Healing Rays of Righteousness

Beverly Sills was an excellent and popular soprano opera singer, who died on July 2, 2007.  She was known as a very joyful and giving person.  This was so clearly evident in the following story.

Beverly had just completed an outstanding matinee performance, and according to the program, she would give another performance that evening at 8:00.  Backstage her loyal fans were congratulating her, when one of them said to her, “You must rest now, because I see that you have to give another performance tonight.”  “No,” said Beverly Sills, “I don’t have to give another performance tonight.”  “Well,” said her fan, “it says here in the program that you have an 8:00 p.m. performance this evening.  Did you forget?”  Beverly answered, “Yes, I do have a performance tonight, but I don’t have to give it.  I get to give it.”

Beverly Sills always felt she was privileged to be co-laboring with Jesus in blessing people with her singing, and so every musical performance was always a “privilege” and never a “duty.”

She did not consider it a task to do or a burden to endure.  She believed her performance to be her co-working with Jesus, because she believed she was doing what God called her to do, that is, to SING.  She truly and gratefully felt privileged to be yoked with Jesus in living her life.

In Matthew 11:28-30 we read, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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.”

With these words, Jesus invites you and me to come to him and find rest, wisdom and strength for the oft-times difficult and pain-filled journey of living our Christian faith in a world that often challenges our commitment to being a good and Godly person.

But every difficult situation is also an opportunity to deepen our relationship with Jesus, and to have our trust in him strengthened.  Jesus knows our limits of strengths and weaknesses, and so invites us to find soul rest by being yoked together with him in our laboring.

The Greek word for “easy” means “well-fitting” and so I hear Jesus saying, “My yoke fits you well; your work or situation is tailor-made to fit you.  So yoke yourself with me, and I will labor with you, making your life easier and your burden lighter.”

The burden is made light because Jesus shares the burden with us and carries the greater weight.  And the yoke is made easy because Christ is always so loving and compassionate in helping us through all of the hard and uncertain circumstances of life.

Jesus’ invitation to rest is not the promise of an easy road, but rather of a difficult road made easier because of his being a traveling companion whose wisdom and strength makes the journey more restful and free of stress.

The truth is that I don’t have to love my neighbor.  I don’t have to share what God has given me.  I don’t have to feed the hungry, visit the sick, and be a friend to the lonely and dying.  I don’t have to be kind, compassionate, and considerate of others.  As pastor and chaplain, I don’t have to preach the “Good News” or minister pastoral care to hurting and needy people at any hour of the day or night.

I don’t have to do any of these things, but I am invited to do them as a privilege in being yoked with Jesus in his ministry of loving and serving others.  And yoked with Jesus, God’s gracious love transforms my life and attitude, making my labor and ministry a privilege to do.  With the apostle Paul, I now say “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

I confess that I haven’t always viewed my work as being a privilege.  My life journey has had its share of dark, difficult and discouraging times, and my work as pastor and chaplain seemed at times more wearisome obligation than privilege.

But, I also can affirm that whenever I would remember Jesus’ invitation and that I was yoked with him, the healing rest I needed flowed into me, making lighter the burden and transforming my work into a joyous privilege.

I am so grateful to Jesus for his amazing grace in my life and ministry.  I now reflect on my 53 years of being yoked with Jesus in ministry to others as a joyous privilege.  And, I say to you, stay yoked with Jesus.  His yoke will fit you comfortably and will give your soul rest in every day situation.  Trust him with your life, and you will be glad you did.

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – February 6, 2019