Weary, Pentecost 5, July 9, 2017

Fifth Sunday of Pentecost (Year A)

Sunday, July 9, 2017

It is not that Jesus invites us to a life of ease. Following him will be full of risks and challenges, as he has made abundantly clear. He calls us to a life of humble service, but it is a life of freedom and joy instead of slavery. It is life yoked to Jesus under God's gracious and merciful reign, free from the burden of sin and the need to prove oneself, free to rest deeply and securely in God's grace.

– Elisabeth Johnson, professor

Lutheran Institute of Theology, Meiganga, Cameroon

Theme: Weary

Reflection: Anyone traveling the Christian journey with authenticity has pondered today’s lesson from Romans. Paul so beautifully captures the struggle between our sinful nature and our broken spirit that longs for purity and goodness.

“I do not understand my own actions,” Paul says in frustration. I could see myself journaling this prayer. “I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.”

Don’t we all take on this burden at times – the burden of not living up to our own expectations, causing a field of dominoes to tumble? Oh, God, why would you love, why would you even acknowledge me? The Lord of Heaven and Earth wouldn’t want anything to do with this loser. After all, God, you know my heart:

• If I were a better mother, then my son wouldn’t be rejecting his faith.
•  If I had convinced my sister not to smoke when we were teenagers, then she wouldn’t have died of lung cancer.
• If I wasn’t so demanding, then I’d still be working with her.
• If I hadn’t upset the board president, then I’d still be working there.
• If I could have persuaded a few more people to vote differently, then another candidate would have won.

In truth, we are incompetent gods, suggesting that we are to bless for all the good things in life, and conversely, we are to blame for all the problems. Living in regret rather than choosing to live abundantly. Besieged by burdens we were never meant to carry, too stubborn to set them down and ask Christ to help us bear them.

It’s ironic that we profess faith in “Jesus Christ, our Lord” and retain the powerful tyrant inside us that becomes more frustrated as life doesn’t obey our commands, when God doesn’t act like a cosmic genie in a bottle as we keep saying “God, I wish…” We’re stuck on “Help Me” as our only communication with our Creator, like a child who never progresses beyond “I Want.”

Author Anne Lamott’s book “Help, Thanks, Wow” describes three essential prayers. But it wasn’t until I started thinking of prayer as conversation that it became honest. How could I have a relationship with this One if I did all the talking, then hung up the phone? How patient God was with me: “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 145:8).

So, today, Zechariah tells us about the coming age with a different kind of king, and Psalm 145 describes the give and take between Creator and creation.

Paul’s prayer could keep going, but he keeps it real with his transition “Wretched man that I am!” and his closing Q&A: “Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Just in case Paul didn’t answer it in Romans, Matthew has Jesus giving the question and answer slightly differently, and I paraphrase Matthew 11:16-19 and 28-30:

“John came to lead the way, and you didn’t follow because he was too severe. I came and you rejected me for the company I kept. What IS it with everyone in this generation? You act like kids playing a marketplace game. I can’t get any clearer than this – don’t try to carry this by yourself. Stop playing God and pull with me. That’s what I want from you.”

We were never meant to do this by ourselves. And thank God, we can stop trying anytime we want, when we’re ready to lay down our soul-wearying, joy-killing burdens to find our promised rest.

(You always are welcome to respond with your thoughts and reflections in the comments section at the bottom of this post.) 

Faith App:  Burden exchange week: lay down a burden that is too heavy or not suited for you. Give it up to God when you put on your yoke. Now locate something to do that fits you better, and carry it well.

HYMN/SONG SUGGESTIONS

I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say, ELW 332/611

Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling, ELW 608

What a Friend We Have in Jesus, ELW 742

Day by Day, ELW 790

Jesus, Still Lead On, ELW 624

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, ELW 254

There Is a Balm in Gilead, ELW 614

How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds (vs. 2), ELW 620

Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee, ELW 836

Lay It Down, Sanctus Real

Worn, Tenth Avenue North

You Are God Alone, Phillips, Craig & Dean

You Are I Am, Mercy Me

Undo, Rush of Fools

Through All of It, Colton Dixon

LESSONS

Zechariah 9:9-12 The future king will come with humility and will usher in peace.

Psalm 145:8-14 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love

Romans 7:15-25a I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens. 

Summary of the Lessons:  It can be very frustrating to take on burdens – especially ones we were never made to carry. God is God, and we are not. Jesus says his yoke for us is easy and his burdens light. We are to find rest for our souls instead of making our souls anxious and weary.

OPENING LITANY based on Psalm 145:8-14

L:  Kind, caring and full of mercy – that’s my Lord;

C:  Unbelievably patient, especially with imperfect me;

L:  Unwavering love, unlimited and unconditional;

C:  And genuine concern for every living thing!

L:  Your creation gathers to bless you, O Lord;

C:  Tells of how powerful you are to protect them,

L:  And how magnificent is your everlasting kingdom;

C:  They will keep sharing stories until everyone knows!

L:  The Lord is watchful, lifting off their crushing loads,

C:  Merciful to those whose lives are endless struggles,

L:  Encouraging to the ones who see only darkness,

C:  Faithful is our God, now until the end of time.

CONFESSION

L:  Come to me, our Lord said, all you who are weary and burdened,

C:  But we confess our part in taking on one burden after another;

L:  Extra work, so we can afford all the newest toys that we want,

C:  More assignments, so we never have rest to enjoy what we have.

L:  Come to me, our Lord said, take up my yoke and learn from me,

C:  But we admit how we resist having to become the student again,

L:  It takes time for us to unlearn bad habits and do something new,

C:  And humility to acknowledge we still have much we don’t know.

L:  Come to me, our Lord said, this yoke is easy and my burden light,

C:  But we concede we want the world to see us as strong and smart;

L:  Independent and resilient – we never needed a break from anyone,

C:  Self-made men and women – nothing in our lives ever has been easy.

(Silent reflection)

L:  In our confession, we pray together,

C:  Most Merciful God … We are so tied to our burdens and our spirit of independence that we resist giving them away, even when they are jeopardizing our health and peace of mind. Always wanting more leads to forever doing more, instead of presenting our broken spirits and weary bodies to you for healing and rest. Lord, forgive us for refusing your invitation to learn and live a different way.

Hear this Good News: What a burden it would be if we had to work our way into God’s love through our unwavering faith and perfect actions. We couldn’t accomplish it – it would be a burden too big for us to carry, too exhausting for us to imagine. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord that we have been rescued from our sinful selves by God’s grace, and we can accept our Lord’s invitation to find rest. You are forgiven and set free by this One who is good to all, no exceptions.

In the name of…

Amen

PRAYER OF THE DAY

L:  We pray together, 

C:  Compassionate God … we thank you that you have promised to share our struggles and give our overburdened souls much-needed rest. We don’t always choose what is best for us, as we stumble and falter under loads that we weren’t meant to carry alone, and we ignore those who are weary from their troubles. Teach us to wear your yoke, Lord, and to pull as part of your team.  Amen.

COMMUNION BLESSING

L:  We pray together,

C:  We give you thanks, most gracious God, for the abundance of steadfast love in this meal, never waning, never conditional. You are the rest and the rescue in our lives, beside us and patient until we discover you were there all along. Help us to accept the gentleness of your guidance, as we learn to live with and lean on you.  Amen. 

SENDING

L:  How glorious it is to be restored,

C:  To find the rest our souls require,

L:  To stop straining with heavy burdens,

C:  To submit to our Lord’s gentle yoke.

L:  Go now, burdens lifted, to love and to serve the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God!

First Reading Zechariah 9:9-12 (NRSV)

Setting the Scene: The book of Zechariah was likely composed at two different times. This part, starting in this ninth chapter, probably was written later, maybe just three centuries before the birth of Jesus, describing a coming king who would restore peace.

⁹ Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
    Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
    triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
¹⁰ He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
    and the war-horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
    and he shall command peace to the nations;
his dominion shall be from sea to sea,
    and from the River to the ends of the earth.

¹¹ As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
    I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
¹² Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
    today I declare that I will restore to you double.

Second Reading Romans 7:15-25a (NRSV)

Setting the Scene: In the flesh and in the Spirit are two of Paul’s favorite expressions to describe the actions and life of believers. When we are in the flesh, our sinful natures are controlling us. Living in the Spirit means allowing Christ to live through us.

¹⁵ I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.

²¹ So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. ²² For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, ²³ but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Gospel Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 (NRSV)

Setting the Scene: During Advent, we read the first part of Matthew 11, when John the Baptist, in jail, sent his followers to ask Jesus if he really was the Messiah or if he needed to keep looking. Here, Jesus continues that discussion, pointing out the differences between John and himself.

¹⁶ “But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,

¹⁷ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
    we wailed, and you did not mourn.’

¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; ¹⁹ the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; ²⁶ yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.^{[ 27} All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

²⁸ “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ 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. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”