"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." -Matthew 11:28
Everybody hold on tight! A new school year is beginning, and we're in for a wild ride!
 
This fall for the first time, I have three kids in school. For the past week or two, our schedules and our mental capacities at the Lewis household have been maxed out with have-to-dos: buy new tennis shoes, pick up class schedules, shop for school supplies, resume soccer practices, update shot records, join booster clubs, order a euphonium, write LOTS of checks to the schools to cover various necessities for a good start to the year, get haircuts (school pictures happen the first week back!), arrange one last play-date with each child's best friend, purchase the new Longhorn network, talk about peer pressure and the new temptations sure to be encountered in middle school, etc. And that's on top a daily and weekly routine that is already plenty full.
 
I suspect that we are hardly alone. It's not just people with school-aged children or teachers who can get overwhelmed this time of year. The pace of life for most is relentless. The list of things that constitute the "good life" grows and grows. So, we race to keep up. Spit the bit, fall behind and, well, you just might find yourself left behind.
 
In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus compares following him to the "yoke" or the burden of following the Law. For many Jews in Jesus' day, the "good life" involved adhering flawlessly to hundreds of instructions, impacting every aspect of daily life. It was an impossible standard to live up to, a heavy burden to bear. Most did spit the bit. It left them feeling weary and disillusioned.
 
Jesus said to them and to us, "Come to me. Entering the kingdom of heaven in the here and now and living daily in the reality of God's reign of grace, justice, and peace is the good life. Come to me, listen to my teaching, imitate my ways, and I will show you how. In the kingdom, you will find rest for your world-weary souls."
 
My have-to-do list looks a little different in light of Jesus' words.
 
May the peace of Christ be yours this fall, Pastor Andy