452. Twenty-sixth Sunday after Trinity. I.
Lord, our soul is troubled;
in thee only can it find rest.
Gospel Lesson, Matthew 11, 25-30. At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
❦
The Son would rejoice exceedingly to reveal the mystery of grace to all men; but they will not; they are determined to walk in darkness. Their “wisdom and prudence,” their pride and levity, make them blind to the light, and deaf to the word of the Lord. Give ear, then, ye who are needy, to the voice of the precious Savior, calling out to you, “Come unto me!” With these words he encircles us, and draws us to him. It is his earnest wish that we may come; and his invitation itself contains the strength which we need in order to accept it. When a king calls to him one of his subjects, the invitation itself is a passport which overcomes all difficulties, and clears the way to the royal presence; but here he calls to whom all things are subject, our King and Lord, Jesus Christ. None shall say: “I cannot come.” You can by the power of his grace, which invites you. Come, then; come to Jesus! “Where is he?” He is where his voice is, in the word and sacraments. O that you might see how near he is to you! But you shall not see it; for God has ordained that we are to believe; and he gives us grace thereto by his Spirit. How, then, shall I come to Jesus?” You must ask him for mercy, and commit yourself to him as your Savior. Believe that he is near you, and saves you; and give him thanks; then you are come, and you have rest. “But he invites only those who labor and are heavy laden. I do not know if I am one of them.” My friend; put away your own wisdom, and learn this, that God gives all things of his grace; that he does not deal out in driblets, but pours out freely and abundantly with heavenly and lavish beneficence. Here he calls out to humanity in general; and he does not say: “Only such as labor and are heavy laden are permitted to come.” No; he says: “Come, all ye that labor and are heavy laden;” or, in other words, all who desire to find rest. You certainly will not come, if you do not feel that you are heavy laden by reason of your sin; but if you then will come, it is his grace which calls you, and draws you; and the way is open. Now, dear reader, do you not feel that you are heavy laden and need rest? Do you not understand that you are blind, and that you need to be enlightened by the Spirit of God, in order that you may become wise unto salvation? If not, you at least stand at the parting of the ways, and have permission to enter his school, in which babes are instructed concerning the Father. Hear, all ye who understand that you cannot by your own wisdom know God, nor by your own works find peace of soul and hope of life; hear the Savior’s most loving invitation, and come to him, come to him! To all, with no exception, he calls out: “If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink!” “Let him that is athirst come; and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely!” Let none stay away! No matter who or what you are, if you need salvation, come, for he calls you. You are lost; he came for the very purpose of seeking and saving that which was lost; for that very purpose, and none other. Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in him! He says: Take my yoke, my harness, and with it carry my burden. I deliver you from the heavy yoke of the law, from the bondage of works; for I have done all things for you. Therefore when the law accuses you, all you have to do is to refer the matter to me, and find rest in faith in my perfect righteousness. Then make my love your own, and serve one another. “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” When we in love bear the infirmities of others, and help them in their bodily and spiritual need, we carry the “burden” of Christ by means of his “yoke”. Love is the yoke; the troubles of the brethren are the burden. We must “learn” of him: he gives us the grace without which we cannot take the yoke and lift the burden. He is a most patient teacher, who does not reject us because we are slow to learn. Furthermore he gives us his patience and meekness, thus enabling us in our turn to bear with others, and even to esteem them better than ourselves; and thus neither our own unworthiness nor that of others can prevent our finding rest in Christ.
Do not, precious soul, let it be in vain that Jesus calls you today to come to him! Come, and learn to know his love; so that you may surrender yourself to it, and may be delivered from the yoke of the law; that you may be sensible of your unworthiness, that you may be still before the Lord, and taste his peace. Then you are with him, and yet you continually come to him anew; you have peace, and receive peace; carry his yoke, and take his yoke upon you; are his disciple, and become his disciple; until you are made perfect in love, and enter on your rest in heaven.
Dear Savior, do thou interpret to me these thy precious words, and draw me to thee. Thou knowest how many things there are which would keep me away from thee, obscure my view of thee, and make thy yoke seem heavy. Yet, precious Savior, thou knowest thy servant; thou knowest how earnestly I pray thee for grace to believe in thee, love thee, be like thee in lowliness and meekness, follow thee in trouble and affliction, live in thy love, and exhaust all the strength which thou givest me for the welfare of the brethren. Thou seest, dear Lord, that in my heart I love thy yoke, and that I do not wish to rid myself of thy burden. Draw me to thee, and after thee; so am I truly blest. In thee alone has my soul found and will it hereafter find rest. Praise be to thee, and to the Father and the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.*
When flesh shall fail, then strengthen thou
The spirit from above;
Make us to feel thy service sweet,
And light thy yoke of love.
So shall we faultless stand at last
Before thy Father’s throne;
The blessedness forever ours,
The glory all thine own!
[Common Service Book 268; listen here]
453. Twenty-sixth Sunday after Trinity. II.
Thy testimonies are very sure;
holiness becometh thine house,
O Lord, for ever.
Epistle Lesson, 1 Thessalonians 5, 12-23. And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
❦
Only they whom Christ has made free are able to lead the glorious life here described. We point to but a few of the many good things contained in this text, which is a veritable treasure house.
It is directly contrary to the spirit of the times to esteem “them which are over you in the Lord” “for their work’s sake.” It is rather the custom to worship the men, and despise their office. Let the disciples of the lowly Savior note this: “Esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake.” — Then the following: “Warn them that are unruly, support the weak, be patient toward all men.” We let the unruly do as they like, and the weak go down; we deal too indulgently with our own, and judge others too harshly. O that the words of the apostle might chasten us, and at the same time strengthen that which is good in us. Let none lose heart! — The apostle then goes on to say something most remarkable in connection with the preceding: “Rejoice evermore!” Can he mean this? Certainly he can and does. To the Philippians also he writes: “Rejoice in the Lord alway!” Joy, then, is to be the undercurrent under all the shifting sensations of our life; joy alway! “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, continue instant in prayer” (Rom. 12, 12). Here the apostle presents to us our duty, likewise in three successive steps: “Rejoice evermore! Pray without ceasing! In all things give thanks!” And he adds: “For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Then nothing must be allowed to prevent it; we can and shall do that which he says! Let every breath we draw and every beat of the heart be a song of praise in honor of God’s love for us in Christ! To this end we must heed the instruction with which the apostle follows up his exhortation: “Quench not the Spirit! Despise not prophesyings! Prove all things; hold fast that which is good!” Let the gifts of the Spirit be cultivated; let no feeling of envy or contempt quench the holy fire, whether this burn in the wise or the simple. Let nothing prevent the proper use of the gifts. But on the other hand, neither is everything that glitters to be regarded as gold. “Hold fast that which is good; but abstain from all appearance of evil,” even from the evil which appears in the shape of spiritual zeal. — “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” Practice obedience to him! He is “the very God of peace,” the origin and source of peace; he shall take away everything which injures you; he shall destroy sin, which prevents your joy from being complete; and he shall sanctify you wholly, and preserve you blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. When the apostle is able to strengthen us in a hope such as this, he has the right to say: “Rejoice evermore; and in every thing give thanks!”
We bless thee, our God, who didst ordain us unto salvation in Jesus Christ, and didst in him call us to eternal glory. We thank thee also for the precious words spoken through thy apostle, and humbly ask of thee grace to believe and to obey the word. Amen.*
Come, ye that love the Lord,
And let your joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
While ye surround his throne.
Let those refuse to sing
Who never knew our God;
But servants of the heavenly King
May speak their joys abroad.
[suggested tune: St. Thomas, TLH 462; listen here]
* Here the head of the family says a short morning or evening prayer in his own words, and closes with the Lord’s Prayer and the Benediction. This is to be done every day. If the stanzas are not sung, they may be read in their proper place before the impromptu petition and the Lord’s Prayer.