Rest for Your Souls

Advent Day 11

Second Wednesday in Advent

December 7

Reading: Matthew 11:28–29 (NRSV)

²⁸ “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ 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.

Theme: Rest for Your Souls

Reflection:

“Come to me all you who are weary…and you will find rest for your souls.’’ Often in December we need to find rest for both our bodies and our souls. Perhaps we need to find rest for our bodies because we don’t have rest for our souls. Without rest for our souls, our bodies seem to be always running around seeking something.

As much as I enjoy Christmas, and I am a self-confessed Christmas junkie, I wonder how much my striving to “make Christmas” is not some subconscious attempt to seek something. Am I looking to re-create some remembered magic of childhood Christmases (which admittedly were much simpler than those of today)?

We had our time-honored traditions, one of which was going to a 7:30 bilingual Christmas Eve service (German and English), followed by a special meal after church, and then present opening. The large darkened church with the candles in the windows, large tree in the front, poinsettias around the altar, the Gospel read in German, and the magnificent sounds of the pipe organ created a Christmas Eve aura that I looked forward to each year.

I wonder if by trying to keep and expand Christmas traditions I am, in reality, seeking the specialness and Christmas “high” of Christmases past. Trying to do that may just leave me with a worn out body and a dissatisfied soul. I still love Christmas Eve worship, and perhaps that’s the seeking I have to do—seeking the source of the Christmas delight rather than the trappings.

In this Advent and secular pre-Christmas season, Jesus’ words “Come to me” are perhaps the soul satisfaction I need. With a soul that rests in Jesus, I won’t have to do so much seeking, and perhaps, maybe perhaps, my body won’t be so tired!

Prayer: Lord, God, help me to come to your son Jesus and rest in him. Help me to slow down my striving and seeking and instead rest in Christ. Amen