Created to be Disciples

“Created To Be Disciples”

July 21, 2024 Cobleskill United Methodist Church, Pastor Anna Blinn Cole

Matthew 11:28-30

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

Today we have one long, extended children’s time for the message.  

A long time ago, instead of tractors to plow the fields there was another way.  Does anyone know how fields used to be plowed?  (Ox, or cows or horses)

And if you wanted more than one animal to work on the project together, they would have more power.  But can anyone guess what the problem might be with having two different animals working together on plowing at the same time?  

(they would each have their own way of doing it and probably wouldn’t stay together very well)

This is where a special tool came in handy.   

This is yoke.  Not like the yellow part of an egg.  It’s spelled:  Y O K E.  Yoke.  This tool helps two strong, working animals to be fixed together so that they might go in the same direction at the same time, doing the work together as one team rather than going their separate ways.   Another really important thing about this tool is that it helps two animals share the burden of the work and it makes it lighter.  

…

I have a tool that I use that is meant to kind of look like this and act like this.  

(Show a stole.). This is called a stole.  And I bet you’ve seen me wearing one before.  I actually have many different stoles in different colors.  Color helps us connect to different seasons of the year.  When pastors wear a stole, it’s meant to resemble a yoke that working animals might wear.  We wear it to remind us that God is working alongside us as our partner and teammate to help lighten the load.  I am helping to do God’s work in the world and God is helping to lighten that load so I know I don’t have to do it alone.  I have God working alongside me and God has me working alongside God.  When pastors become ordained this is the promise they make by wearing this yoke.  

I’m not the only one who is yoked to God , though.  Any time we decide to let God help carry our burden, God puts a yoke around us.  In fact, our scripture lesson for today tells us exactly what happens when we are carrying a heavy burden.  Shall we have a listen? 

Matthew 11:28-30

‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, 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.’

In this reading Jesus is saying, “come to me” everyone who is feeling heavy and sad and like you’re carrying a heavy burden.  Have you ever felt like you were carrying something heavy or sad?  

Sometimes when people don’t have a safe and healthy place to live, they feel like they are carrying a heavy burden.

Today we’re going to do a show and tell for our sermon time.  Have you all ever done a show and tell?  Today we’re going to do something like that.  We have some folks in our congregation today that worked really hard over the last two weeks during our Operation: Home Repair. They worked so hard, kind of like the farm animals who might wear a yoke. They were working hard to help repair houses in our neighborhood so that people living there could have a better life.  This kind of work was a mission sent to us by God.  In order to tackle this mission from God, our volunteers needed help with their work.  I don’t think any of them used a tool like yoke in their work, but they did all have other tools that helped them.  Today we’re going to do a show and tell with these volunteers and the tools they used.  They can tell us a little more about the projects they did these past two weeks. 

Carrying the yoke with God means finding a way to serve God’s goals but in a way that we aren’t having to carry the burden by ourselves.  

This is what it means to be a disciple.  Someone who dedicates their life to following Jesus.  It means picking up God’s work to lighten the burdens our of our neighbors around us and know that God will give us helpers and tools to make the job easier.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Anna