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Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
– Matthew 11:28
A while back I heard a pastor tell the story of going into a shop. It was an art supply shop, and he went in to look for something very unusual. He did not say what it was, and he was not even sure it was made. However, he went to the person at the front counter and said, “I am searching for something I am not sure it even exists.” Without missing a beat, the person smiled and said, “Aren’t we all!”
Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened . . .” Now that is a pretty broad invitation that applies to most all of us, doesn’t it? Just think about it -- who is not weary or burdened at some point in life and in need of rest? According to Jesus, the only qualification for finding rest is to be burdened. We don’t have to be anything else.
I heard the story of another person who lived in Hollywood. Because of his job, he was invited to many of the awards ceremonies where all of the stars turn out. He is married to a very beautiful woman and they get dressed up to go to these events. They arrive in a limo like everyone else. His beautiful wife gets out of the limo first, and all of the paparazzi crowd around to take her picture. And then they wait to see who the celebrity might be with this beautiful woman. And then the man steps out of the limo, and he hears them shout, “It’s nobody!”
Maybe we sometimes feel like a “nobody” -- especially when life is out of control, like in a pandemic. But Jesus invites us to “come.” And we don’t have to be somebody special -- only someone who is burdened and in need of rest.
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