Genesis 24: 34—38, 42-49, 58-67:  The story of Abraham continues in this week’s Old Testament reading with the story of Abraham commissioning his servant to find a bride for Isaac, the son of the promise.  The unnamed servant faithfully obeys his master’s instruction and goes to Abraham’s ancestral city of Haran.  There he prays to Yahweh to provide and at the well the servant encounters Rebekah.  Rebekah agrees to become Isaac’s wife and her family blesses her that she may “become thousands of myriads.”  This reminds the reader of God’s promise to Abraham that he will become the father of a multitude of nations.  With the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah the promise made to Abraham is passed on to the next generation.

Romans 7: 15-25a: In the New Testament reading, Paul describes a personal heavy burden that weighs upon believers of any time period.  Paul notes the struggle within himself between the good that he desires to do and the evil that he does.  Ultimately, he acknowledges his “wretchedness” and his inability to keep the law.  At that point he cries out, “Who will rescue me from this body of death?”  The answer, Paul declares is through the grace of God in Jesus Christ we are delivered from slavery to sin and its consequence, death.

Matthew 11: 16-19, 25-30:  This Sunday’s Gospel reading stands in contrast to that of the past few weeks in which Jesus declared that He “had come not to bring peace, but the sword.”  The previous Gospel readings focused on the cost of discipleship, division, dissension, and struggle.  Yet in verses 28-30 of this week’s Gospel, Jesus calls on His disciples to “learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”  Much of chapter 11 appears in a different context in Luke’s Gospel.  By placing Jesus’ statement after the woes and negative descriptions of verses 20-25, Matthew indicates that the negativity is not the final word.  Like God addressing Moses [Exodus 33: 14], Jesus offers rest. The rest offered is not a life of ease rather; rest is used here as a synonym for salvation associated with the kingdom of God.The Gospel reading concludes with Jesus’ statement that “my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  In Jewish tradition yoke was a common metaphor for service.  Generally, one found it presented as the “yoke of the Torah” or “yoke of the kingdom.”  Like the earlier use of “rest”, here “easy” does not refer to a selfish life of ease.  Instead, it represents a deliverance from the presumption that one can earn God’s favor, earn salvation.  True fellowship in God’s kingdom is a gift of God’s grace; it is the gif of life.  Service then is easy as it is a response of thanksgiving, rather than a burdensome obligation.

Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

Bill+