Reflections on the season of Advent

Pastor Phil Beck
St. Paul's Lutheran Church
Walkersville

As we come to the season of Advent, we reflect on the birth of our savior and the good things in our lives because of this gift from our Creator. While the times we are in may preclude our normal gatherings, singing in a full sanctuary, joining friends and family, or just witnessing the joy of the season, we are encouraged in our lives with all the blessings we have received this year. However for some people this is not always a season of joy, yet it is one of heartache, disappointment, and hurt. There are many in our communities who are struggling with homelessness, poverty, and illness who find it difficult to find comfort in the festive atmosphere we so often we associate with Christmas. We have all had darkness enter our lives and recently I also experienced darkness in my life. It was not the first time that darkness crept into my heart and into the very essence of my being. This darkness was something that I had dealt with before, but it was different, it was effecting my loved one in a way that could not be controlled. What many of us also have trouble with is looking to the Light for safety and security in these times.

I will admit that I did not look where I should have been looking for comfort and assurance, I was more focused on the problem going on and how I was going to be able to fix it. We all struggle with dealing with the darkness in our lives especially when everyone else is celebrating the season or other happy times. People don’t know we are having difficulty making sense of what is going on in our lives because we are good at hiding our troubles. We often mask it very well and put on the game face for everyone, but this is not the healthy way to overcome the darkness. We have a variety of ways to defeat the darkness in our lives because we have the remedy in our hearts. The Light has come into the world to spare us from the darkness and give us the ability to live out our days in peace.

When things are difficult for us we often feel the burden or weight of a yoke around our necks. In the time of darkness we often need to be built up and given assurance that there is an answer to our troubles or the darkness. Jesus confirms what John the Baptist has known all along, that he is the Light come to defeat the darkness. Jesus is our light and the one who has come to take away all that burdens us. We are most likely to experience Our Creator’s presence and power in the company of the humble and vulnerable, the people who are usually found at the margins of our communities. They may be children or strangers, people who are not sure whether or how they fit. That is sometimes us, those of us who don’t know how to make our voice known or can’t seem to reach out to the Light or a form of support that will lead us to the Light.

Jesus explains to us that all he has been given has been by the Grace and the will of Our Creator; no one can be with or know Our Creator without first coming to believe in Jesus. Our Creator will only be revealed to the people through Jesus who has emphasized this in his coming ministry; unless you know and accept Jesus, there is no way for you to know and be with Our Creator. Jesus is the Light who has died on the cross to take away our burdens.

Jesus extends an invitation to us, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me." Being here in a community known for farming we should be familiar with the image of a yoke and that this tool is meant to bring together the beasts of burden to complete a common goal so that one does not stray from the other. The first ancient readers or hearers of Matthew also viewed a yoke as a symbol of obedience to God’s law and wisdom. Generally, our instinct is to resist yokes and laws, or at least not immediately connect them with the idea of freedom. Through the image of the yoke, however, Jesus invites us to think of God’s law and wisdom as a means to surrender, give way, and accept something graceful and positive—rest, ease, and lightness. Jesus reframes the idea of a yoke by telling us that accepting his yoke will help us grow as disciples.

We all have burdens and don’t look to Jesus at first for help getting through our issues, but there are enough people shining their own lights on Jesus for us to be able to let him share the journey with us. Believing we have family, close friends, or support in our communities can help carry the yoke and be supportive of our walk with Jesus.

Where is your support group, your cast of characters who are there to share your burdens? We are right here, we are all around you. It is easy to find your Jesus yoke here and with your family, but as I intend to do, it is imperative to reach out into our communities and find those who are struggling with their own burdens, those who don’t have what we have here with our families, and friends. It is our job to share the yoke of Jesus with everyone who are in need of the rest offered by Jesus. We can all do this easily enough as we have the two biggest forms of support on our side, Jesus and the Cross. Join me in putting on his yoke and take the rest Jesus is offering. Join me in putting on his yoke and sharing the good news.

By walking with Jesus and hitching up to his yoke, he is giving us the vision, purpose, and energy to become his disciples. Jesus will show us the way, he is inviting us into his embrace, and we must allow him to take the lead, allow him to assist us in getting through difficult places, and allow him to show us the right path. Jesus has already done the hard part, he died on the cross for my sins and for yours. The work will be well worth the rest given to us as a result of the Resurrection. It is time to let go of our burdens and welcome Jesus; His yoke of love and comfort will give us rest in our souls. Join me in putting on his yoke and take the rest he is offering. Join me in allowing the Light of the world to overcome our burdens, to defeat the darkness.

In this Christmas season we can be reborn in fully giving ourselves over to Jesus. We can hear the Angels calling us to listen to Jesus, hear his words, and feel the comfort they are meant to bring. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry."

Jesus has come to us as the Light of the world, given to us as a gift to take away our burdens where he will bear them up on the cross for us. We know Jesus is our rest, Jesus is our Peace, and Light. The words from Isaiah 40:31 remind us that, "those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Our Creator has given us the gift of Christ in the world, a gift that continues to sustain and comfort us in our times of trial and a gift that brings us joy and peace in a world struggling to find its way. Knowing the peace of Christ, understanding He is always with us and His peace is ever present, guides us in our own journeys seeking a relationship with our Creator. When that journey is realized in the presence of our Creator, we will comprehend the faithfulness, dedication, and joy of our expedition and delight in life with our Creator. In the deep dark night over 2000 years ago the Star illuminated the way of the Magi and the shepherds to be guided to the true Light and true giver of Life. In that night, darkness was defeated, the Light has triumphed. Let the Light of Jesus illuminate your life and give you peace.

Through prayer there is always someone who can share God’s love with you and we at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Walkersville want to come beside you to cultivate and nourish the mind, body, and spirit of all who are searching. I invite you to reach out to someone with whom you have not connected in some time. Reach out and let them know the Good News of the child who came to give us hope, the child who lives in our hearts, and the child who has let His Light so shine He overcomes the darkness in our lives. In those times when we are struggling, we can embrace the goodness of Jesus and do not have to be alone. Join us Christmas Eve at 7pm for our Candlelight Service of Holy Communion and experience the Light.