Lay Down Your Burden & Become a New Creation

Brad Sullivan

4 Epiphany, Year A

Sunday, February 2, 2014

St. Mark’s, Bay City, TX

Malachi 3:1-4
Psalm 24:7-10

Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40

           

Two family members, long estranged through words that were said and deeds that were done.  Then one day, something shifts, one reaches out to the other, the ice starts to melt, and forgiveness and reconciliation begins.  Jesus is at work, setting people free to go in peace.

A beloved friend, long sick and suffering decides to stop medical treatment and let death occur.  Family and friends begin gathering around to say “goodbye for now”, joyfully celebrating the life they’ve had together, rather than fearfully trying to hold death at bay.  Jesus is at work, setting people free to go in peace. 

People see others in need.  They sacrifice some personal need and decide to help their fellow human being.  During their interaction, both people see the other as fully and truly human, and a lifelong connection is formed, even if they never see or hear from each other again.  Jesus is at work, setting people free to go in peace.

Families going a hundred miles an hour, over committed, over worked, trying so hard to be perfect and competitive decide to slow down.  They work less and drop commitments from their children’s schedules.  They become content with what they have, fear the future less, and enjoy the simple blessings of being with one another.  Jesus is at work, setting people free to go in peace.

People come to a church uncertain of what they will find, doubtful that they will fit in, wondering if the people or even God will accept them.  They don’t know the customs, which book to use, or why the preacher is wearing a dress, but they are hoping to have some kind of encounter with Jesus.  Friendly faces offer warm welcome.  New friends help guide them through the worship and invite them to stay and have a meal afterwards.  They encounter Jesus at work in people, prayer, and sacrament, setting them free to go in peace.

A person long-suffering from the burden of a wrong committed in the past is told to try to make amends and that of course he is forgiven.  “Lay down your burden and become a new creation.”  Jesus is at work setting people free to go in peace. 

 As much as I’ve been preaching about our need to slow down and practice our religion a bit more as Episcopalians, something which I still believe it would be helpful, we in the church don’t have exclusive reign on Jesus’ activity in the world.  Jesus is happening all throughout our lives.  Jesus is out walking around in our neighborhoods and in our schools and places of work.  Jesus is at work in religious people and in non-religious people.  Jesus is at work wherever people are set free, Jesus setting them free often without them knowing he was even present. 

For Simeon, Jesus was present to him, physically present, and that was all.  He didn’t do anything, other than maybe coo or spit up a little bit; he was a baby after all, 33 days old, according to the rites of purification which Mary and Joseph were upholding.  Jesus was a cooing little baby, possibly even asleep at the time, and yet his presence was enough to set Simeon free to go in peace, for “[his] eyes had seen the savior whom [God] had prepared for all the world to see, a light to enlighten the nations and the glory of [his] people Israel.”  All Jesus was was present. 

Now, Jesus is present everywhere to work through all of us.  Being the great high priest, Jesus is present and works through all of us.  Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested. (Hebrews 2:16-18)

Having become human, Jesus is forever united to humanity.  Being our great high priest, forever in God’s presence, Jesus is forever uniting us to God, setting us free from the multitude of things to which we enslave ourselves, or at least Jesus is offering to set us free.

Encounters with Jesus were so often joyful, as was Simeon’s encounter with Jesus.  Some folks, however, felt no joy at seeing Jesus.  Some even said, “don’t torment me,” or at least the demons which possessed them said that.  Sometimes an encounter with Jesus is a cause for alarm because a chance to be set free from whatever is binding us is being given, a chance to reunite with God and humanity in some way, and we may not want to be set free. 

If we’re going to be set free, we have to want to be set free.  God isn’t one to force us.  If we want to stay estranged, to reject forgiveness, God has freed us to do so.  If we want to ignore the needs of people, and be cold or indifferent to visitors and guests, God has freed us to do so.  If we want to be overburdened and overstressed and seek wealth and prestige over contentment, God has freed us to do so.  We are free to become slaves to all kinds of things, but if we want him to and if we will allow him to, Jesus will set us free to go in peace.

I was trying to think of some big dramatic story of a miraculous moment when I realized Jesus had set me free and suddenly I could go in peace.  I couldn’t think of one, and yet I can think of dozens.  I couldn’t think of one life-altering moment when suddenly I encountered Jesus for the first time and everything was drastically different from that moment on. 

I’ve been a part of the Body of Christ since I was a baby, growing up and learning to live as a disciple of Jesus from the beginning of my life.  At times I didn’t have particularly high marks as a disciple of Jesus, but it has been a life-long journey, and on that journey, I can think of dozens, if not hundreds of times in which Jesus has appeared, allowing me to be set free to go in peace.  Jesus has shown up in all kinds of ways:  people, scripture, music, prayers, church, not church, Christian, non-Christian.  Jesus has used anything and everything to help set me free throughout my life. 

I haven’t always taken him up on his offer the first time.  Sometimes I’ve wanted to keep whatever burden I had or whatever it was to which I was enslaved, and Jesus has let me.  There’s no force, no coercion on Jesus’ part, just the continual offer, and at times when I’ve rejected that offer, Jesus has come back in some other form saying:  “Are you ready now?  Ok then, lay down that burden.  Change your life.  Be not afraid and follow me.”  Then, the response, spoken or unspoken, known or unknown:  “Lord you now have set your servant free to go in peace as you have promised; for my eyes have seen the savior whom you have prepared for all the world to see, a light to enlighten the nations, and the glory of your people Israel.”  Amen.