Take your foot off the gas

Based on Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30.

The arms of God are always open to us, inviting us to fall into them and be cared for deeply, completely. The arms of God, the powerful, loving, gentle, providing arms of God, are always ready to enfold us, to tend to our needs, to patch us up and give us rest. Earlier in Matthew’s Gospel he sends out his disciples, making them his apostles- to heal, to cast out demons, to restore lives and families and communities. As they return to him, full of stories and exhausted, he says:

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 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.”

These words of Jesus are an invitation to come and rest, to trade in the many burdens we carry for the lighter load of deep relationship with God.

To fall into the rest that God is offering us is like….

Throwing your arms around your training buddies after crossing the finish line.

Or it’s like….

Taking a hot shower and sitting down to a warm meal after a 10-day hiking trip.

Or it’s like….

Handing both of your over-tired toddlers to your parents after a long, cross-country, multi-leg flight with all the kid gear in tow.

Or it’s like….

A vigorous walk around a lovely coastal Maine town after a day spent driving through New York and Connecticut traffic.

Or it’s like….

Limping into the house after a hospital stay to the smell of a neighbor’s famous chicken and dumpling casserole baking in your oven

God’s open arms offer rest.

And rest offers salvation.

The prophet Isaiah (30:15-18) taught that “in returning a rest we shall be saved.”

In returning to God and resting in God, we shall be saved. We will not be saved by doing more, working harder, human striving. It is the very nature of God to wait on us, to be gracious to us, to show us mercy. We are saved when we acknowledge that we have limits to our energy, that it is our unlimited God who will refuel us when we pause to rest.

If you are tired after 4 months of living and working differently—

If you are exhausted by zoom calls and learning new procedures for the grocery store and church gatherings and travel precautions—

If you are weary from the constant presence of the same companions in your home, lovely as they are, you just need a break!— then, know that the God who created you and loves you desires for you to rest. 

“Come to me, all you that are weary

and are carrying heavy burdens,

and I will give you rest.”

For many of us, Sunday morning at church used to be a welcome, peaceful, inspiring respite from the pressures of the week. We sat for an hour listening to the ancient texts, we sang praises to God, and our children were well-behaved and quiet and we all prayed in unison THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE.

It has been 16 weeks since I gathered with a community outside of the home for worship, and even though I am delighted to be among you lovely folks in Maine, it’s not quite like it was, is it? We have on masks, we cannot sing or shake hands or share communion yet.

And yet, we need that respite more than ever- that break from the pressures of life to re-connect with the deep peace God offers to us, that salvation that comes to us when we trust the strong arms of God to catch us as we let go and find ourselves supported. 

This time of public health crisis is looking more like cross country road trip than a drive to the next town, and that means pacing ourselves. Pulling off of the highway to stretch our legs, eat a proper meal, rest for a bit.

But how to slow down when we’ve pushed so hard for so long?

I think that church services were like that for a lot of us- spiritual braking systems that slowed us down and turned us towards the arms of God each Sunday. A ritual time transitioning from the frenetic pace of the week to usher us into a space of deep reflection and connection. 

Today I challenge you to take your foot off of the gas, and find the brake pedal, and start to tap it- see what happens. Tap that brake just a little… find the ritual to ground you in the grace and salvation of God. Find the long bike ride, the daily prayer practice, a sunset walk, conversation with a friend, or the watercolor easel that slows you down and draws you into the spaciousness of God’s salvation. Let’s cautiously slow our roll and head off the highway to a place where we will find, much to our amazement, the God who created us and knows us better than we know ourselves is waiting for us, with open arms, offering us salvation.