{"id":2979,"date":"2020-07-01T09:38:29","date_gmt":"2020-07-01T07:38:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/static\/wp\/?p=2979"},"modified":"2020-07-01T09:38:29","modified_gmt":"2020-07-01T07:38:29","slug":"pentecost-five","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/pentecost-five\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentecost Five"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sermon for the 5th<\/sup> Sunday after Pentecost, Year A –\u00a05 July 2020 | Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 |\u00a0The Rev. Beth A. Schlegel |<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBut to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,<\/p>\n

17\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u201c\u2018We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
\nwe sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.\u2019<\/p>\n

18\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>For John came\u00a0neither eating\u00a0nor drinking, and they say, \u2018He has a demon.\u2019\u00a019\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>The Son of Man came\u00a0eating and drinking, and they say, \u2018Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard,\u00a0a friend of\u00a0tax collectors and sinners!\u2019 Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.\u201d<\/p>\n

At that time Jesus declared,\u00a0\u201cI thank you, Father,\u00a0Lord of heaven and earth, that\u00a0you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and\u00a0revealed them to little children;\u00a026\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>yes, Father, for such was your\u00a0gracious will. 27\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son\u00a0except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone\u00a0to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.\u00a028\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>Come to\u00a0me, all who labor and are\u00a0heavy laden, and I will give you rest.\u00a029\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>Take my yoke upon you, and\u00a0learn from me, for I am\u00a0gentle and lowly in heart, and\u00a0you will find rest for your souls.\u00a030\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>For\u00a0my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Which would you prefer \u2013 to carry a sack of potatoes in a shoulder bag for a mile, or to carry those potatoes in a backpack for five miles?<\/p>\n

Now, which would you prefer \u2013 to carry two sacks of potatoes in a backpack for five miles, or to pull two sacks of potatoes in a cart while yoked to another person for five miles?<\/p>\n

Most of us would probably agree that the second option in each case is the easier.<\/p>\n

A backpack distributes the load like a single yoke and being yoked to another person also distributes the load.<\/p>\n

It is easier to bear a load that is distributed.<\/p>\n

Now, here is one more choice \u2013 which would you prefer \u2013 to carry those potatoes in the backpack with someone pressing down on the pack, or to carry them without the added pressure?<\/p>\n

This is the choice Jesus offers.<\/p>\n

We still carry the potatoes \u2013 but we don\u2019t have to do it alone or with added pressure when we are yoked to Jesus.<\/p>\n

For Jesus\u2019 followers, the potatoes were a religion that had become oppressive with rules and regulations that made it difficult to be considered faithful.<\/p>\n

The Pharisees had added over 600 rules about how to keep the Sabbath!<\/p>\n

This was a heavy burden that Jesus\u2019 hearers were yoked to carry,<\/p>\n

Other burdens were the constant stress of being subjected to Roman rule, with its own set of laws and customs that made being faithful to God\u2019s Word difficult.<\/p>\n

For some, the burdens are illnesses like leprosy, palsy, blindness, and mental instability.<\/p>\n

For others, the stresses of economics and family life.<\/p>\n

So what are the potatoes in our lives?<\/p>\n

What are the burdens we carry in our lives?<\/p>\n

Most of us right now are carrying a burden of stress related to COVID-19 \u2013 be it fear of exposure,<\/p>\n