Yokes

Matthew 11:28-30

 

        Our scripture is from the Gospel of Matthew. That is sort of good news/bad news. I know many of you are delighted after a month in the Old Testament I have come to my senses and returned to the gospels. The bad news is the illustration Jesus used is about farm animals. I know nothing about farming. It was only recently that I learned chocolate milk doesn’t come from brown cows. I spent 12 years in West Texas before I could tell the difference between a sheep and a goat. So when Jesus says “Take my yoke upon you”, I end up completely missing the point.

        I understand the first part when Jesus said, “Come to me all ye that are weary and heavy burdened.” I suspect we all get that. These are difficult times. I turn on the TV and one doctor claims we are in the second inning of a nine inning game. I flip the channel and another expert is singing “Don’t worry, be Happy.” No one knows what the truth is and that causes even greater anxiety. We are weary. We are burdened. So we turn to Jesus for a word of hope.

        Because I know nothing about farming, when I read this passage my first response is joy. A narrow reading of this text proclaims all I have to do is name my burden, remove it from my shoulders, turn it over to Jesus, and everything is going to be alright.  (stop)

I wish it were that simple. I wish I believed if I had enough faith my world would right itself because what I am not lacking is faith. I see the hand of God in creation. I experience the joy of God when someone laughs. I feel the pain of God when a child cries. I believe God is beyond what I can imagine and that gives me hope, for I know nothing is beyond God’s restoration. But I can’t wish pain away. I can’t pray death out of existence. I can’t single handedly reverse what has taken years to construct. I can’t place my life into the arms of Jesus and rest assured everything will be OK. As much as we all desire rest from our burdens, the answer has never been to just walk away.

Thanks be to God, this is not what Jesus is saying to us. Like I said, I know nothing about farming which means I know nothing about the idea of a yoke. But I do know how to do research. Let me share what I found. Before tractors, animals, quite often cows, did all the heavy lifting. A yoke was a wooden bar that joined two animals together so they could pull a heavy load. When two animals  work in unison a yoke was not necessary. But that seldom happens. The yoke was a training tool, used to help inexperienced animals learn how to pull the weight of the plow.

This coordinated effort does not happen instantly. The neophyte initially struggles mightily to lead. The results are disastrous. Sometimes the young bull refuses to pull his load. The experienced bull does not accept the extra weight. He patiently moves forward, allowing the trainee to find the stride needed to accomplish the task at hand.

There is a great song out of the African-American tradition that goes:

I want Jesus to walk with me.

I want Jesus to walk with me.

All along my pilgrim journey,

I want Jesus to walk with me.

 

How is that walk possible if all we do is we lay our burdens on God and expect a miracle? Likewise how can we walk with Jesus if we are always pulling away? This walk must be a coordinated stroll moving with a likeness of mind and spirit. It is not something that happens instantly or without practice. Without spiritual discipline it is impossible.

        So how is your prayer life? Do you pray for what you want or do you leave yourself open to the mystery of God?

        Do you spend time in Bible Study? Do you cherry pick and only read the stuff you like? Or do you search for those hidden truths that guide you through the rocky paths?

        When is the last time you visited that list called the gifts of the spirit. A couple of them are kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.        

(go to the communion table)

        When is the last time you picked up the cup of salvation? Our lives are dominated by rechargeable batteries. We plug them in to run our phones, computers, tools, and just about everything else upon which we depend. Communion is my rechargeable battery. At least once a month we come together around this table and share a meal. We do more than celebrate Christ. We acknowledge our dependence on God and each other. We come around this table, as one. We share our joys and burdens, as one. We proclaim our hopes and dreams, as one. We walk together, as one. And because we are together, as one, our yoke is not heavy. Because we are together, as one, our burdens are bearable. Because we are together, as one, we find rest for our soul and confidence in our path.

        The circumstances of our world have separated us, but these circumstances will not keep us apart. We are yoked together in Christ. We are yoked together by the love we have for each other. We are yoked together by our gentleness, our kindness, our prayers, and our faithfulness. We are yoked together by the body of Christ, broken for us. We are yoked together by the blood of Christ, shed for us. Come, all ye who are weary and carrying heavy burdens.

Eat!                                                               Drink! 

Let us walk together through these difficult times.

Amen.