Sunday 6 July 2014

Rest for the wearyYear A - Pentecost 4 - 46A

The Mission of the Methodist Church of New Zealand

Our Church’s mission in Aotearoa / New Zealand is to reflect and proclaim the transforming love of God as revealed in Jesus Christ and declared in the Scriptures. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to serve God in the world. The Treaty of Waitangi is the covenant establishing our nation on the basis of a power-sharing partnership and will guide how we undertake mission.

Can you help with funding for “10 Minutes on a Tuesday”?

It has been a year since we used this space to appeal for funds to support “10 Minutes on a Tuesday”. The funding for this ministry has now run out. We are very grateful for gifts from individuals, parishes, churches and trusts which have kept it going up until the present time. The ministry requires one half of a minister’s stipend to continue, but with no on-going source of funding a decision has been made to discontinue production at the end of this Connexional year. However, we are in urgent need of funding now to continue to make this resource available up until then. Parishes, congregations and individuals are asked to consider making a financial contribution to this valuable ministry. If you helped in this way a year ago, would you consider helping again this year? Methodist ministers can claim contributions as part of their book and resourcing allowance. Gifts can be direct credited to Mission Resourcing - please contact Rebecca Hitchcock in Christchurch for details (rebeccah@methodist.org.nz). Cheques should be made out to “Mission Resourcing”, accompanied by a cover note designating funds for “10 Minutes” and posted to:

Methodist Mission ResourcingPrivate Bag 11 903EllerslieAuckland 1542

For more information about the Refresh Ministry email me at andrew@missionresourcing.org.nz

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Andrew Gamman

Links Ctrl+Click on the links below to go directly to the text you requireReadingsIntroductionPreaching thoughtsIllustrationsBroader preparationCreativityMusic PrayersCommunal sharingChildrenPowerPoint

ReadingsCtrl+Click to follow links

Genesis 24.34-38,42-49,58-67 Abraham sends his servant to his homeland to find a wife for his son Isaac.Psalm 45.10-17 A psalm extolling the splendour of the marriage of the king.Romans 7.15-25a Paul explains about the battle that rages within himself. Though he knows what is right, something keeps him from doing it until he is rescued by Jesus Christ.Matthew 11.16-19, 25-30 Jesus talks of the way the ministries of John and himself are rejected by some and then goes on to promise rest for the weary.

July – New Zealand Bible monthTo give churches more flexibility and more opportunity to celebrate the Bible, what was “Bible Sunday” has become New Zealand Bible Month this year. This allows churches to select a Sunday (or all four) in the month of July to lift up the Bible and encourage people to read it and apply it to their lives. This particularly helps those churches unable to celebrate on the traditional third Sunday date to still

participate in the nationwide Bible Month campaign. The Bible Society has produced a range of useful resources to help churches encourage Bible engagement and help people build a regular habit of Bible reading. To acknowledge the Bicentenary of the Gospel in New Zealand there is a very useful pdf Kiwi Bible Heroes. See also Rosalie Sugrue’s drama below.

Introduction / BackgroundCtrl+Click to follow links

CEV = Contemporary English Version of the Bible

This yoke is easyMatthew is the only one of the gospel writers to record Jesus telling his followers to put his yoke on their shoulders (Matthew 11.29). A yoke is a wooden frame used to join two oxen so that they can be worked as a team. It is an instrument of subjugation and it enables an animal to share a burden that would be too heavy to bear alone. The yoke is used in today’s passage as a metaphor of being bound in subjugation to Christ. We have been following the lectionary readings through Matthew’s gospel and, in the previous chapter, we heard Christ telling his followers that they must take up their cross and give up their lives for him. In the light of such hard demands it may seem more than a little odd that he should be now speaking about rest, light burdens and easy yokes.Matthew, writing for his Jewish readers, is speaking of the freedom found in following Christ and comparing it to the heavy burden of religious legalism espoused by the Pharisees. For ordinary people the bar had been set too high. Oral traditions had been turned into laws and there were detailed rules about tithes and offerings, work and rest, washing and purity, oaths and fasting. No matter how much people tried to live in a way pleasing to God, the rigorous demands of the law, as interpreted by the Pharisees, seemed to leave them feeling defeated and unable to meet his requirements.However, while the gospel released Jesus’ disciples from these demands of the law, he was not promising that his followers would be free from burdens. Remember, he said that they have a cross to bear. The cross means sacrificing oneself to serve God and to serve other people. Such a burden is indescribably heavy – but the paradox is that it is also light, because of being yoked to Christ. With such a thought in mind the Apostle Paul can declare, “Christ gives me the strength to face anything” (Philippians 4.13 CEV).

An alternative resource for this Sunday that follows the Genesis reading (3 July 2011 - 46A) can be found in the archived Refresh section of the New Zealand Methodist website.Further lectionary based resources can be found on Bill Peddie’s blogsite.

Preaching thoughts and Questions

I recently finished reading Sylvie Simmons’ fascinating and meticulously detailed biography of Leonard Cohen. Cohen, a Canadian poet/singer/songwriter, surprisingly shot to fame in the late 1960s with his spare and melancholy songs that were in stark contrast to much of the popular music of the day. Even more surprising is that both he and his music seem to have had a new lease of life and, at nearly 80 years old, he has arrived on our shores to sell-out concerts twice in recent times. Cohen hasn’t had an easy life. Simmons’ biography shows just how hard life is for a rich and famous international icon, especially one who longs for a simple life-style and is searching for spiritual reality. While he declares that he has never given up his Jewish faith, Cohen has spent years living a harshly austere life in a Buddhist monastery and is an ordained Rinzai Buddhist monk. He has also attended the Catholic Church, delved into the Church of Scientology in some depth, identified with the Hare Krishna Movement and he has extended stays in Bombay to be with his Hindu guru. Like his songs, reading about Cohen’s story makes the reader feel more than a little sad. More than that though, just reading of his earnest quest for reality made me feel tired. And it seems to me that Jesus’ words from the gospel today have some relevance to this situation:

2

MSG = The Message translation of the Bible(…and monosodium glutamate – but that’s another story!)

“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.” Matthew 11.28-33 MSG

Crowds of ordinary people followed Jesus to hear what he had to say. At the time, the Pharisees had them tied up in knots with rules and regulations for everything including when you worked, how you washed, what to eat and when not to eat. While good people wanted to do the right thing, it seemed to be so very difficult to earn God’s approval. This religion with all its requirements was tiring them, burning them out. Into this situation Jesus arrived and said that he had been sent so that ordinary people could know God (Matthew 11.25 & 27). As for all those rules and regulations, he said that everything important could be summed up by this: love God and love others (Matthew 22.37-40). If God’s plan is for all people, for you and me and everyone, it must be incredibly simple. No hidden truths, no complex exercises nor any secret rituals. Yet thousands upon thousands of people will rush out to buy the latest paperback that purports to tell The Secret of spirituality, they flock to hear the latest guru who has found a brand new way to understand the Bible… or follow the latest spiritual trend (like the practice of positioning crystals in their lounge to achieve wholeness). And while some people wear themselves out looking for an authentic spiritual reality, many more weary themselves seeking status. We clamber up the social ladder to try to give ourselves importance and significance. By any means we want people to notice how esteemed we really are. It can be by displaying titles before, or letters after, our name. (Even the cleaner now is a “chief hygiene executive”.) Or we may seek status by living in the “right” neighbourhood - the thing that our Kiwi singer of the moment, Lorde, is having a dig at when she sings about “post-code envy”. In our consumer society more often it’s by the things we own that we seek status:

the television - “not everyone has got a 50 inch” the car - “3 engines mate… 2 of them actually motors” the phone - “I can watch the All Blacks on this baby”

The trouble is that there is always someone ahead of us. There’s always a still better model, a still better address, a more important person… and we wear ourselves out, running just to stand still. And Jesus says…

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.”

There are many people who care very little for finding spiritual reality or for seeking status. For them the one important thing is to pursue happiness. They say, “You can’t wish for anything more than to be happy.” But what and elusive thing happiness proves to be, especially when we aim to grasp hold of it. Like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, it could be there, but we never seem to actually arrive to be able to see it. So, we fill our lives with entertainments and recreational activities which prove to be good distractions but still leave us dissatisfied. Meaningful relationships seem offer so much happiness… until people disappoint. And, when we stop blaming others, we are confronted with our own short-comings. We are always sure that there is something better just around the corner… but it

3

is so tiring. And Jesus says…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.”

So what is that? What does it really mean to come to Jesus? It is a matter of giving it all away. Jesus said, “If you try to save your life, you will lose it. But if you give it up for me, you will surely find it.” (Matthew 10.39) So he calls us to give away all our efforts find status or happiness and all our striving to do things to find God… and simply trust him.

All our burdens we exchange for a life of simple discipleship. All our disappointments in ourselves and others and all our selfish

ambitions, we exchange for the freedom of forgiveness. These burdensome yokes around our necks that weigh us down, we

exchange for his yoke of love and obedience.“This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.” (Matthew 11.30)Jesus says, “Come to me… and you’ll recover your life.”

Illustrations / Stories

Legend of the birds“There is a legend that the birds at first had no wings, and that they rebelled when wings were given because the wings seemed to be a burden; but when they accepted, the burden lifted them to the sky. The weight of Christ’s yoke is wings to the soul.” George A Buttrick, Interpreter’s Bible Vol 7 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1951) p391.

Broader / PersonalPreparationCtrl+Click to follow links

YouTubeA couple of music clips that relate to our theme today:

Shackled by a heavy burden (He touched me) The well-known Gaither song performed by Tanica Campbell.

Mirigo ya Mehia Miaure (Burdens are lifted at Calvary) This is the gospel song by John Moore set to an African rhythm and language and performed by Sarah Kariuki.

Creativity /Visual AidsCtrl+Click to follow links

Bible Sunday drama - Mary Jones walkSuitable for Youth and Children - Bible Sunday, Church Parade, or Family ServiceCast: Narrator, Mary Jones, Mrs Jones, 7 Wayfarers, Rev Charles, Mrs Charles (12 persons)(Mary begins at the front left of the church and walks down the aisles encountering people along the way. She loops back to the front right for Bala).

Nar: The year is 1800. The place is a tiny village in North Wales. Most of thepeople are poor and know very little about the world. They only speak theWelsh language, but we have translated it for you.

Mrs J: I so proud of you Mary. (hug)Mary: Goodbye Mother.Mrs J: God be with you Mary. (wave)A: You’re up early Mary. Where are you going?M: I’m going to Bala.A: Bala! That’s 25 miles away. It will take you all day to walk to Bala.M: That‘s why I’m staring so early. B: Hullo Mary. Why are you wearing your shoes round your neck?M: I’m walking twenty-five miles. I don’t want my shoes to wear out before I

get there. I’m keeping these shoes for the streets of Bala.B: God bless you Mary.

4

C: Hullo Mary. Are you going a-visiting?M: Yes, I’m going to visit the Reverend Thomas Charles. He lives in Bala.C: That’s a long way to go.M: I know but I’m used to walking.C: Good luck Mary.D: Good morning young lady. And what might you be doing?M: I’m going Bala to buy a Bible.D: Can you read? There’s not much learning round here.M: When I was eight. A school opened in the village next to mine. It took me an hour to walk there, and an hour back, but I learnt to read.D: Well, good luck to you young lady.E: Good afternoon girl. Where are you going and what are you doing?M: I’ve learnt how to read and I’m going to Bala to buy a Bible.E: The Bible is full of hard words. It’s not like reading from the blackboard at

school. Reading a Bible is right difficult.M: I know it’s difficult but I’ve been practising. I’ve been practising for years.

My neighbour, Mrs Evans, has a Bible. She lets me read it in her house onSunday afternoons.

E: You are a lucky girl to have such a good neighbour.M: Indeed, I am very lucky. Mrs Evens is very kind.E: May good fortune stay with you.M: Thank-you Mam.F: Good afternoon lassie. What is your business, may I ask?M: I’m going to Bala to buy a Bible.F: A Bible! But a Bible is very expensive.M: I know. I have been saving for years.F: How could you earn money?M: When I was little I ran errands for people and I told them I was saving up for a Bible. I did weeding and knitting and child-minding. Then a kind neighbour gave me some hens. I’ve been selling eggs and raising chickens for six years and now I have enough money to buy a Bible.F: That’s a fine effort to be sure. God bless you lassie.M: Thank-you Mam.G: Good evening traveller. Can I help you?M: Is this the town of Bala? I’m looking for the Reverend Thomas Charles.G: Yes this is Bala. Turn down the next street, go over the hill and you will See the church spire. The Reverend lives next to the church.M: Thank-you Sir. (Put on shoes, walk, and knock)

(Others move to front right using side aisles if possible)M: Good evening Mam. May I speak to the Reverend, please?Mrs C: It’s getting late. Is the matter urgent?M: Yes Mam, it is urgent. I’ve walked from Llan-fi-han-gely Pennant to see him.Mrs C: You’d better come inside then. Thomas, there is a girl to see you.Rev: What do you want child?M: Please Sir, I want to buy a Bible.Rev. I’m sorry child but I don’t have any Bibles left.M: No Bibles left but…it can’t be…(cry)Mrs C: She’s walked all the way from Llan-fi-han-gely Pennant.Rev That’s a good twenty-five miles. No wonder the girl is in such a state.Mrs C: There, there child, don’t cry. I’ll get you a nice cup of tea.M: Thank-you, but I came to Bala to buy a Bible. Mrs C: You have a cuppa and tell the Reverend all about it. (exit)Rev: Sit here girl and tell us about yourself.M: My name is Mary Jones. I’m fifteen years old. (dry eyes)Rev: And who is your father Mary?M: My father was a weaver but he died when I was four. I live with my mother.Rev: Do you go to church regularly Mary? (Mrs C gives Mary a cup)

5

M: Oh yes Sir. Mother and I go to Chapel every Sunday. That’s how I got to love the Bible. I wanted to learn to read so I could read the Bible myself. Our Pastor made the arrangements for me to go to school in Tyn-Ddol.

I’ve worked very hard and I do so want a Bible.Rev: I do have one Bible left but it has been promised to someone else.

Dear child you must understand that Bibles in Welsh are very hard to come by. But you can’t leave now. It will be dark before you get home. You must stay here for the night. Mrs Charles will find you a place to sleep.(Mrs C takes Mary off right; Rev Charles lies down; the Wayfarers having quietly come to the front, by a side aisle, if possible and form a line)

Nar: That night the Reverend Thomas Charles had a vivid dream.(Wayfarers speak into microphone and file past the sleeping Rev shaking their heads)

Mrs J: God be with you Mary. A: Bala is twenty-five miles from Llan-fi-han-gely Pennant. B: She walked barefoot. C: She walked all day.D: She learnt to read so she could read the Bible – two hours of walking to get to school.E: She practiced Bible reading every Sunday afternoon.F: She saved for six years - running errands, knitting, raising hens, selling eggs.G: She walked barefoot so her shoes would be respectable for you.Mrs C: You can’t let that girl go home without a Bible.All: She came to Bala to buy a Bible. She came to Bala to buy a Bible… (chanting)

(Rev wakes up, rummages round and finds a Bible)Nar: Reverend Thomas Charles gave Mary Jones his last Bible.

But he did more than that. (Mary goes off clutching Bible)Rev: I told Mary’s story to a Religious Society in London. I explained how

difficult it is to get Bibles in the Welsh language. The men agreed to help make Bibles more available for Welsh speaking people. Then, another minister, Reverend Joseph Hughes, jumped up and said, ‘If Wales, why not the world! Let’s make Bibles available to all people who want to read God’s word in their own language.’

Nar: So, in March 1804 the British and Foreign Bible Society was formed. Ever since, people have given money to support the translation and distribution of Bibles in many languages. Our Holy Bible has been translated into more languages than any other book, thanks in part to the determination of one young girl. (Mary comes back holding her Bible)

All: The Bible is the world’s most read book. Thank you Mary Jones!

Production suggestionsMary wears an apron and Welsh hat made from black paper, brim lined with white crepe-paper ruff.Shoes with laces knotted together hang round her neck. She wears or carries a microphone.Wayfarers spaced down the centre isle read their words (loudly) from a small card.

© Rosalie Sugrue from Ten plays: Short, easy dramas for churches (Wellington: Philip Garside Publishing, 2013) used with permission.

MusicAA: Alleluia AotearoaCMP: Complete Mission PraiseHIOS: Hope is our SongFFS: Faith Forever SingingMHB: Methodist Hymn BookH&P: Hymns and PsalmsS1: The Source

Hymns & songsAll to Jesus I surrender CMP 25; S1 15All who are weary S4 1714Are you weary MHB 320Before the world began S1 40Come to me you weary MHB 328Come unto me S4 1769Come you sinners MHB 324Days are filled with sorrow and care (Burdens are lifted) words and sheet music available from musicnotes)Eternal beam of light divine MHB 496Forth in your name, O Lord MHB 590: WOV 480; H&P 381; CMP 159

6

S2: The Source 2S3: The Source 3S4: The Source 4SIS: Scripture in SongWHV: With heart and VoiceWOV: With One Voice

WOV = AHB

Ctrl+Click to follow links

He is here S4 1842I heard the voice of Jesus say MHB 154; WOV 500; H&P 136; CMP 275; S1 206I’ve looked for love S4 1928Jesus I am resting, resting CMP 362; S1 280Jesus take me as I am SIS 318; CMP 382; S1 297Koutou katoa ra mea iti nei WOV 659Let him to whom we now belong MHB 382; WOV 146; H&P 698Lord I will SIS 313         Refresh my heart (Geoff Bullock – words and sheet music available from musicnotes)Rest for the weary MHB 101Sing we a song of high revolt WOV 643Sometimes it’s hard S4 2047Take my life MHB 400; WOV 520; H&P 705; CMP 624; S1 468Thou whose almighty word MHB 803; WOV 61; H&P 29; CMP 699Turn your eyes upon Jesus SIS 34; CMP 712; S1 533Weary of earth MHB 355What a friend we have in Jesus MHB 538; WOV 165; H&P 559; CMP 746; S1 566When the weary seeking rest MHB 735

PrayersCtrl+Click to follow link

CollectBoundless, O God is your saving power;your harvest reaches to the ends of the earth.Set our hearts on fire for your kingdomand put on our lips the good news of peace.Grant us perseverance as heralds of your Gospeland joy as disciples of your Son,Jesus Christ our Lord;who lives and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God for ever and ever. Amen.

© The Methodist Worship Book (Peterborough, England: Methodist Publishing House, 1999)

Call to worship – Jesus said“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.”

Matthew 11.28-33 The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Prophecy of an Asian womanAll the broken hearts shall rejoice; all those who are heavy laden, whose eyes are tired and who do not see, shall be lifted up to meet with the Motherly Healer.The battered souls and bodies shall be healed; the hungry shall be fed; the imprisoned shall be free;

7

all earthly children shall regain joy in the reign of the just and loving one coming for you coming for me in this time in this world.

Asian Woman’s Theological Journal – reproduced from Oh Light ed. Anna Gilkison (Lower Hutt, NZ: Disability, Spirituality & Faith Network, 2008) used with permission.

Communal SharingCtrl+Click to follow link

Mid-winter ChristmasOrganise a mid-winter Christmas dinner for the church family. Everybody enjoys a simple roast meal in winter… and it makes much more sense than eating a hot Christmas meal in the middle of summer. You could make this an outreach event and get everyone to invite their friends and neighbours… or you could make it a fund-raiser. Put up some Christmas decorations and sing a few Christmas carols. You might want to consider screening one of the following Christmas movies after your meal:

The Christmas Candle (2013 - PG). Released last year this move is based on a Max Lucardo novel. The plot concerns a ‘magical’ candle that appears once every twenty-five years and brings answered prayer for the person who lights it. Susan Boyle’s acting and singing is endearing and will be enjoyed by older folks, but the plot is a bit too pedestrian for the kids.

The man who saved Christmas (2002 - PG). Based on the fascinating and true story of American toymaker A.C.Gilbert (of Meccano fame) who was pressured to manufacture munitions instead of toys at the outbreak of World War I. He successfully lobbied the government to allow him to resume the production of toys for Christmas arguing that children need to dream and imagine. Starring Jason Alexander and Ed Asner. Available from amazon.com

The Nativity Story (2006 - PG), featuring New Zealand’s own Keisha Castle-Hughes deserved better reviews than it got. A beautiful and tasteful retelling of the biblical narrative. It was the first film ever to premier in the Vatican City.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000 - PG), with Jim Carey, brings alive the Dr Seuss book in a full feature movie. Carey plays the meanest creature alive (the kids love him). In so doing he attacks the consumerism associated with the Christmas season and is eventually redeemed by love.

ChildrenCtrl+Click to follow links

CEV = Contemporary English Version of the Bible

A yokeBring along a picture of a yoke and ask, “Can any of you children tell me what this is? What do you think it might be used for?”When I’ve been overseas I’ve seen two oxen joined together at the neck by one of these wooden frames. It’s called a yoke. It sounds the same, but is quite different from a yolk. (Children will appreciate this cartoon.) Farmers join animals together in this way so that they can work them. Two animals working as a team can pull much more than one working alone, so they are yoked together for ploughing and for pulling heavy carts.In our Bible reading today Jesus said,Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light. Matthew 11.29-30 CEVWhen we become followers of Jesus it is like being teamed up with Jesus in a yoke. It means that we can’t always go off and do all the things we want to do, because it’s more important to be obedient to him. But it also means that we have the strength do good things because we are teamed up with him. Let’s pray.Lord Jesus,

8

sometimes it is hard to do the right thingespecially when the people around us are being mean or dishonest.Help us to keep teamed up with youand to draw on your strengthso we can act in ways that are loving and true.Amen.

For Bible month the Bible Society has a children’s activity page on the themes of the Bicentenary of the Gospel in New Zealand.

More resources for children from sermons4kids.com (This weight-lifting talk would be a good one to work in with the up-coming Commonwealth Games -commencing 23 July)

PowerPointCtrl+Click to follow links

In Christian art - Thorvalsen’s sculpture “Christ” (right) 1821.

Google images for “rest for the weary”

Cartoons from reverendfun Yoke pun 1 Yoke pun 2

Bicentenary of the Gospel How the Bible came to New Zealand – This is a Bible Society video following a Kiwi young person, Janelle, as she discovers how the Bible came to New Zealand beginning in 1814. Also featuring Rex Nathan. (8 min 38 sec)

© 10 minutes on a Tuesday is a Refresh Resource. Unless otherwise acknowledged all material is prepared by Andrew Gamman. While every effort has been made to acknowledge source material, if you believe unacknowledged work has been quoted, contact the email address below to request that it be acknowledged or removed. Material included here may be freely used and reproduced for the immediate purpose of worship. Permission must be sought to republish in any form, or to

reproduce for commercial gain. If you wish to share the content with others you may do so by linking through the NZ Methodist website. For more information on this and other resources, contact andrew@missionresourcing.org.nz or 09 525 4179 (w)

Mission Resourcing: Inspiring and resourcing our communities for a journey with Christ that enriches lives and relationships

9