Sharing the Load

It’s the morning of July 5th. If your neighborhood is anything like mine, there’s probably a lingering smell of sulfur from last night's fireworks and maybe a few stray wrappers on the street. The big holiday rush is over, the grills are cold, and today just feels like a normal Sunday.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes the day after a holiday just leaves me feeling a certain kind of tired. We sometimes push so hard to celebrate, to get the family together, to make the potato salad, and to create good memories. And then Sunday hits, and we're just plain tired.

But there's "holiday tired," and then there's the deep, bone-weary exhaustion Jesus is talking about in our reading for this morning: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens...”

We carry the weight of jobs that demand too much, worries about our physcical health, kids we’re worried sick about, and aging parents who need more care than we know how to give. Some of us might carry the heavy, invisible burden of feeling like we've let people down.

Jesus didn't promise to snap his fingers and make those burdens vanish. A yoke is a tool for pulling weight, after all. But he did promise to get in the harness with us. He promised that the way we carry the weight changes when we stop trying to haul it all by ourselves.

If you’re feeling worn out this morning, whether it's from the holiday heat or just the sheer effort of keeping your head above water lately, you don't have to put on a brave face here. You're allowed to set it down for an hour. Come to worship, grab a hymnal, and let someone else do the heavy lifting for a bit.

Artwork Suggestion:
Take a look at Vincent van Gogh’s The Siesta. It’s a painting of two farm workers completely passed out in the shade of a haystack in the middle of the work day. It perfectly captures total physical exhaustion, but there’s a real peace to it, too, they've actually stopped to rest.

Prayer:
Lord, we're tired. Sometimes the yoke feels anything but easy. When the expectations pile up and we start believing we aren't doing enough, remind us that you are gentle and humble in heart. Help us share the load with you today. Amen.