Proper 9 A

Matthew 11: 16-19, 25-30

Burdens and Joy

I know a retired priest in the Atlanta Diocese who was at his parish,
in an! wa!s like "#$, %or o&er thirt! !ears' (oe !ears )e%ore he arri&ed,
soeone had painted a *ral in the )aseent+ ,es*s is seated and a crowd o%
children, dressed in late 1960-s %ashion, are all o&er hi, literall!' (e&eral are
cli)in. his le.s, one is conspic*o*sl! wipin. his nose on his ro)es, while another is
on his lap with a chocolate ice crea cone, searin. it all o&er hi' /*t the ost
rearka)le %eat*re is the *tter 0o! on ,es*s- %ace, his )eati1c sile as he stares
down at these children, not an o*nce o% 0*d.ent in his entire deeanor, despite
all the ess' 2hene&er ! %riend wo*ld .et a 3*estion a)o*t what the lo&e o% 4od
was like, he wo*ld lead this person downstairs and in&ite her to spend soe tie in
%ront o% this *ral'
It will coe as no s*rprise, )*t we don-t appear to .et it a)o*t ,es*s
and this is no ore apparent than in ,es*s- own pra!er this ornin., 5 I thank !o*
6ather, 7ord o% #ea&en and 8arth, )eca*se !o* ha&e hidden these thin.s %ro the
wise and intelli.ent and ha&e re&ealed the to in%ants+ !es 6ather, %or s*ch was
!o*r .racio*s will'9 $he spirit*all! discernin. indeed do not .et it, those who re0ect
the essa.e o% the ascetic ,ohn the /apti:er )eca*se the! )elie&ed he 5has a
deon9+ the (on o% Man is e&en ore dan.ero*s, a .l*tton and a dr*nkard, a threat
to the co&enant co*nit!' ;either line *p with the standards o% the a*thorities+
each de1es the preconcei&ed notions o% what holiness is like'
$hat idea o% holiness and its o)li.ations are the st*)lin. )locks
which ,es*s is tr!in. to reo&e' I% !o* are like e, we are o%ten tr!in. to %or
o*rsel&es into the old o% what is hol!, eas*red )! the ar)itrar! standards aro*nd
*s+ the! are the 5hea&! )*rdens9 we carr!, the )ack-)reakin. wei.ht o% o*r own
e<pectations o% o*rsel&es and those we ia.ine o*r co*nit! has' /*t in this
*pside-down world o% the kin.do, it is the children, the little ones, those witho*t
power or a*thorit!, who are %ree %ro that wei.ht' $he &er! %act o% their openness to
the lo&e o% 4od, o*tside personal or co*nal e<pectation, akes possi)le the
intiac! o% the presence o% 4od in their li&es' It is no accident that the in&itation to
the children earlier in the .ospel and the s*ons to the wear! and )*rdened are
&irt*all! identical'
"oe to e, all !e that tra&ail and are hea&!-laden' 2e all know
what it is to %eel that wei.ht, to not e&en coprehend wh! we %eel we are inclined
to the e&il we do not want rather than the .ood we desire, as Pa*l sa!s' $he 5!oke9
at the center o% the in&itation o% ,es*s is not hard to *nderstand in the conte<t o% the
deands o% the a*thorities in ,es*s- da!, the load placed *pon people who erel!
wanted to )e li&in. %aith%*l li&es' /*t we are no ore i*ne to this )*rden, e&en i%
we create it %or o*rsel&es'
I had the .ood %ort*ne to attend a seinar! where Desond $*t*
was a &isitin. pro%essor, where he ta*.ht soe pastoral theolo.! as well as the
seinars on reconciliation %or which he was so 0*stl! %ao*s' $here were an!
5$*t* stories9 )*t one was cited )! alost e&er!one, pro)a)l! )eca*se it happened
so o%ten and was so e)leatic o% his own spirit*al li%e' A st*dent wo*ld speak in a
class a)o*t how )adl! he had handled an enco*nter, cite his own shortcoin.s in
settin. a relationship ri.ht+ )eneath these stories was a sense o% deep
*nworthiness, the )*rden o% %ail*re all the ore hea&! spoken aon. these %*t*re
pastors' $*t* wo*ld let a oent .o )!, take o= his .lasses, look in a &er! le&el
wa! at e&er!one across the roo and sa!, 5>o* cannot possi)l! ia.ine how low
4od-s standards are'9 $here wo*ld then )e a oent o% st*nned silence, as i% the
)*rden o% e<pectation had )een s*ddenl! li%ted %ro all in the roo, a sal&ation
oent %or e&er!one present' $here are da!s when I wo*ld trade e&er!thin. else I
learned d*rin. those three !ears %or that one insi.ht'
$his Independence Da! 2eekend, it a! )e help%*l to ree)er
%ro what we are )ein. %reed, )eca*se ,es*s- words are reall! a)o*t sal&ation, ri.ht
here and ri.ht now: the 5rest9 he o=ers %or o*r so*ls is not a)o*t ease )*t a)o*t
deli&erance %ro the wei.ht o% o)li.ation, percei&ed or real, in ,es*s- da! as well as
o*r own' A%ter all, the lo&e o% 4od is a)o*t 0o! and cele)ration, as a &ision o% ,*lian
o% ;orwich descri)es:
M! ind was li%ted *p to hea&en and I saw o*r 7ord as lord in his
own ho*se where he had called his *ch-)elo&ed %riends and ser&ants to a
)an3*et' I saw that the 7ord did not sit in one place )*t ran.ed thro*.ho*t the
ho*se, 1llin. it with 0o! and .ladness' "opletel! rela<ed and co*rteo*s, he was
hisel% the happiness and peace o% his dear %riends, his )ea*ti%*l lo&e radiatin.
eas*reless lo&e like a ar&elo*s s!phon!+ and it was that wonder%*l %ace
shinin. with the )ea*t! o% 4od that 1lled that hea&enl! place with 0o! and li.ht'
6or *s, it is the 0o! o% one who can look down at a ro)e wrecked with an ice crea
cone and still pro0ect the a)idin. lo&e o% 4od' I a not tr!in. to )e ?ippant here'
@nl! to point o*t, as ! %riend has to e, that o*r )*rdens are not reall!
p*nishents or loads placed on *s+ the! are o*r in&ited .*ests' $he alternati&e to
these )*rdens is to ponder the pro%o*nd 0o! that 4od takes in *s: not erel! that
4od %or.i&es *s, has erc! on *s or soehow p*ts *p with *s )*t act*all! enjoys *s
as 4od-s own )elo&ed, irreplacea)le creat*res' @*r &er! )ein. at this oent is the
%r*it o% the deli.ht 4od takes in *s' And, whate&er o*r reli.ion asks o% *s, o*r li%e-s
hi.hest p*rpose and deepest 0o! is to a.ree with that deli.ht, to 1ll o*r li&es with
the 0o! and li.ht o% *ch-)elo&ed %riends and ser&ants o% 4od'