Jesus, I Come
Read Matthew 11:20-30.
There are days when I get tired. Today is one of those. I have been in full-time local church ministry now for twenty-three years. I have seen the best and the worst of humanity. I have experienced significant spiritual highs and deep, deep darkness. And there are times when I am just tired, wondering whether or not I should go on.
For we United Methodists, this week and last are our quadrennial General Conference, the group that represents all of us around the world and which makes decisions for the whole church. The only body that can officially speak for the United Methodist Church is the General Conference. What they decide and pass goes into church law and policy.
What has worn on me, particularly today, is not so much what is being decided but the way it's being decided. Protests and arguments, talk of schism and "amicable separation," discussions of matters that will never be resolved because both sides are too entrenched...there comes a point where I just have to step away because it's all just so disheartening. It's all tiring. (I can't imagine how tired those who are actually there, fighting the good fight, feel.)
But then again, it's not much different in the local church. Over the twenty-three years I've spent in full-time church ministry, I've encountered (it seems) just about every sort of church fight and squabble and issue that I can think of...though, every time I say that, there seems to come along something I hadn't seen before. I've been in church fights about worship times, the locations of doors and walls, the presence of various objects in or out of the worship space, the color of paint on the wall (shades of white), the age-old music debates, leadership squabbles...the list could go on and on.
And every time, I wonder how the world is looking at us. They'll know we are Christians by our...?
And then I turn to Jesus, in today's reading from Matthew. First, he's cursing those cities who had a chance to respond to the Gospel but didn't. They were so focused on their own issues that they missed the miracle of the savior who was among them. Then, Jesus begins to pray, thanking his Father for the work the Father is doing, even in the midst of the unbelief of these particular cities.
And then, like a good preacher, Jesus issues an invitation to those who are weary. It's an invitation I need to hear today, and often. The Message version of these verses is some of the finest work Eugene Peterson has ever done, because he nails it on the head. Hear the invitation of the Savior. In the midst of the unbelief and the squabbles and the downright unChristian behavior of those who claim the cross, hear the Jesus-invitation:
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| partially restored synagogue at Chorazim, 2012 |
For we United Methodists, this week and last are our quadrennial General Conference, the group that represents all of us around the world and which makes decisions for the whole church. The only body that can officially speak for the United Methodist Church is the General Conference. What they decide and pass goes into church law and policy.
What has worn on me, particularly today, is not so much what is being decided but the way it's being decided. Protests and arguments, talk of schism and "amicable separation," discussions of matters that will never be resolved because both sides are too entrenched...there comes a point where I just have to step away because it's all just so disheartening. It's all tiring. (I can't imagine how tired those who are actually there, fighting the good fight, feel.)
But then again, it's not much different in the local church. Over the twenty-three years I've spent in full-time church ministry, I've encountered (it seems) just about every sort of church fight and squabble and issue that I can think of...though, every time I say that, there seems to come along something I hadn't seen before. I've been in church fights about worship times, the locations of doors and walls, the presence of various objects in or out of the worship space, the color of paint on the wall (shades of white), the age-old music debates, leadership squabbles...the list could go on and on.
And every time, I wonder how the world is looking at us. They'll know we are Christians by our...?
And then I turn to Jesus, in today's reading from Matthew. First, he's cursing those cities who had a chance to respond to the Gospel but didn't. They were so focused on their own issues that they missed the miracle of the savior who was among them. Then, Jesus begins to pray, thanking his Father for the work the Father is doing, even in the midst of the unbelief of these particular cities.
And then, like a good preacher, Jesus issues an invitation to those who are weary. It's an invitation I need to hear today, and often. The Message version of these verses is some of the finest work Eugene Peterson has ever done, because he nails it on the head. Hear the invitation of the Savior. In the midst of the unbelief and the squabbles and the downright unChristian behavior of those who claim the cross, hear the Jesus-invitation:
“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” (11:28-30, The Message).
Jesus, I come.
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