"Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
When was the last time someone said “come” to you and meant it?
Just, come. As you are. Weary and all.
That's what Jesus says here. I don't want us to move past it too quickly.
The crowd in this passage is frustrated and restless. Nothing is right, no one fits, even God's messengers get criticized. It's exhausting, honestly. It sounds a little familiar.
Into that weariness, Jesus doesn't offer a program or a to-do list. He offers himself. “Come to me.”
Then he says something he almost never says about himself: “I am gentle and humble in heart.” Gentle. The One holding all things is, at his core, tender.
His yoke - the way of life he invites us into - is not meant to crush you. It is meant to make the walking possible. Sustainable. Human.
So this week, I want to invite you to do something countercultural: rest. Not because you've earned it. Not when you finish the list. Now.
Take a breath - slowly, all the way down. That breath is not nothing. It is your body saying yes to the invitation Jesus is already extending.
Come. You are weary enough. And that is exactly enough.
With you in the rest,
Pastor Erin Martinson
Reflection: What burden have you been carrying that you haven't yet handed over? What would it feel like to set it down - even just for a moment?
