Unforced Rhythms of Grace

Good morning, riverside. I'm grateful and strengthened, strengthened by the presence of

my family, grateful to have you here. Won't you take a moment and

pray with me? May the words of my mouth and the meditation of all

of our hearts be pleasing and acceptable in your sight, O Lord, I'll

strength and redeemer. Amen, I'll. Scripture Lesson, taken from the eleventh

chapter of Matthew's Gospel, closes with the very familiar words that are in an

invitation to the weary, to the burdened and oppressed. They are the familiar

comforting words we often hear at a homegoing service or a funeral, a memorial,

oftentimes of benediction, a reminder of Jesus's comforting presence and desire to share

in our burdens. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,

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 light.

I find it interesting the version by in Eugene Peterson's Message Bible, Are

you tired, worn out, burned out on religion. Come to me,

Get away with me, and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how

to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me. Watch

how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay

anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with me, and you'll

learn to live freely and lightly. Says the word. What a beautiful and

loving invitation, particularly when we're in the midst of challenges and struggles. However,

before we can fully appreciate this invitation, we may wish to place these

words in the fuller context of this chapter as a whole, which begins with

providing us with an understanding of what is going on in a very important relationship,

a relationship that most of us are familiar with. In the opening passage,

a theme has developed around relationships. We find that the people of Israel

are not accepting of Jesus their messiah. What is most shocking is that John

the Baptist, hearing from his prison cell about the deeds of Christ, is

expressing some doubt, some uncertainty concerning Jesus's ministry, Jesus's identity. John the

Baptist, John the waymaker, the one who came to prepare the way for

the Lord, the one who testifies to Jesus's superior power, stating, I

baptize you with water for repentance. But one who is more powerful than I

is coming after me. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He

will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. John the Baptist is now

in prison for speaking out in the face of empire to declare Jesus as Messiah,

the holy One who would come to take away the sins of the world.

That same John, now in prison for his convictions about Jesus the Messiah,

is now questioning Jesus's identity. This is interesting. So even the most

devout, the most loyal, has questions and is expressing doubt. He wants

to know if Jesus is the one the Messiah, or if there is another

that they are to wait for. Jesus hasn't met John's expectations. Perhaps he's

disappointed. The text may serve as a reminder to us all that even the

most devout follower is prone to disappointment. It is safe to say even the

saved, the sanctified, the Holy ghost filled can come to a place of

question and doubt in their relationship with God. Is this the Christ, the

Messiah, the long awaited savior who takes away the sins of the world.

Are you the one, Jesus? Or should we wait for another? I

imagine that there are many of us. When we pick up the newspaper or

listen to the news to hear the horrors of the day, one can't help

but ask where is God? And if there is a God, why does

God allow such things? Does God hear the cries, the prayers, the

petitions. The number of children living in poverty in the wealthiest country is tragic,

and here in New York, almost thirty percent of our children live in

poverty. The number of people feeling isolated and lonely without the support of family,

friends, or good neighbors has reached epidemic levels. Social isolation and loneliness

have become widespread problems here in the United States, which only increases mental and

physical health risk. Many languishing and long term care facilities without the loving or

carrying presence of friends and family. The number of people sleeping in public spaces,

on our steps and in our doorways across the country is yet another crisis.

How do we make sense of beautiful buildings sitting vacant or partially occupied after

the pandemic fostered remote work while there is a swelling number of unsheltered people in

our city and country as a whole. We have a humanitarian crisis that has

led to tens of thousands of people crossing over the border in search of a

better life. But there is a conspicuous absence of at a national strategy to

help address this crisis. Jesus says, I come that you may have life,

and you may have it more abundantly. Yet nearly one point five million

New Yorkers now experience food insecurity. One has to wonder if abundance is reserved

for just a few. There are more liquor stores, smoke shops, and

overpriced, poorly stock bodegas than health and wellness programs right here in Harlem.

If we are in genuine relationship with God, I would suspect that there are

any number of days when one might be doubtful, frustrated, and even angry.

This happens in real relationships. We get upset when our hopes and expectations,

our understand our expectations our understanding is not aligned with what we experience.

We believe in an all powerful obnisition of nipotent God who takes away the sins

of the world. Yes, a loving God who has given us free choice,

but can also change the hearts and minds of each of us. A

familiar refrain in the Black Church would be, won't he do it? As

a testament to God's good work? Yet we witness the work of our Supreme

Court recognizing there is no person or persons, justice or court that is a

match for God. So, Lord, how did you allow the Supreme the

Court to roll back Row versus Way, affirmative action block and student debt relief

and allowing a website allowing a website designer to refuse to make same sex wedding

websites. I hear the echoes of the late Congressmen Reverend Adam Clayton Powell Junior,

saying, is this the land of the free and the home of the

brave? Lord? Are you the God who never leaves us or forsakes us,

the God who grants clarity and understanding? I don't understand. The playing

field has not been leveled, so everything affects Black, brown and lower resource

communities disproportionately, there are higher maternal mortality rates among Black American women, and

according to the CDC, more than eighty percent of them are preventable. Fewer

quality resources and services, and communities that are already suffering from scarcity, a

lack of affordable housing, a lack of access to quality food, a lack

of opportunity, higher levels of violence, particularly gun violence, and many children

find it easier to get guns and their parents will ever realize. Friends.

Let the first portion of this chapter serve as a reminder that even people with

strong faith can struggle with questions of doubt, especially when we have such high

expectations. There's no question prison has to affect one's physical, emotional, and

spiritual functioning. I imagine for John he was surrounded by other prisoners under harsh

conditions. This changes one's behavior, perhaps mindset. You may not know who

you can trust, and it may alter relationships. And if we allow circumstances

to define the way we see God, we risk becoming a prisoner. Two

prisoners of perspective. When we choose to adjust our perspectives, we tend to

be able to see God's goodness even in the most challenging of circumstances. These

moments feel like the gracious and divine movement of the Holy Spirit. I see

hope, I see hope and feel God's rhythms of grace moving through circumstances of

life. As we tuned into the election of results last week to learn you

Saith Salaam was one of the Central Park five wrongfully accused and sentenced to prison.

Now twenty three years later, has won the seat on the New York

City Council. It was a reminder that we can find strength in knowing all

the challenging and difficult experiences in this life are temporary. Trouble don't last always.

Even the darker nights where there is weeping through the night, joy returns

to greet us in the morning. When all is finished and we have endured

all things with faith in Jesus Christ, we have the promise that God shall

wipe away the tears from our eyes, that we can rest from our burdens.

In our text, friends, Jesus says, you can exchange heavy burdens.

You can exchange heavy burdens of expectations and your anger and prejudice and rejection

of others, and take on the lord's yoke. Jesus promises what he knows

will result as true rest for weary souls. Friends, don't be discouraged.

There is hope. I see hope. I see hope in Harvard's thirtieth President,

Claudette Gay, who knew months ago that the Supreme Court would would render

a decision on students of fair admissions versus President and fellows of Harvard College.

President Gay, a brilliant analytical political scientists and Harvard's first black chief administrator,

spoke directly to the Harvard community and all who care about moving forward with the

mission of education in the face of continuing racial discrimination, where she stated,

we will comply with the Court's decision, but it does not change our values.

It does not change their values. We continue to believe deeply that a

thriving, diverse, intellectual community is essential to shaping the next generation of leaders.

So long as we have leaders like her, Let the Supreme Court do

what the Supreme Court does. I see, I see hope right here.

Each time we can open our doors to those who are struggling to have their

basic needs met, their basic physical, emotional, and mental or spiritual needs.

I feel a sense of hope, and I feel God's grace when we

meet read and served newly arriving asylum seekers visiting our food pantry and clothing distribution.

Each month, Julio and maid A graciously flow with the ever increasing demands

of people visiting social services, and by God's grace, we can meet them

in the need. We've moved, we've turned no one away, Thanks be

to God to discover that we are at a cross roads, perhaps broken down

and tired of living life on the merry go round as the Populace song rise

up by Audredago's we can rise up to Jesus's invitation to go down a different

road. We're invited to let go of one way living or a more abundant

life, one way of living for a more abundant life, the same Jesus

whose ministry was to meet people right where they were in their brokenness, hurt,

pain, rejection, and look lovingly and tenderly in a way no other

can. We are invited to let go and discover still a more excellent way.

There is for each one of us a great invitation we have received in

this reading of today's text. Perhaps someone is at a crossroads, frustrated,

angry, losing hope for a better tomorrow. Perhaps this is the time to

accept this invitation. Come with all your burdens, Jesus says, all your

frustrations, your disappointments, all your anger, all the righteous indignation to receive

and experience the unforced rhythms of grace. May it be so, God bless you,