Sermon for 6th Sunday after Trinity. Give it a Rest!

Ephesians 2; 1-10

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Matthew 11. 16-19, 25-end

16 To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the market-places and calling out to others: 17'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.' 18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'

19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is proved right by her actions

25 At that time Jesus said, I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. 27 All things have been committed to me by my Father. No-one knows the Son except the Father, and no-one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Are you doing religion wrong?

If you are a Christian your religion should be life affirming, not life negating.

Jesus criticised the religious leaders of his day for making up extra rules and regulations that made following the Faith burdensome, saying in Luke 11,

“...you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.”

It is tempting for religious leaders to make up extra rules and regulations, and then to police them, as it adds to their power and status.

The Christian religion ought to be particularly resistant to this sort of corruption, Jesus said, “Freely you have received; freely give.”

In Ephesians 2 we read, “...by grace you have been saved, through faith.”

Grace – the freely offered love of God, literally a gift.

The New Testament Greek word is, 'charis' – meaning a kindness, or a mercy, or a gift.

God freely offers us redemption and salvation.

Our part is to repent, that is to turn to God, and receive that gift.

How can the religious then accrue control of God's unrestrained favour towards us?

Well, the Church of England has built up 500 years worth of Canon Law, plus Faculties, and Health and Safety, and Representation Rules, and Safeguarding Regulations, and binds itself into the advice of heritage organisations, and on top of that Anglo Catholics, or Evangelicals, or Liberals, add in varied and contradictory theological and ecclesiological rules from their own traditions.

Most of these add-ons have come about because we have fallen out with each other at some time in history, and so need rules to manage that, or because Christians have behaved irresponsibly, or even wickedly, and so we need to protect the vulnerable.

Jesus said, '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.'

However, most PCCs I have been a part of, and most Church wardens I have known, do not feel 'the yoke is easy and the burden is light.'

So are we doing religion wrong?

Notice – in following Jesus, there is a yoke.

Jesus is not calling his disciples to sit back and soak up the sun, there is work to be done.

Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

That's a demanding, all encompassing, life-filling, yoke.

So, is Jesus contradicting himself? Is the yoke a light burden, or a self denying cross?

Might it after-all seem a better solution to do religion by wrestling with all that Canon Law, rather than taking up the cross of Christ?

At least Canon Law has definable boundaries – the claim of the cross of Christ on your life is limitless.

Should we perhaps try and do a little of both?

The key to the dilemma is to identify which yoke you are caring, the all encompassing cross that Christ asks you to take up may be carried with peace of heart, the excess rules and regulations of religion will always be a burden – unless Jesus is calling you to work within them.

Jesus shows us how to make the Yoke lighter, he says learn from me, 'for I am gentle and humble in heart.’

The gentleness and humility of Jesus is evident in every page of the gospels.

He knew frustration, opposition, failure, suffering, and anger, but in all of this he knew the presence of His Father supporting him, and giving him peace.

The moment we lift the yoke of Christ from our necks we lose our peace.

The moment we walk in anything other than gentleness and humility of heart, we lose our peace.

If your religion is driving you insane, then you have may some other yoke around your neck in place of Christ’s.

The Kingdom of Heaven will not be brought about by committee meetings, or by restoring the fabric of the church, or by reorganising the Diocese, or by Mission Action Planning, or tombolas, or rotas, or saving the poor and needy, or by a new organ.

The Kingdom of Heaven will come about by the grace of God, and all these religious things are only useful if they are a life giving response to God’s grace.

I conclude with Christ’s call to lay down your stress and take up his yoke, taken from the gospel of Matthew, as translated by Eugene Peterson,

Jesus says, "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."

Amen.