Update: When Will We Be Open Again?

When will we be open again?

Good afternoon!

As you are likely aware, last week the provincial government made a provision available for churches to begin to meet again in person. For many of us, that decision was met with excitement as we long to be together again. The last few months have been difficult on all of us. Many of you have been asking “when is the church going to open up?”

Last week, I promised you that I would have a plan available to you for this week. After meeting with staff and with ministry council, we do have an update ready to share.

Let me start by saying that we love you all, and we miss you all. We look forward to seeing you again.

Let me also say that we are living in unprecedented times where information is changing frequently and readily.

Because we love and care for you, because we are concerned for your well being, and because we have a desire to keep you and our community safe, our physical church building will remain closed for the near future for the purposes of Sunday gatherings. Our decision was made based on the information that we have been currently given. This could quickly change as regulations and restrictions change, but as of this point we will continue to provide online services streaming through Facebook and our website, as well as broadcast on Wightman Channel 6.

There were many factors that played into our decision, but let me share with you some of the rationale behind us not physically meeting as of yet:

1) Last Wednesday, I was in a video call hosted by Dr. Ian Arra with 100 other church pastors and faith leaders in the Grey Bruce region. In the video call, Dr. Arra affirmed the role that the church plays in the mental, emotional, and spiritual health of people in these times. He also stated that the safest way for people to engage with church is online if possible. Meeting in a crowd, even with proper protection, still carries a level of risk.

2) We would not be able to participate in the aspects of the service that we hold dear. The health unity has requested that singing would not be allowed due to the concern that singing is as bad as (or worse than) coughing. Also, communion would not be allowed to happen due to the risk of transmission. As well, there would not be the opportunities to mingle and connect with people before or after the service as we would have to adhere to social distancing protocols.

3) There are many other churches in our denomination that I have been in contact with that are over a certain size that have decided that they will likely wait the summer out and not push to re-open until September.

4) Within Hanover, a large number of the churches have expressed recently that they will also be holding off on opening as late as the fall by request of their denomination or church council.

5) Upon conversations with a few different sources within the medical field, a common theme expressed was concern of the church opening too quickly and potentially introducing a large number of people to an infection that has not disappeared yet and could be on the brink of a second wave.

6) Our building does not have the capacity to hold everyone who may want to be back at this time. Rather than having to say who can and can not be here, we feel it is better to wait until we can all come together as a family and worship together.

What I do offer, with a word of caution, is the freedom, as long as you can do so while observing proper social distancing measures, is the ability to get together in casual, unofficial groups of 10 or less at your homes, or in your front and back yards to participate in the service, doing so as a community.

I understand and acknowledge that this will come as a bit of a disappointment for many. We have all been looking forward to being able to meet again. Last Monday, it probably felt like a glimmer of hope had returned!

Please know that while these are not ideal times, we also make this decision as followers of Jesus, seeking to set for our community an example of respect and submission to the authorities over us. Romans 13 tells us that this is a good thing for us to do, and that it acknowledges the authority of the God who placed them there.

Also, please know that this decision was not made out of fear. We are not fearful of the days that are ahead because we believe our God knows the past, present, and future. We know that nothing takes Him by surprise, and that He can turn even the most difficult and stressful situation and bring something of amazing beauty and wonder out of it. While we are inconvenienced right now and our routines are further turned upside down, we can confidently believe that as we follow God in this, He will bring something amazing out of this time.

Also, while it is hard not to meet in our church building, we are reminded that we are the Church. The Church is built by God. The building is only a man-made structure where we meet. Wherever and however the people of God meet together to worship Him, there the church is.

The encouragement and challenge to us today is to find creative ways to continue to be the Church.

Sunday Live Stream: Are We There Yet? Serve (Part 2)

Are We There Yet?

Serve Pt 2

Matthew 25:31-40

Thanks to all of you who have sent in your road trip stories so far.  I have one I have received that I would like to share with you today, where I am sure at least one person was asking “Are we there yet??”

“I was 9 or 10, and my parents were recently divorced. My cousins had a trailer across the border in a small town called Birch Bay. It was my week with my dad, and I was invited to spend a couple of days with them.  We were waiting in line at the peace arch border crossing, which is one of the busiest in BC going into Washington state. Dad was in the front driving, and I was sitting behind him in the back coloring…or ummm writing letters. I decided to write “HELP” and hold it up to the window while waving at the cars beside us. Unbeknownst to my dad, the car beside us alerted border patrol, which caused us to get pulled over and put in separate rooms, and interrogated separately. They thought my dad was abducting me and fleeing the country. After about 3 hours of interrogation, a phone call to my aunt to confirm we were indeed going to her trailer, and a phone call to my mom to confirm that yes my dad does have permission to cross the border with me, we were free to go. From that point on, I was never allowed any writing utensils while traveling with either parent.”

I am sure that dad was asking “are we there yet??”…

As a church, in this age of COVID, isolation, and all the other oddities of it, some of us are asking the same thing. Life as the church has been completely turned upside down.  We can no longer do what we were doing, and we keep hearing that when things do relax, everything could look different for us.  It feels like a crazy journey.  Who would have thought six months ago that church services would be completely digital? How many of you thought it would be accepted to sit on the couch sunday morning, in your PJs, with a coffee, participate virtually in our gathering with many other families who were doing the exact same thing?  Who would have thought that in a matter of a couple weeks, all of our ministry plans would be turned upside down?  

In the midst of all the crazy journey that is the church in this COVID era, what can we hold on to?  Is there something about our life as a family that remains constant regardless of what is going on around us? Well, God’s plan for us is steady.  We believe that He is asking us to be Generations Following Jesus Together.  I am not going to unpack that this week, but if you want to know more about what that means, check out the last few Sundays.  We believe this is achieved as we Gather, Grow, Give, and Go. We spent a fair bit of time talking about the first two.  I want to again look at the third mission value: Give.  

Last week we talked about how when it comes to serving others and giving of ourselves, God gives so you can give it away! God gives everyone abilities, talents, and resources so that we can invest in the lives of the others, and in doing so bring God honour, and build His Kingdom here on Earth. This week we are talking about how:

Faith and humble service go hand in hand

These two things truly are are the perfect pair. They go together naturally. When we think of faith, we should also think of humble service being an expression of it.

Please turn to Matthew 25:31-45.  I want to give you some context. This passage is written in the setting of the church age.  What this means is that Jesus’ earthly ministry is done has left Earth to be in Heaven with the Father. He has left His Holy Spirit to empower and commission followers to do His work while He is gone, to be the church.  Like parable in prior section we looked at last week of the master who takes a trip and gives his servants responsibility over his wealth while he is gone, Jesus is gone but coming back at some point, and wants to see when He returns that His Church is carrying on His work, in His absence.  This sets the tone for the next passage – what we are about to read is what Jesus expects of His Church.

Matthew 25:31-33
1) Jesus looks to the intentions of the heart
The context here is future, when Jesus comes back to give final judgement for humanity and usher in eternity. He says that all the nations will come, and then He will separate the people, much like the shepherd separating the sheep and the goats.   Important because:  i) Goats and sheep would be in same flock, and would need to be separated as they were put in the fold to rest ii) Goats and sheep resembled to the point that only shepherd could see difference. There was something beyond the surface that they shepherd had to look to.  It is similar to how only God can judge our heart and truly see if we are His. Only He can see the motivations behind what we do. Jesus looks to the intentions of the heart.

In the Bible, followers of Jesus are called sheep.  As He prepares to judge humanity, sheep sit at the right, and goats at the left. That is important because right is always sign of blessing and the left is a sign of conflict and curse. There was something at a heart level that separated them as sheep, which allowed them to be on His right hand side. Is there something that sets you apart at a heart level?  What is it that Jesus can see at a heart level that separates you as a sheep?

What characterizes those who are sheep?

Matthew 25:34-40
2) The compassion you show reveals the nature of your faith
Jesus teaches that compassion and faith have to go together. Jesus invites those who are sheep to enjoy the eternity of the Kingdom that God had designed and intended for them to enjoy since before time began. Then He lists why they have proven themselves to be sheep.
Notice the characteristics that Jesus lists. They were not overly or overtly religious (such temple visits, observing religious traditions, or observance of ritual and laws – all be it very important. Jesus adhered to those same laws, rituals, and traditions).  It was the everyday stuff. It was the stuff that came as they loved their neighbour as themselves because they loved God.  It was the care and compassion stuff (food, drink, clothing, hospitality, visiting those in need).

Notice also how natural it was, and how every day it was for them.  They didn’t do it because Jesus was there watching, or because He was specifically the beneficiary.  Quiet and humble service was the right and natural thing to do as followers of Jesus.  Jesus tells them that they fed Him, clothed Him, showed Him hospitality, and visited Him. Note their response in VS 37: “When did we see you?” They were so busy doing what came natural, and they didn’t do it because they saw Jesus as the physical beneficiary.

Yet Jesus says something: you may not have saw me, or thought of me as the beneficiary. But I was.  Whatever you do the least, you do for me.  The compassion you show reveals the nature of your faith.  How they lived was important.  It said a lot about their love for God.

Was Jesus teaching that in order to be accepted by God, it was all about their own good deeds? Was He teaching a works-based gospel?  No.  He was not contradicting the heart of the Gospel, and what would soon be written in Eph 2:8-9.  Instead, He was confirming something similar to what His brother James would soon write in James 1:27, 2:14-17.  The idea that Jesus was teaching was that their faith (what brought about a saving relationship with God) was based on grace, mercy, and choosing to place their trust and belief in Him.  Yet the reality of their faith would find expression in their actions.  

Who were the “least of these”, the ones that we should even be willing to serve even though it may not be comfortable, or be the people of prestige, position, and influence? There are different ideas among scholars. Some think that this refers to fellow believers who are in need. I agree with other scholars who tend to think it is a reflection on those who were marginalized, outcasts, the lowest of the low.  The ones that no one else would associate with.  In those days, they would be the poor, the disabled, the lepers, Gentiles, women.  This interpretation reflects the ministry and heart of Jesus, where it seems Jesus did the most ministering and had the deepest compassion.
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What is the application to us as a church in 2020? Your faith is not measured by how often you attend church, how much $$ you give, how much you read, how much you pray. Yes we need all these spiritual disciplines.  They are valuable and are of crucial importance to help you grow in your faith.  But where the rubber meets the road, where we see the outward proof of your inward faith is in your acts of compassion and love for others.  Faith and humble service go hand in hand.  The compassion you show reveals the nature of your faith. 

How can we exercise compassion and love to the least of these?  Who can we serve? HMC is trying to grow in this within our community. We see this evidenced by our involvement with Hanover Heights School, the warming center and use of our showers, gift bags given to some of our seniors, annual gift baskets at Christmas to those in the hospital, and our food pantry.  How can the universal church be better? How can we personally be better on a global and local level? We have to stop thinking of those in need with an “us” and “them” mindset. We need to be willing to step out of our comfort zones, especially when it is inconvenient to show compassion, care, and love.

How will the church be relevant moving ahead?  What sorts of things will impact the community at large for Him?  Yes, our meetings are important to us and to our spiritual growth. But at the ground level, in our community, I propose that it is how we love the least of these that can help make the biggest impact.  Our message gains credibility when people see it in action in our lives first. When they see us living out the teachings of Jesus, they are more inclined to listen to us.

Compassion and loving the least of these is modeled for us by Jesus Christ. It is ultimately how Jesus reached us who were “the least of these” by giving up His life for us.

Faith and humble service go hand in hand.

June 3 Statement

Peace is something that North America and our World is in need of it, aren’t we? Normally as a pastor, I am very careful what I say online and how I say it because in everything I do not want to bring the message of Jesus reproach. But in these present times, me not saying anything has the very same potential.

We watch our news, look through our Facebook feeds, see what is flashing across twitter, and hear what others are telling us. North America, and our world is hurting. Accounts of unimaginable injustice and racism, acts of violence, and deep feelings of grief, loss, and sorrow grip us all. And as each day progresses, the darker and more tragic things become.

In times like this, what is our role and response as a church? What does Jesus ask us to do?

First of all, we are people driven by love. Jesus commands us to love God with everything we have, and out of that love, we love our neighbour as ourselves. Jesus goes as far as to say that everything else hinges upon these two commands. We are people driven by love.

As well, we are people who are driven to serve. Jesus tells us that the greatest must become the least. The master of all must be the servant of all. This is the example He set for us as He served us in the most selfless way possible, giving up His life for us. He tells us that if we follow His example, we will be blessed in it.

Also, Jesus didn’t discriminate. Jesus didn’t choose to stay with those who had influence, or those who were of wealth or position. Jesus chose to associate with those from other nations who no self-respecting Jew would have been seen with. Jesus chose to go to the least of these, to the down and out, to the outcasts, the poor, and the rejected. He went to those who were victims of the worst of injustices, and even though He was scorned for doing so, He extended love when no one else would.

Lastly, Jesus calls us to be people of peace. He, in his counter cultural sermon on the mount, blesses those who promote peace. In a world that seems to be gripped by the acts of hate, racism, and violence that have been going on, we need to be counter cultural, and in doing so, bring healing.

In Hanover, we likely feel like we are removed from what is happening in the rest of North America. We hear the message of the black lives matter movement, and we agree with the central message of it that racism is wrong. Yet we feel isolated here in Hanover, in what feels like our quiet and isolated, rural lives.

Yet racism knows no geographical boundaries. Racism happens in our county. And racism goes against the current of the Gospel message. Therefore we, as Hanover Missionary Church, denounce all forms of racism. The message of Jesus compels us to say that black lives do indeed matter. It compels us to say that all racism is wrong. No person should feel unsafe, victimized, or of less value because of where they were born, or the colour of their skin. God created all of humanity in His image, and as His image bearers, we agree that racism is wrong.

Instead, we believe that Jesus calls us to love and serve radically. Part of loving and serving those who have been victims of racism is by acknowledging the hurt and pain caused by that action. It means us acknowledging the reality of racism and doing what we can to eliminate it. It means us looking at people, regardless of race, and seeing value in them as equals, and as people created in the image of God.

As we see tensions boiling and bubbling over with acts of violence, we do believe that we are called to be agents of peace, and people of prayer. Let us pray for our country, our neighbours to the south, and our world. Let us pray for peace. And let us also find ways that in our daily lives, we can promote the peace of Jesus in all our relationships.

Our ideology isn’t political. It isn’t driven by who is the most influential. Our ideology is driven by who Jesus was, and what He calls us to. If we want to change our world and stamp out hate once and for all, let us love like Jesus did, radically. And let us let it start in us, here in Hanover.

Sunday Live Stream: Are We There Yet? Serve

Are We There Yet?

4 – Serve

May 31, 2020
1 Pt 4:10, Matthew 25:14-27

The last few weeks together, I have been sharing my fun and wild road trip stories with all of you. This week I am going to do something different. HMC likes challenges, so here is your challenge (for all of you joining the live stream today, watching on Wightman channel 6, or reading this later on). I want to read your wacky road trip stories. Tell me about that trip where everything seemed to go wrong, or the strangest things happened, and where you found yourself asking “Are We There Yet?” Email it to me, drop it in the mailbox at the church and address it to me. And as they come in, I will read some of them on air. And the weirdest, most off the wall (Yet 100% true) road trip story is worth a prize. The deadline is June 13th, 2020. Send them in!

We have been talking about being on a bit of a road trip together. COVID has changed the rhythm of our church family significantly since the pandemic was declared in early march. No longer are we meeting physically in person. Everything we are doing now is digital – we are on Facebook, zoom, tv, and other streaming sites. To participate in the life of the church, you never have to leave your home. While I know there is a certain attraction for some, we also know that without the personal interaction isn’t the same. As we look to the future, we know that life in every single area will be different, and the church is no exception. And we long for clarity on what life will look like, what church will look like, but really, we don’t and can’t know as there are too many unknowns. And for some of us, we just want this wild road trip to end. We want to know “Are we there yet?”

In this time, there are some things for the church that regardless of how weird and awkward life gets around us will stay constant. Regardless of how the church looks and functions six months from now, we know that we will still be:

Generations following Jesus together

We will be an intentional gathering of all the ages who are united together in our desire to know, love, and follow Jesus deeper. We do this as we:

Gather: We understand that we are a community, a family. We understand that authentic community requires intentional participation. We understand that practical faith finds its expression within the setting of an authentic faith family and community. We need authentic community as we grow in our faith.

Grow: We understand that spiritual health, growth and continuing maturity is an important part of us being a community. So we strive to cultivate our heart soil so that when the seed of faith is planted in our hearts, it grows into an amazing, healthy, fruit bearing, reproducing plant. That is something that should be natural and normal.

Give: As we grow in our faith, we understand that a natural part of spiritual maturity is developing and using the gifts, talents, and abilities that God has given us to bring Him honour by serving Him and others. I want to spend a few weeks talking about why we give, how we give, etc…

1 Pt 4:10

God gives so you can give it away!

God gives you gifts, talents, skills, and abilities, and then He gives you the opportunity to put those things to good use, to invest them in doing His work (which often involves serving others). He gives so that you can give away. This is a natural and expected part of your own spiritual growth and maturity. Let me tell you a parable of Jesus that illustrates that point.

Matthew 25:14-15
1) We are given gifts
Verses 14-15 are not just a nice story about a boss going on a journey and leaving his servants in charge, doing his work in his absence. It is a foreshadow of what is coming in a scene reminiscent of Matt 28:19-20, Acts 1:8 where Jesus leaves. He ushers in the church age in Acts 2 when the promised Holy Spirit comes and commissions the followers by giving them a fresh filling. And then the church carries on the work of Jesus in His absence, knowing that one day He will physically return.

Note the size of the wealth that was given. 1 Talent was equal to 15-20 years wages as day labourer. 5 talents = 75 to 100 years wages. 2 talents = 30-40. Huge investment… Think 550K minimum. This was a huge investment, huge risk in trusting these guys. The sheer size and risk of the investment reminds of the investment Jesus made in each one of us. He gave up His life, and then gives us His Spirit who gives us (who don’t deserve it) gifts to serve Him and do amazing things for Him. He gives us gifts to carry on His work in His absence. We are given gifts.

Matthew 25:16-18
2) We can choose what to do with these gifts
The first two servants worked hard, gave it everything, and leveraged the wealth they had to make more back. They understood the reason the master gave them his wealth, so they worked it hard to get a return. They invested, they used what was given to them.

The third servant buries the money in ground so that it is safe and there is no risk of loss. In a day before banks, digging a hole and burying was a common safety and security measure to keep valuable possessions safe.

You have been given gifts, talents, resources, abilities by God. You can choose to invest it, take risks with it, work hard with it, and see a return in the lives of others, or you can keep those things to yourself. You can choose what you do with them.

Matthew 25:19
3) We will need to show how we used those gifts
The master returns after a long time. He wants to see the returns on how the servants handled his wealth. They had to give an account.

This is a parallel to us in this church age. After what seems to be a long time, Jesus will return as promised (unexpected, like a thief). There is an understanding that all of us will need to give an account for how we used the gifts He gave us to carry on His work in His absence. Have we been wise with those gifts? Have we used them, worked hard with them, or have we hidden them?

Matthew 25:20-27
4) God is looking for a return
In the case of the first two servants, hard work happens with the master’s wealth, and 100% returns are had. I don’t think the main focus here is how much the servants made back. The focus is that they took what was given to them, worked hard with it, and used what they had been given to grow a larger return. Faithful stewardship pleased the master more than the return. And because they worked hard for a return knowing that is what the master would have done, he rewarded them.

Contrast this to servant #3. He is the ‘sensible’ one that many of us can relate to. On the surface he did the wise thing. Taking care of wealth seems to be wise. But we see that he completely misunderstood heart of the master. He knew that the master always wanted a return for his hard work and efforts (harvesting where you have not sown, gathering where seed has not been scattered because maybe there still is something there) but saw him as only him being a hard hearted, penny pinching miser who wanted to protect his riches. So when the master gave the servants responsibility over his wealth, it was seen only as a protectionary measure rather than as the desire for them work hard with all with his wealth, and get a return.

The servant, not knowing master, fears him. Even though he knows his master expects a return, the servant is too worried about losing what has been given to him, which is why he buried the money to play it safe. This is why he takes the easy way out.

The master confronts him…Your words make you guilty! I gave you more than enough wealth to do a lot with, and you should know that I work hard for a return. And you know I expect you to work hard with what I gave you to get a return, yet you were fearful and lazy with what I gave you. There was no responsibility with my wealth!

God gives you and I gifts. Jesus left, the Holy Spirit came, and now all who know and follow Jesus have spiritual gifts that we are entrusted with while He is away. For some it is preaching, some teaching, some words of encouragement, some helping and serving quietly, some giving generously, some mercy and compassion, some are gifted in sharing faith and the Gospel. Whatever the spiritual gift, we have all been given gifts to use, to work hard with, invest, to build up His kingdom before He returns.

Which servants are we like? The ones who will work hard, risk it all, and put it all out there for a return? Or are we taking the gifts that God has given us and hiding it, fearful of the gifts, fearful of what it means for us and what we should do, fearful that God is more worried about protecting the gifts than using them in the lives of others and maybe sometimes messing it up?

God gives so you can give it away

How and who are you investing in? Sharing? Planting? Helping to grow the Kingdom?

HMCdigital Tuesday 10AM Devotional with Dave – He Will Carry You

MATT 11:28-30
May 26, 2020

Have you ever been tired and just needed to stop and take a break? You needed to catch your breath? I can! As you know, I have been doing more exercising the last several months as I have been trying to get back into shape. Just the other day, I went on my bike for the first time in 2 years. I will admit, I was a bit nervous as the last time I biked, it was a lot heavier and in way worse shape. And at that time, it had been years since I had been on a bike. I was nervous to say the least. Overall, it went well, but there is one hill where, even with everything I gave it, I had to stop because my legs just couldn’t push hard enough. I had to get off my bike, walk it up the hill, take a rest, before I kept going. And when I finally did get home I had to rest because my legs were so tired that they felt like rubber.

We all get tired. We all need a break. We all need a rest. This is a reflection on all of life. There are times where whatever it is we are facing is exhausting and we need a break. Life happens for everyone, and with that is a whole lot of good, but also a lot of things that are completely exhausting that come from every angle: Physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. It can be situational, circumstantial, relational, or as the result of our own choices. Whatever the cause, no one is exempt.

There are days I am sure that any one of us will be tempted to throw our hands up in the air and ask “when will I get a break from this? When will this end? Where is my help, my relief, my break? I can’t do this anymore, so who is going to help me?” It is in those moments that I find the words of Jesus from Matthew 11:28-30 to be especially needed.

Read Matthew 11:28-30

VERSE 28 –

The statement here is to “Come to me”. That phrase could be translated and re-understood as “believe in me, receive me, accept me.”

Who is to “come”? All who are weary and heavy burdened. In other words, all those who are tired, worn out, exhausted, spent, and are carrying around what feels to be the weight of the world on their shoulders. This is directed at all those who are stressed out with life as of late, wondering how the bills will be paid, wondering how their job is going to turn out, how they are going to get their kids to study, concerned with what will happen to their mortgage, worried about their own health and the health of others. This invitation to come is written to anyone who is facing life, especially us today!

What happens when we who are weary and carrying burdens believe, accept, and receive? Jesus gives us rest. He takes what appears to be stormy waters in our hearts and minds and speaks peace into it. He takes those moments where we are exhausted, worn out, and stretched out of shape on every angle, and brings refreshment and renewal to our lives. All of us who are tired and carrying the heaviness of life, through our belief and acceptance of Him as our Saviour and friend, we find rest.

VERSE 29 –

When Jesus mentions ‘yoke’, the crowd would have understood Jesus to be talking about a farming device used with the oxen who were pulling a load and being worked. It was a wooden beam which would come across the shoulders and neck of an oxen, and pair it with another so that the two oxen would pull together, and the collective force of the two animals could be harnessed together.

The word ‘yoke’ would have also evoked images of being enslaved or tied to something.

In this case, the term ‘yoke’ would have also been a reflection upon obedience to the Law that the people had to follow.

What Jesus is telling the crowd is that they are tied to, partnered with, and enslaved to a law that was heavy, tiring, and unattainable. They were tied to the religious system of the day that crushed people under the weight of what the Pharisees and Scribes expected and taught as the only way to be religiously right and acceptable before God. It was a heavy load, and unrealistic load. Read Matthew 23:1-4 to get an idea what that load was like.

Jesus implies that the people are feeling that they are under a heavy yoke that they can not carry. They feel worn down, weary, tired, and overwhelmed by the impossible task ahead. It is in that implication that Jesus says “Take my yoke”… not the yoke of the religious leaders, not the heaviness of all that was imposed on them by others, but take the yoke that Jesus wanted to put on them.

He says: learn from me, learn about me, learn my teachings, the way of living that I model for my followers. Don’t be caught up in the learning of the religious leaders who burden you with all the DOs and MUSTs, don’t fall into their traps, but instead learn from me. Model your life after me. Know me. I am not a slave driver or task master. I am not harsh and demanding. I am gentle, I am humble, I came to serve and be like the least. Learn from me.

When this happens, Jesus says that their souls would find rest. There would be a break, an intermission, a period break from the heaviness that people were carrying.

VERSE 30 –

Why is this possible? Because the yoke that Jesus wanted and wants to give is easy. It is good, virtuous, mild, and pleasant as opposed to the harsh, oppressive, impossible, and heavy yoke that the people would have expected in their own religious system. Jesus says “the burden you are carrying today that is imposed on you, the heaviness you face is not so with me. What I give you is light.”

How can Jesus say this? It comes back to the image of the yoke. It is a partnership agreement and arrangement. Both OX are put into the yoke, and the load is shared. And in the case of Jesus, the yoke is carried for us so that we don’t get crushed under the weight as we too have to push through life. We are paired with an ox who is carrying the heaviness of the yoke for us.

You see, it comes back to partnership, and who you are partnered with. Belief leads to relief. This does not mean a guarantee of an easy life without struggles, trials, hardships, pain, loss, and all the other stresses we face. Those things are still there. But we are getting paired next to the same Jesus whose shoulders were big enough to carry the Cross and take with Him on that Cross all the brokenness, pain, and sin that we were carrying. And because He carried that load, that burden, that weight, that yoke, today He is also carrying your yoke as well. He invites you to believe, receive, and accept. He invites you to come to Him so that as you are facing your load, whatever it might be, He can carry your load. He can carry you so that you don’t have to be weighted down.

Here is the struggle. While we know we are being crushed by our own loads, by the yokes of this life, the struggles, pains, and hardships, and we know it will destroy us if we let it, we hold on. We cling to our stresses, our feelings, our obligations that we place on ourselves. We choose to live in our anxiety. We find security in what we know, and find comfort, even in our pain because it is what we know, even though it is not healthy.

The only way for us to find relief is for us to want to let go of our stuff and actually let go. We have to let Jesus remove from us the self imposed yoke that we can not carry, and replace it with His yoke, where He is the one doing the carrying – where He is carrying you. If you are still spinning with stress and feeling crushed by the weight of life, chances are you haven’t actually let go of our yoke. You may have asked Jesus to help you, but you are still clinging on to your yoke, even subconsciously, as it is what you know.

Lately I have been feeling the exhaustion of life. I don’t know about you, but living in a pandemic is tiring. Life’s routines are all changed. We have to relearn everything. A lot of things don’t seem to make sense. So much is upside down. And if it isn’t this pandemic, it is a whole lot of other stuff in life that is wearing me down. But I also know that I need to come to Him, let Him lift my burdens, my yoke. I need to let Jesus give me His yoke instead where He takes all my pain, all my stress, all my struggling, and as I walk with Him through all that, He carries me. He will carry you also if you let him.