Who is tired? Many people seem to be. You might have said an emphatic ‘I am!’. When the days are long and the weeks are busy, I can get tired. We can be in the stresses of work – maybe it is simply the long hours or the constant use of strength or brains or both – or it can be as a result of constant pressures and expectations – or it is brought about because babies and then toddlers have come into your life (and they can seem never to tire at all!) but we all can relate to being tired – and possibly are … tired!

One of the reasons that we are often tired is that we are not able to take the much-needed rest that we need. It’s often of no real value to tell tired people to rest because they normally would have done so, if they could so that they wouldn’t be tired!  When do parents of a newborn have time to really rest – or the [add of your own list!]. We can have too many pressures on our time for us to rest properly. People can be constantly reminded about what they have to do and this sabotages their resting. Before mobile phones and social media, holidays were good breaks – ‘time away from it all’ – but these days many people’s work – life balance are no longer ‘9 to 5’ and the increasing acceptance that emails, online working, and social media for work can be restricted to ‘office hours’ is a good step in my view. The truth is that we need rest.

Jesus knows that we need rest. He knows what it’s like to be tired. He knows about the constant weariness that can be with a person. He knows what it’s like to fall asleep as soon as you sit down for a moment. He knows the tired side of life – and he also knows the restful side of life. 

Jesus once said: “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 ESV).

Jesus promises to give us rest. He says that his burden is light and his yoke is easy. It is a promise that many people would just love to receive – but on their terms! Yet people can trust Jesus to keep his promises because of his death and resurrection and thus he knows life and living and dying as we do not and he knows what is the best life to live. Jesus comes to people and calls them to himself to give them life – secure in God’s grace, resting in God’s love and truth.

Jesus still comes to people today. We meet him through words, water, bread and wine. Through these means, Jesus comes to us and takes away our burdens and gives to us a new load to carry (one which is not burdensome). This is the reason why God has called his people to worship him – not for God’s ego but so that we could rest in his presence as God serves us. Unfortunately too many people see worship as a work that we have to do for God … just another job that has to be done (and the Mum, the Dad, the Child, or the Elderly can say, “I’m too tired already!”). But Jesus still calls his tired people out of their hustle and bustle, out of their busy-busy world to come and have some rest. 

Worship is our God given haven and sanctuary in which we can rest and be refreshed. The whole day of worship is also sometimes called ‘a day of rest’ to remind us that God wants us to go out from worship and enjoy our life doing different things than our usual routine (as much as possible) and this can especially happen as families share fun and laughter together. (For many people, a lot of their happiest family memories is of the time their family spent together enjoying each other’s company after a worship service.)

I hope you’re not tired out from reading this blurb! Jesus understands our burdens and tiredness and he always is with us wanting to carry and assist us. (Often we are tired because we want to do everything ourselves … but that’s a topic for another time.) For now, worship, the Divine service especially, is our time of rest, when the Divine serves us. That is why it is refreshing! Next Sunday I’ll be at worship (not because it’s my job!) but because I need the rest!!

GS