In the Grasp of Grace
St. Paul’s United Methodist Church
Matthew 11:28-30, Rev. Lyle Hamilton, July 6, 2008
Our reflection this morning will be in two parts, which is a bit of a departure from our usual pattern. First of all, let us ponder this very special holiday weekend.
As we have recognized and honored the Fourth of July and the Declaration of Independence of our nation this weekend, everyone in his or her own way, I hope that we have all remembered to take a brief time to recognize that the Presence, Grace, and Love of God has had a place in our nation’s birth and developmental history. For all of it’s ups and downs, for all of it’s strengths and shortcomings, our nation has been and continues to be in the grasp of Grace.
232 years ago, the Declaration was signed and published, and the struggle for the birth of a nation entered into. Although that seems a long time for a nation to remain free, when you look at our history in the context of world history America is just a CHILD among the nations. Egypt, China, Japan, Greece, and Rome all make America's history seem very brief. How brief? Consider following: when Thomas Jefferson died, Abraham Lincoln was a young man of 17. When Lincoln was assassinated, Woodrow Wilson was a boy of 8. When Woodrow Wilson died, Ronald Reagan was a boy of 12. Our last several presidents were all adults when Reagan passed away. *
There you have it. The lives of perhaps five men can take you all the way back to the beginning of our country, 232 years ago. We are so young. And yet we stand tall among the nations because of the principles on which we were established: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (and women) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, and that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
* Quoted in Esermons, 07/06/08.
And yet, God is a long way from growing us as a people even, at this ripe young age of 232 years. Our calling to be and become a people that exemplifies the best hope for ourselves and the world was stated well as an inscription upon the gift of the Statue of Liberty in the words of Emma Lazarus:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me;
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
This is still God’s call to our nation, but being human, we still struggle with our humanity, our self-righteousness, our arrogance, and our selfishness. We struggle to truly integrate as a people, regardless of our differences of race, religious preference, gender, age, sexual identity, or wealth and poverty issues. In the midst of it all, however, let us remember that our nation still and forever continues to be in the grasp of God’s grace.
Secondly, let us now shift to a more personal reflection for this day. It is in the daily struggles of very human lives that Jesus shared the following wonderful scriptural teaching that is our sermon foundation for today. Notice that it sounds a bit like the words of Emma Lazarus just quoted.
Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burden 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.”
“There is a wonderful legend concerning the quiet years of Jesus, the years prior to his visible ministry. The legend claims that Jesus the carpenter was one of the master yoke-makers in the Nazareth area. People came from miles around for a yoke, hand carved and crafted by Jesus son of Joseph.
“When customers arrived with their team of oxen Jesus would spend considerable time measuring the team, their height, the width, the space between them, and the size of their shoulders. Within a week, the team would be brought back and he would carefully place the newly made yoke over the shoulders, watching for rough places, smoothing out the edges and fitting them perfectly to this particular team of oxen.” **
This story describes the type of yoke that Jesus invites us to accept when we become a part of the Body of Christ and have a community of faith to which we belong . . . or even if we are just seeking to be a follower of Jesus. Please let us not be misled by the word "easy," for its root word speaks directly of the tailor-made yokes: these are made to be individually fitted for each and every animal or person and circumstance. The yoke Jesus invites you and me to accept, the yoke that will bring balance, wholeness, and health to weary souls, is one that is made exactly to fit our lives and hearts at any point in time. The ups and downs of our life journey will never become too much because we have a partner in the yoke with us. And our yoke-partner is none other than Christ himself. The great and powerful love of God will always be within and beside us, yoked to us, and helping us have the inspiration and strength to face whatever we need to face. No matter what comes our way, we are always and forever in the grasp of God’s grace.
** from eSERMONS.com, Brett Blair and staff.
“Dr. Diane Komp of Harvard Medical School tells the story of one of her Down's Syndrome patients with whom she was eating, at a restaurant. The restaurant had music and a little dance floor. Her friend loved to dance, but Komp had had a hard day and didn't feel up to it. But then the young man found a partner, another Downs person named Grace. And they danced, and danced, and the young man was so pleased and excited afterwards. He said to Dr. Komp, she's amazing Grace, she could dance all night. And that is grace my friends, it dances all day, all night, forever.” ***
Seeing the above story as an analogy: As followers of Jesus in the 21st century, you and I are also invited again and again to dance all day and all night with the grace and love of God. We are invited to help others to learn to do the same through our example of reaching out to make better the lives of people around us, and of those in need. At a very basic level, this is what St. Paul’s is all about as we reach beyond ourselves in so many ways, time and time again, within Helena, throughout the Yellowstone Annual Conference, and around the world through the interconnected ministries of the United Methodist Church.
Finally, Philip Anderson relates the following story: “Not long ago I visited my sister, a director of patient services for the children’s unit of a large southern California hospital. One day, she was conducting me on a tour through that unit. All the time – echoing through the halls – we could hear the cry of a baby coming from one of the rooms. Finally, we came to that room. It was a little child, about a year old, covered with terrible bruises, scratches, scars, from head to toe.
“At first, I assumed the child must have been involved in a terrible accident. Then I looked closely at its legs. Written in ink all over them were obscenities. My sister told me that the child was the victim, not of an accident, but of its parents. Its internal injuries were so severe that it couldn’t keep any food down. The scars on the bottoms of its feet were burns caused by cigarettes.
*** Scott H. Bowerman, Dancing With God.
“. . . But I want to tell you what happened then. My sister leaned over the crib and very carefully and tenderly lifted the child, and held it next to herself. At first the child screamed all the more, as if its innocent nature had come to be suspicious of every touch. But as she held it securely and warmly, the baby slowly began to quiet down. And finally, in spite of wounds and hurts and past experience, it felt the need to cry no more.” ****
This story, told in a slightly different manner, powerfully reminds me that you and I, through the supportive outreach of St. Paul's, engage in a powerful and significant healing and redemptive ministry for children in severe need through our own extension ministry at Intermountain (formerly Intermountain Children’s Home). Through this ministry, we help embody the truth that even these abused and neglected children, in spite of their tragic and wounding backgrounds, are now and forever in the grasp of God’s grace … and have a hope filled future. In the name and power of Jesus Christ it is so, and will be so as the future continues to unfold. Thanks be to God, Amen!
**** Story by Philip Anderson, quoted in Illustrations Unlimited
