[Jesus said:] “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
[matthew 11:28 nrsvue]
We are in the home stretch of the seemingly interminable mid-term election campaign and I, for one, cannot wait for November 4 to get here!
The relentless attack ads, which I addressed in my previous post, have gotten even worse, and the candidates are unrepentant about airing them.
One of the candidates for Governor here in Ohio aired an ad that has made national news. I won’t dignify that commercial by discussing it further in this reflection. Any human with eyes and ears has by now already seen and heard it.
In fact, after watching it and listening to the subsequent reaction discussed on a local newscast, I was so repulsed that I had to leave the house for some fresh air.
My anguish echoed the familiar lament we often read in the Psalms: “How long, O Lord?”
So, I drove to one of my places of refuge. We are blessed in my community with several parks that offer quiet spaces for rest and relaxation. This particular evening Price Park was my haven of choice.
Moon over Price Park in North Canton
The weather has been pleasantly mild these past few days, so I was able to get away from the madness to take advantage of nature’s stillness for a few minutes and allow myself to be embraced by the serenity of the early evening sky.
Oblivious to the presence of others around me, I stood and gazed at the spray from the fountain in the center of the lagoon for a few moments and sat for several more.
And I prayed.
I am always armed with my camera, although it was in the trunk of my car which was in the parking lot nearby. Having calmed down somewhat from the frazzled state in which I arrived, I walked over and grabbed a few quick photos to memorialize this moment.
While standing and gazing at the spray fountain, I thought about the words of Jesus in the scripture verse from Matthew quoted above. “Come unto me all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
How timely and comforting those words sounded to me at that particular moment!
These words are well loved—perhaps the best known of the promises of Christ.
When Jesus spoke of burdens and of our coming unto him he was most certainly talking about the burdens of care and of anxiety and of labor that we are all familiar with.
We all carry burdens, no matter at what stage we are in our lives. We are under constant stress from one thing or another: whether it be our own health challenges, or someone whom we know and love is sick. Our finances are shaky. The news on TV leaves us understandably depressed. Something is always eating at us.
Yet Jesus wants us all to have peace and fulfilment.
All of us need rest, a place where we can go to recuperate and gain strength for the next day’s battle. We need that place for inner healing.
It doesn’t have to be a physical or geographical place. Jesus invites us to find rest, calm and healing in him, to come to him at any time and leave our burdens at the foot of the cross.
Jesus invites us to take stock of our lives, giving thanks for what seems good and right, but also admitting where there is hurt, pain, loneliness, or disappointment.
In sum, Jesus invites us into a life of prayer.
Prayer, whether alone in our quiet spot where we come before God each day, or in our homes or the homes of our friends and neighbors, bring to us the rest and refreshment that we all need so much.
There is nothing quite like coming to the Lord and setting aside our burdens for a while—nothing quite like having our spirits lifted.
God in Jesus Christ promises to speak to us through Holy Scripture, or whenever we pray to him.
It is prayer that changes us, that lets us see, feel, and know that God is with us.
The politics of our time will probably get worse before it gets any better—if ever!
But we can rest assured that through it all, Christ is with us to face all the burdens of politics or anything else, and bring us that much needed rest.
And we pray:
Almighty God, to whom we must account for all our powers and privileges: Guide the people of the United States in the election of officials and representatives; that, by faithful administration and wise laws, the rights of all may be protected and our nation be enabled to fulfill your purposes; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Book of Common Prayer, p. 822)
