Christmas comes at the darkest time of the year, as well as at the end of the year; a time when people want to take time and celebrate to get through the short days and long nights. This is partly why this time of year was chosen to celebrate the birth of Jesus as a time to bring light and hope into the world. It has become a time to celebrate with gifts and meals together, with parties and special church services filled with Christmas music and manger scenes. But when you come to the end of a year, we also discover that in the year, some of us have had too many opportunities to experience loss, brokenness and hurt, making celebrating really hard to do. We need a place where we can admit that life is hard and we’re not always able to keep a smile on our face or a song in our hearts unless it’s a lament.
It’s
times like these that Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11 is so needed, “Come to me, all you who are
weary and burdened, 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 loss of loved
ones, the loss of jobs, the inability to be with grandparents and parents
because of the pandemic, the feelings of anxiety and worry all come together to
weight down our hearts and souls, making it hard sometimes to even go from day
to day, never mind trying to find the energy or desire to celebrate and sing
happy joyous Christmas songs that don’t connect at all to where we are at. We
need a safe place to simply say, “The world is too dark for me to celebrate
right now.” Jesus knows this and invites us to come to him and just rest.
Life
can be hard and sometimes we run out of strength or energy to keep
on going as normal. We get it that that others won’t understand because they’re
not in the same place we are, so we keep the pain buried where it sits and
slowly grows deeper. Tonight, Jesus invites you to take whatever is in your
heart and life and give it all to him. You may not feel strong enough, but he
is. Jesus understands your loss, your weariness, your hurt and he says, “give it all to me and I will give you rest.” Rest in
Jesus tonight, be honest with him about all that’s going on inside, he’s giving
you this place tonight as a safe place to mourn instead of celebrate, to cry
instead of laugh, to rest instead of run.
I
hear the echo from Psalm 46, “Be still and know that I am
God.” While life may be more than we can handle at times, God is always
strong enough to carry our stuff, Jesus is strong enough to take our stuff onto
himself so we can rest. This is why Jesus came to earth as a child to Mary so
many years ago, so that he could learn the joys and the struggles of life, so
we can come to him knowing that he understands and cares. God calls us to be
still so we can experience his soothing presence, his fatherly arms close.
Jesus
invites us to take his yoke, we hear an offer from Jesus to come
alongside us, to help with the burdens. Yokes helped pairs of oxen to pull
together, Jesus invites you to come close to him with your burdens and be yoked
beside him and he will help you carry your burdens. You don’t have to do it on
your own. Jesus understands how hard it can be to carry loss, brokenness and
hurt and how it can wear you away.
This
is also why Jesus tells us that he is also the light of
the world;
that as we rest in him, he shines his hope and healing into our hearts, souls and
minds. Jesus comes into our darkness as a light shining on the front porch of
the house, a beacon that pierces through the darkness as a guide to safety, as
a sign that home is not far away. Jesus fills us with his Spirit to guide us
towards the light as a companion on the way to take us to his rest. This
Christmas season, may Jesus’ light pierce your darkness and fill you with his
rest, hope and peace.
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