Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

-Matthew 11:27-30

(listen to audio of this message here)

My dear friend,

If you’re anything like me, you may be feeling a bit weary. The world feels heavy on our hearts and shoulders, and sometimes it feels like we’re just trying to find our way in the dark with a flashlight that only works some of the time.

As we await the results of this year’s election, as we watch voter suppression happen all over the country with long wait lines at the polls and people being turned away, as we wonder what rights we or our loved ones will have - or not have - in the coming years, as we worry about our jobs, our children in school, our teachers, our first responders, our health; as we live, perhaps in fear, wondering where God is in the midst of this mess… it’s hard to feel hope.

It’s hard to keep going.

In the past nine months, I’ve had some days where I cross off every little thing on my mile long to-do list, and I’ve had days where I’ve crawled into bed at 2pm, just tired, exhausted, and overwhelmed. Every day, every moment is different. But most days, I hit some sort of wall. We all do. We are tired. We are weary. We are worn. I’ve talked to folks who have had one crisis after another, one tragedy after another, and it feels like life keeps piling crap onto us like we’re a field being covered in manure.

It may feel like hope is far away. I feel that, too. But it is not lost forever.

It’s like that saying: “They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we are seeds.”

You are a seed, my friend. And a resilient one at that. You may feel like you are buried under a pile of manure, but God is the greatest gardener of all. God will cultivate that soil around you - manure included - and you will bear good fruit. You will bear good fruit.

What my faith teaches me is that though this world is filled with chaos, God is somewhere in there creating goodness. Like in Genesis, when the spirit hovers over the deep, chaotic, void of darkness and speaks the words, “Let there be light,” and there is light.

And God called it good.

Today, I trust in that promise.

I don't know about tomorrow, or the next day, but today, I trust that God is hovering over the voids of this world, speaking life, and calling it good.

What my faith also teaches me, is that we are never alone.

Jesus tells us, “Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me... for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” This yoke that he speaks of is the yoke of Love and Hope and Justice. We choose this yoke, we take this yoke upon us because it is so much lighter than the yoke of hatred and despair. We take up this yoke of Love and Hope and Justice, and we will carry it together.

But Jesus doesn’t promise that it will be easy. Jesus doesn’t promise to fix everything. Jesus just promises, “Surely, I am with you to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

Jesus promises us that we will have him, and we will have each other. This road will not be easy, but that’s why we go together - so when this yoke of love starts to feel heavy on our shoulders, we know that there is a whole community there to carry it with us. When you get tired, it’s okay to rest, trusting that another one of God’s beloved will carry that yoke forth.

In the same way that in a large choir, when singing one long note will stagger their breaths, a singer breathing in one moment so their neighbor can take a breath in the next: we will sustain each other. We will continue to work for justice, we will continue to love and to hope. We will continue to carry this yoke, singing the song of Love and Hope and Justice. We will continue co-creating with God, and we will do it knowing that we do not go alone. We do it knowing that even when we feel like seeds buried in the soil, we will bear good fruit, and we will do it together. Sustaining each other. Encouraging each other. Breathing with and for one another, and giving each other grace.

My friend, here is what I know for sure: We are the body of Christ. Nothing can kill that. Nothing. That is the promise of the resurrection. Love always carries on.

Please know - deep in your tired and weary soul - that you are not alone. Rest when you need to. Breathe when you need to. Hope is alive. We are in this together.

With love,
Rev. Kelsey Beebe