November Newsletter

Letter from Rev Mark Windsor

“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.”

(Words of Jesus in Matthew 11 v 28-tt0)

Notice who Jesus addresses: the weary, the burdened, those carrying too much. He does not call first to the successful, the spiritually confident, or the morally perfect. He calls to ordinary people who are tired. That matters, because many people carry heavy burdens in life and in faith. Some carry anxiety, grief, or loneliness. Some carry impossible expectations. Some carry wounds through difficult experiences.

This feels like a very relevant invitation from Jesus to each one of us. Many people are feeling weary. Are you? If not, then I am sure you will know people who are right now.

In the past few years, we have been enduring the strain, stress and upheaval of the COVID pandemic. Wars in Ukraine and other parts of the world underline the fragility of international relations and peace. There is uncertainty around the scale of the consequences of the Climate Crisis and fears that we are responding woefully inadequately and without sufficient urgency. Many are struggling with the cost of living at this time.

It is not wrong if you are feeling weary; neither should it come as a surprise! Jesus bids us rest in him. Not in the form of complete inactivity but he offers us an easy yoke to bear. God is in the business of lightening burdens. He has good works that are tailored for us to do and he calls us to learn from him.

Jesus never suggests that discipleship is effortless or passive. But he is contrasting his way with systems that crush people under guilt, legalism, or endless striving; his work will not overwhelm you. Grace is not something we earn through exhaustion. God’s love is not reserved for those who have everything together or who do the hardest work.

The Christian faith is not primarily a ‘to do’ or ‘to do not’ list. It is at heart an invitation to come to the one in whom all our deepest needs are met; the one in whom we will find true rest for our souls.