At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and
understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was
your gracious will. 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. 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Mat 11:25-30
“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”
“My heart is restless until it finds rest in thee.” The words of St. Augustine, the fourth
century bishop of Hippo, which is in modern day Tunisia. A man who for most of
his young life was too wise and understanding to receive the Grace of God as a
little child, and who instead sought to find peace for his soul in the ways of
the world. But later in life the prayers of his mom would prevail through the
sermons of St. Ambrose while he was in Milan trying to make a name for himself
teaching law and rhetoric. It happened late one night when plagued in
conscience and restless in soul, the sermons of Ambrose swimming in his
thoughts, he began reading the book of Romans and was converted. His conversion
amidst the turmoil of the fourth century, in which Rome was sacked by
barbarians, and the empire was fragmented, a time in which the so-called dark
ages dawned, well his conversion at that time would change the history of
Christianity and western civilization forever, as this man who found rest in the
yoke of Christ, and humbled like a child, would employ his great learning and
understanding to defend the faith, and preach it to the people and give them
rest amidst the chaos knowing that what ever happened God was in control also
of their lives and would work everything for good for those who love him. And a thousand years after his death, he would
even be a chief theological influence for Luther himself. But his heart was
restless until it found rest in the Lord, until he could humble himself like a
little child to realize that he did not know more than God, but that Christ
would give him what he needed most to know, the love of his Father, the grace
of God, justification by faith alone.
Jesus himself thanks his Father that he has hidden these
things from the wise and understanding, but has revealed them to little
children, for such was his will. And for many today the Christian faith seems
just that, childish. Faith in a benevolent Father in heaven who loves justice,
who cares for the poor and the oppressed. It seems as childish as Santa Clause
and the Tooth Fairy. And despite the fact that some of the most intelligent men
in Western history and giants of Western Civilization, and not just theological
giants like Augustine who even influenced modern western thought in men like
Descartes, but also scientific men, giants like Newton and Copernicus, for
instance, were devout Christians, today people think they are smart for being
anything but Christian. So it is that God hides these things, hides grace,
mercy, faith and salvation from the wise and understanding, and their souls are
given to restlessness, labor and a heavy burden.
Their souls are restless as they labor and are heavy laden. Restless
like our souls are so often when we lose our focus from the cross, when we
start trying to prove ourselves in the world and to the world, and succumbing
to its judgments. When we start not only living in the world, but also start
becoming of it. We all know this
restlessness, the labor, the heavy burden. Work, home, school, and at play,
keeping up with the Joneses. Are we ever done? And everyone looking over your
shoulder, ready to judge. They constantly judge clothes you wear, the language
you use or don’t use, your level of education, how much money you do or don’t
make. As one comedian I heard said, “Don’t judge? What does that mean? Don’t
take my hobby from me. If I want to judge I’ll judge.” There is sort of an irony to it all. The world
fears God because they don’t want a judge, they don’t want to be judged. The
world, the atheists when they are pressed, it is fear of God that drives them
not to believe. A few years ago a humanist society paid for a bus campaign in
England that said, “There probably is no God, now stop worrying and enjoy
life.” There just doesn’t seem to be a lot of certainty in that phrase to hang
your hat on. But believing there is no God doesn’t help anybody to stop
worrying or to enjoy life. No, quite the
opposite. “My heart is restless Lord until it finds rest in thee.” For so many
of them, they know only this restlessness. For so many of us, we too know this
restlessness, but we also know this rest that Christ speaks of. Our faith in
God, it is precisely that which in the midst of life, in the midst of turmoil,
in the midst of the pain of death and loss it is precisely then that our faith
and hope brings profound joy to life, when we come to Jesus and find rest for
our souls in the forgiveness of sins, knowing that our judge is the same Lord
and savior that died on the cross as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of
the world, and has already pronounced judgment upon us declaring us innocent.
And without God there is no rest, and life isn’t near as
enjoyable. It just isn’t. Because without God we exchange the judge of forgiveness
with the judge of popular opinion, one judge who forgives, with six billion
judges as finicky with you as a child is before a plate of Brussel sprouts. They
will judge you for not conforming, and ostracize you for conforming too much.
No, if you really want to stop worrying. If you really want to enjoy life, then
come to Jesus, see the Father, relieve your burden and take his easy yoke. Know
that there is a God who is love, and has given you this life to enjoy as a
fatherly gift, and he has redeemed it from your sin with his blood for no other
reason than that he loves you as a Father loves his children.
Now the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep
your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
2 comments:
I am not a pastor, just another lay person, a Lutheran with the LCMS. This was an interesting topic, and I like the perspective of the word of God in this regard.....keeping ourselves humble and holding on to the Bible truths at all times as a guard against the kind of pride that comes with too much theology, dependence on our own intellect, and the resulting self righteousness which wars against the plain Gospel. I see a bit of the Pharisee approach in some Lutheran bloggers, even pastors, who seem embroiled in controversy or new ideas and have forgotten the fundamentals of the faith. I think each of us must avoid this trap, by reminding ourselves that understanding our need for salvation through Christ, being led by the Holy Spirit to a place of faith and gratitude for God's grace is far more useful than focusing on our theological gifts.
Yes, John, every morning I pray the words of Paul to Titus to keep me from useless controversies regarding the law for they are unprofitably and worthless.... then I log on to the internet and often find myself embroiled in one.
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