Matthew 11:28 gCome to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ 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. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.h

Jesus said, gCome to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.h This is pure Gospel. We all have burdens of one kind or another. We all seek relief. We do not have time this morning in this bilingual sermon to list all the burdens, so make a list of your own top 5 burdens.

Jesus says he will give you rest for your burdens. This reminds me of Psalm 23. gThe LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul.h This is one kind of rest that Jesus will give us in the midst of our daily worries and toils.

Jesus also gives us rest from our old burdens by giving us something new. He says, g²⁹ 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. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.h Jesus is not an overbearing slave master, but is gentle and kind. His yoke is love.

His gyoke is easy.h That means it is geasy to bear.h It is the right size for us, it is a comfortable fit. Not all backpacks fit every hiker. You have to try them on and adjust the straps to find a pack that you can carry comfortably up the mountain. Jesus knows our size. He gives us tasks in this life that we can bear. With the help of the Holy Spirit, our burdens becomes light and easy to bear.

We should point out that the new burden that Jesus gives us is the cross. He said, gTake up your cross and follow meh (cf. Mt.10:38). The only thing that makes the cross a light burden is that it is really Jesus who carried that cross up the hill to Golgotha for us where he was crucified to take away our burden of sin.

St. Paul was a man who took great comfort in this. St. Paul did not complain about the burdens of persecution and bad conditions on the mission front. The big burden he felt was the burden of sin on his conscience. Try as hard as he could, he found that he could not escape sinning. It was like a war in his heart and in his life. He found peace only in the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. He wrote, gWhat a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God?through Jesus Christ our Lord!h (Romans 7:24-25a).

Here is the rest for all of us, whether it is the heat of summer or the worries of life. gCome to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give your rest.h

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The Lutherans Song: http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=102kvQ1dWoY