1st Sunday in Lent
March 1, 2020
1 Kings 8:54-61; Matthew 11:28-30
What rhythm of life works for you? How do you know when
your rhythm’s too fast? Or, maybe it’s too slow. What if you don’t have a
rhythm and you’re just going from one fire to the next? I have always said that
if I don’t have time to read for fun, then I’m too busy. What’s your marker or
indicator that your rhythm is off and not life-giving?
We read in both Scriptures this morning about rest. Jesus
says, “Come to me, all you who are weary, struggling and carrying heavy loads,
and I will give you rest.” It sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Then I paired it
this morning with the passage from 1 Kings. This is from after King Solomon has
built the temple, the first temple, the original one. After it’s built, the Ark
of the Covenant is brought in, that structure that was how the Israelites knew
God was with them everywhere they traveled. Then Solomon offers God a lengthy
prayer of dedication of the temple, including praise for all that God had
already done for them. One piece of that is the line we read, “Praise be to the
Lord, who has given rest to the people Israel just as the Lord promised.” Isn’t
it wonderful when God’s promises come true? The Israelites wandered for forty
years before finally entering the Promised Land. They went through a series of
leaders, first judges and then kings. It wasn’t until the third king, Solomon,
that a temple is built, a place for the people to gather to worship God. The
people are now fully settled, entering into the rest that God promised them.
What’s interesting is how we go about getting that rest.
Jesus says, “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. For my yoke is easy and
my burden is light.” Now, a yoke is a wooden beam normally used between a pair
of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working
in pairs, like oxen usually do; although yokes can also be fitted to a single
animal as well. So what does it mean to have an easy yoke? It means it fits
well. It’s not choking you at the neck so you can’t breathe; it’s not weighing
you down so you can hardly lift your head. It’s probably, however, not so light
that you don’t notice its presence. When an animal wears a yoke, it’s because
the animal has specific work to do and the work may be hard. Jesus never
promises that the yoke would literally be easy; that’s a mistranslation. In
this context of yoking oxen, the translation means ‘well fitting.’ As we begin
our Lenten season and our series on Busy, we discover that each of us has a
tempo that fits well, that energizes us. What is that tempo? What’s the rhythm
that gives you life and energy? What tempo of life feels toxic to you? What is
the cost?
For an example from pop culture, I’m reminded of a song
that came out in 1974, “Cat’s in the Cradle.” Anyone familiar with that song?
The refrain goes, “The cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon/ Little boy
blue and the man in the moon/ “When you coming home, dad?” “I don't know
when”/But we'll get together then/You know we'll have a good time then.”
Basically, the father is too busy for his son the entire time the son is
growing up. And then when the son is grown up and the father is retired, the
tables are turned. The father wants to spend time with his son but his son is
now too busy for him and the father realizes that his boy is just like him; the
son grew up to be just like his father. There’s a cost when your rhythm is
off-kilter. The cost may be a relationship. It may be your health, physical,
mental, or spiritual. But when you don’t pay attention to the rhythm of your
life and put in the hard work to keep it one that fits you well and energizes
you, then other things get out of kilter as well.
One
thing to acknowledge is that there are different tempos for different seasons
of life. For example, right now is a very busy season for CPA’s, accountants,
and for those who work with them and live with them. It’s a different tempo
than the rest of the year for them. Other professions have similar busy
seasons, and you prepare for them and you plan vacations or other ways to
celebrate when they end. There are right tempos for right times and it’s
important to figure out what the right tempo is when you change seasons. For
students and educators the rhythm of the school year is different from summer
break. When you have a major change in your health, you have to adjust your
rhythm to figure out what’s going work best with how life is now. Life changes
and what works in one season is not going to work as well in another season.
In
the Bible paraphrase, The Message, Eugene Peterson does something pretty
interesting in both of our Scriptures. For Matthew, he interprets Jesus to say,
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me
and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with
me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn
the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on
you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” I love
that middle phrase, “Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” When you have to
work at a rhythm, it’s probably not the best fit for you. The right tempo for
your life isn’t going to feel like work; it’s going to feel more natural. Learn
the unforced rhythms of grace.
Then,
King Solomon’s prayer becomes “Blessed be God, who has given peace to his
people Israel just as he said he’d do… May the Lord keep us centered and
devoted to him, following the life path he has cleared, watching the signposts,
walking at the pace and rhythms he laid down for our ancestors.” What are the
rhythms that were laid down? A Sabbath, resting from work one day a week; a
Sabbath year every seventh year for the land for the land to rest; 7 times 7,
making the 50th year a year of Jubilee and liberation when everyone
returns to their own property, remembering that the land really belongs to God.
The
right rhythm is going to give you life and energy. It’s going to fit well and
energize you. It’s going to be a rhythm that includes time for prayer and time
for work, time for self-care and time to serve others. It’s not going to be too
busy.
There
was one more song going through my head while preparing today’s sermon. It’s a
song called “Little Man” released in 1997 by the O.C. Supertones, one of the
earliest Contemporary Christian rock groups, considered alternative and indie.
Lookin' out for number ones's
a full time occupation
I'll give to me myself and I
my own salvation
Some people try to tell me
God can save me from my sin
But God can take a number and
I'll pencil Him in
Busy oh so busy I got no time
to search
My Sunday's are all booked
I've got no time for church
That's for those poor souls,
dry as a stone
God bless this child 'cause
this child's got His own.
Oh, let my pride fall down
I'm a little man
Well,
this Lent we are going to let our pride fall down and make time. We’re not
going to pencil God in; we’re going
to write the time in in ink! Let us slow down and make time now to pray...(Worship series "Busy" from worshipdesignstudio.com)
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