lord. I have as well, as I am sure we all have.

One major temptation working against us is that the world in which we live conditions us for instant and self-gratification with a parade of enticements that bring pleasure almost immediately. The “joy that is set before us” is far better than anything this world has to offer, but it is a joy we must wait for and cannot yet see with our eyes. Even more, we must endure the waiting in the midst of trials and challenges — the wilderness experiences that are a part of life this side of heaven. Even when things are not going the way we would like, or when we’re tempted to go a way that appears to be easier, we too must recognize and remember that Jesus was, is, and always will be true to his word.

By the grace of God we are blessed with many joys on this leg of the journey — joys that remind us of the presence and goodness of God, including the Holy Spirit at work within us! These blessings, coupled with the assurance of victory over death through the Resurrection — which we are reminded of every Sunday and especially at Easter — provide us a glimpse into the promised joy that is to come.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:

  • When faced with temptation, how do you overcome?
  • In what ways can you tap into the power of the Spirit to help you endure and turn away from sin or temptation rather than enter into it?
  • Where have you seen and experienced the blessings and faithfulness of God in the journey, even in (or especially in) the midst of trials?
  • In this season of Lent, or if in the midst of a wilderness experience right now, what are ways in which God is providing you with hope in which you catch a glimpse of the joy set before you?

A Lenten Discipline: Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day

 

A Lenten Discipline: Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day
by Cecilia Russell

Will I be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day during Lent? Absolutely!

Some people have big celebrations on Valentine’s Day, or Cinco de Mayo, or even the Fourth of July, but I grew up in an Irish family and St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, was our big day. I can understand why you might not want to “wear the green,” drink beer, and decorate with four-leaf clovers and leprechauns, but St. Patrick’s Day is part of my Lenten observance each year, no matter where it falls in relation to Easter. How does that even make sense?

The person we refer to as Patrick was born in Britain around 385 AD to a family of wealthy landowners. When he was 16 years old, he was captured by an Irish raiding party who sold him into slavery in Ireland. Patrick and his family were believers, part of the church in Britain. When his parents returned from a business trip in London, they learned that their only child and many of their servants were gone.

Patrick fasted and prayed day and night for six years that God would set him free. In a dream, God showed Patrick the way of escape, though it took him months to return home to his family. Patrick had barely arrived when he felt called to return to Ireland with the gospel. It took years of preparation and prayer, but Patrick lived out Matthew 19:29 when he left his father and mother and land for the sake of the gospel. Not only that but he and those he trained to come with him risked enslavement or death almost daily. They lived in poverty—sleeping on the ground or in small huts, often cold and hungry and soaked by the legendary Irish rain. When addressing an Irish king who threatened him with death, Patrick said:

But my King, Jesus Christ, told me to return here to bring you the good news of His kingdom. You see, it was my God who sent me to Ireland in the first place. He sent me here to learn your language and customs so that later I could return as His messenger to the Irish. And now I cannot keep silent about Him, for He has bestowed so many favors and graces upon me.

Patrick continued to fast and pray, this time for the salvation of the Irish. Because Patrick was faithful to his call, the majority of Ireland was converted to Christianity and many went out as missionaries themselves. The clans that make up my family—Anglicized as Whalen, Murphy, Lynch, Carroll and Graham—were from the very places Patrick lived and served. Because he brought the gospel to Ireland, Christian beliefs were handed down through many generations. Though I’d heard only parts of the Gospel and had religious tradition mixed in, it was the basis for my conversion to true faith in Jesus.

Patrick told his followers, “It’s important that no one give any devotion to me that should go to Christ.” I couldn’t agree more. March 17th is a day to reflect on God’s mercy towards me, a sinner who was as far from God as my pagan ancestors. Believers for centuries past have been faithful in preaching and (Saint) Patrick’s Day is my reminder, like Romans 10:14-15, to go and do the same.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Think about how you were brought into the Lord’s family. Give thanks to God for how he used others to bring you to a place of faith in him.

  • How might the Lord be calling you to deliver the Good News to others?
  • In what ways are you seeking to grow in the Word?
  • In what ways do you need to trust the Lord to empower you through his Holy Spirit?
  • To whom is God sending you (or has already sent you) to proclaim the Good News?
  • How are you striving to go deeper in Christ and further in mission?

Reference: Let me Die in Ireland: the True Story of Patrick by David Bercot

Living the Lenten Life

Living the Lenten Life
by Pastor Dan Palomino

Lent can serve to prepare us to follow Jesus in the same way that Jesus’ 40-day fast in the wilderness—followed by temptation from the devil—prepared him for his earthly ministry (Matthew 4). It’s no mistake that the devil waited until the end of Jesus’ fasting period to tempt him. This is when Jesus would be physically weakest due to lack of food and thus most susceptible to suggestion. But, if Jesus could withstand temptation under these circumstances, then he could overcome temptation under any circumstance. And Jesus certainly faced temptation throughout his earthly ministry.

Scripture highlights key moments in Jesus’ life in which he was tempted. When Jesus tells his disciples that he must suffer, be killed, and then be raised on the third day, Peter rebukes Jesus about the very idea of him dying at the hands of the religious leaders. Jesus recognizes and resists the temptation, responding to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me!” (Matthew 16:21-23) Later, as Jesus agonizes over the thought of going to the Cross, he prays (all the while having to deal with the disciples’ own temptations in the moment): “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:40-42). The temptation is real but the willingness to obey wins out. Jesus was prepared to face such temptations.

The Season of Lent is essentially a smaller version of the Christian Life lived out in this world of darkness. Rather than being a temporary 40-day fast from something, after which we just go back to “business as usual,” our Lenten fast should prepare us for a lifetime of sacrifice and self-denial in which we depend upon the power of the Holy Spirit to work in and through us. We have the very same power available to us that Jesus had in his earthly ministry (John 14:12-17). Just as Jesus’ fast prepared him for his earthly ministry, so must we allow our Lenten fast to prepare us for whatever plans God has for us.

God can use any wilderness experience to prepare us for ministry that he has in mind for us in the future. He also works to refine us in some way that will ultimately benefit us, others, and give glory to Jesus. I pastored a church from 2000-2008, after which God led me and my family to FOL. This became a wilderness experience for me as I was now without a ministry. I went through a period of grieving that loss, and with that grief came anger, confusion, fear, emptiness, and even a question of calling. God was faithful as I sought his wisdom and guidance, ultimately leading me to a new ministry in hospice and healthcare chaplaincy. During this time, God provided me with the training I needed. Combined with past preparation, experiences and spiritual giftedness, I am also able to serve in pastoral and premarital counseling, and in worship at FOL. God used my personal wilderness experience to prepare me for further ministry.

The season of Lent can and should further empower us to go deeper in Christ and further in mission for the long haul.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS FOR LENT: How can we allow Lent to prepare us for the ministry God has for us in any given season of our lives? Or, in what ways can we allow this time of Lent to refine us and grow us into godliness and Christlikeness? What can we learn from this time of Lent that can teach us what it really means to be a Jesus follower in this world well beyond the next 40-plus days?