Come for Rest

“When older people get together, the first 15 minutes is an organ recital.” We laugh because we know it’s true. As we age, our health diminishes, and we find ourselves talking about time in doctors’ offices, CT scans, MRI machines and other diagnostic indignities. Continuing physical concerns increasingly demand our attention (and worry, time, discomfort, and money.) Jesus is most concerned about worry. “Do not be anxious ...” he counsels. “Anxiety” is that emotional shadow that stalks every minute of our life. The real and imagined concerns of the day gnaw at our spiritual and emotional life, and so we find ourselves mired in worry mud. But Jesus invites us to “come to me, all that are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Finally, rest! In him our “organ recitals” become praise hymns!