Introduction

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

This Sabbath Sunday, as we reflect on the sacrifice of the cross, this verse continued to come to mind. There is so much beauty in these three sentences.

Our savior, who died for our sins and failures, flat out starts this exchange with, “Come to me.” This is Christianity. The Lord of the universe, unlike most other religions, is saying, “Come to me child and let me take your sins away from you.” Can you imagine? A God? The people he is talking to at the time are the religious leaders who are just so bogged down, unable to keep up with all the laws set forth by God and by the church. They have added their own guilt and shame on top of it. BUT JESUS …

Jesus is saying, “Let me take that FULL WEIGHT YOU ARE CARRYING!” He wants all of it. But then he goes further and, in exchange for my inabilities, Jesus gives us His ability to obey, find rest, and LEARN from him. That word LEARN is so awesome. It is translated later as “make disciples” in the Great Commission. So in essence, Jesus is saying: Learn what it means to be my disciple and you will find rest for your soul. How amazing is that?!?!?

Adoration

Oh father God! You are awesome! Your yoke is easy and your burden is light! We praise you this day! May we exclaim your goodness to the mountaintops for all to hear! “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11) May your praise be forever on our lips. You are a holy, sovereign God!

Confession

“O Father, we are gathered before you, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, whose chosen dwelling place is with the broken and contrite, to confess that we have sinned in thought and word and deed; we have not loved you with all our heart and soul, we have not loved you with all our mind and strength; we have not even loved our neighbor as ourselves. In your mercy, deepen our sorrow for the wrong we have done and for the good we have left undone, so that we may hate our sin with a holy hatred. But, please Father, do not leave us in sorrow. With you, O Lord, there is forgiveness. In your mercy,restore the joy of our salvation; so that we may love you with a holy love. Amen. ” – Missio Dei Confessional.

Thanksgiving

Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise For the LORD is ia great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us lkneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. – Psalm 95:1-11

Thank you Father God for the rest you provided for us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Thank you for providing a way into eternal rest with you. We thank you Lord! Amen

Supplication

Lift up your family requests. How can we pray for you today?

Local Church
Pray that your local church continues to be a light for the community, that the church shares the love of God to the ends of the earth. Pray that the local church becomes a new home for many this Easter Sunday! Pray that those within the church who are sick stay healthy.

Community

Pray for your community, that the lost are found and the found grow closer to the Lord. Pray that natural disasters cause no damage and that God’s community is protected from harm.

World
Pray for the Ukraine/Russia Conflict. Pray for softening of hearts, persevering of the saints, provisions and safety of civilians, God’s glory to be shown throughout the war. Pray that talks between leaders not just be a formality, but also be a time of truly listening to one another and a compromise can be met. Pray for the financial consequences of war on society that God continues to meets the needs of His people. Pray for those who are hurting internationally and nationally. Pray for the missionaries carrying out the message of God.