Weariness and rest (a sermon for Ash Wednesday)

Texts for the day: Micah 6:6-8, Psalm 130, Ephesians 3:14-19; 4:1-3, 29-32; 5:1-2, Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” I don’t know about you, but this verse always nudges me to pause, breathe deeply, and slowly exhale. 

The season of Lent offers a similar opportunity to pause and breathe deeply. It is a season of taking stock of things, a season of reorientation. During these 40 days we examine our priorities - what do we hold tightly? What might we let go of? Again and again God calls us back to the center - back to the one who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

Photo by Aleksandar Cvetanovic on Unsplash

As we enter this season, we need a pause and a deep breath because we are indeed weary and burdened. We are weary and burdened by the state of the world - conflict, disease, and uncertainty weigh heavily on our hearts and minds. We are weary and burdened by grief, weighed down by the loss of loved ones, of relationships, of our health, or abilities, or independence.

We are burdened by guilt and shame. We are wearied by our own poor choices and by things beyond our control. We are wearied by the relentless busy-ness of life, collapsing under the burden of our commitments and responsibilities. Yes, we are so very weary.

On this Ash Wednesday in particular, we don't need more reminders of our mortality and sinfulness. We see the fragility of life, feel acutely the pain of disconnection and brokenness. The ashen cross we receive declares what we already know to be true. We are dust, and to dust we shall return. We are not indestructible. We are weary. We need rest. 

In the midst of our weariness, laden with burdens, what grace it is to hear Jesus’s words: “Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” There is such freedom in letting go of burdens; such relief to sink down into the space of comfort and rest that Jesus offers. We do not need to save ourselves; in fact, we cannot. 

Today’s ashen cross traces the one marked on you in baptism, which was accompanied by these words: “You are sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.” 

You belong to God, who sees your weariness and offers rest. You belong to God, who sees your pain and offers comfort. You belong to God, who sees your burdens and walks with you. You belong to God, who sees your hunger and longing and fills you with good things. 

As we enter this season together, we place our weary and burdened selves in God’s care, giving thanks for the one who gives us rest.