Dear Faith Family,
"Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest."
(Matthew 11:28)
Relief from the pains of our daily labors is an old desire. And I mean real, old. The first cry for rescue from the weight of work goes all the way back to Noah's father, Lamech, who (desperately?) hoped through his son for a way of life different:
"Out of the ground the LORD has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and the painful toil of our hands." (Genesis 5:29)
While Noah's living did not bring the full relief that his father longed for, God's just mercy through Noah, and Noah's subsequent gratitude, did restore something:
"Then Noah built an altar to the LORD... And when the LORD smelled the restful aroma, the LORD said in his heart, 'I will never again curse the ground because of man... Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you..." (Genesis 8:20-21, 9:9)
While work would not cease, and neither would pain in the toil, what would also not cease (8:22) would be the invitation for humanity to partner with God in their labors of making life, good. A covenant partnership that began with Adam (and Eve), was reframed with Noah (and his family), became the guiding vision of Abraham (and his descendants), was pedigolically reconstituted with Moses (and the people of Israel), which persisted through the heart of David (and his lineage), which found its fullness in the person and work of Jesus, and now is extended to all those who hear and respond to his invitation to rest through shared labor:
"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." (Matthew 11:28-29)
We, like Noah's father, long for relief from work and its weight, and we, like Noah, find that what Jesus provides for us is not, no work, but a shared load. More precisely, sharing Jesus' work, work, as the apostle Paul exhorts, which,
"He creates each of us in Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing." (Ephesians 2:10)
Your work, whatever it is that you do to make life, good--is where you will find rest for your soul. That is Jesus' invitation, isn't it? Not simply to rest from labor, but to find in our labors the rest, satisfaction. What keeps us from this rest? Well, as we discussed on Sunday, that is not a work issue, but a heart issue.
Work is a good design of God that does not wear life down but brings it (and all that we are in it) into rest: spiritual, mental, and bodily satisfaction. But, only if we learn to work with a heart like Jesus: "learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart" (Matt. 11:29).
What did not change in Noah's day, "the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen. 8:21), can change, must change, in Jesus' day (and all the days after): "But this is the new covenant... I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts..." (Jer. 31:33).
So, how do we begin to learn from Jesus, to share not only his work made for us, but also his heart? Here is how I encourage you to join me in getting to work this week.
1. (Re)Listen to Sunday's Sermon.
2. Consider: What labor & loads have I taken on that are not mine in Christ? What labors & loads are mine that I am trying to offload to others?
3. Attend: In what labors & loads has my soul experienced rest?
May we begin to find rest in our work this week.
Love you, faith family. God bless.