Scripture Passage -  Matthew 11:28- 30
New American Standard Bible

Verse     Matthew 11:28
Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.

The Weight of Weariness

The Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has left a lot of people weary.

    I am not referring to out and out clinical depression, deep discouragement or dejection; these may be tied into other causes or reasons with perhaps a tinge of  COVID-19.

    I am talking about being just plain 'weary' which comes from an old English word "werig" which by looking at it and even saying it tends to make one weary in and of itself.  This weariness of which I speak can be expressed in a number of different ways by words which convey different aspects of weariness - worn out, bored, mental tiredness, distorted by continuing endurance ( I think this one was made for COVID), or even the utterance of a weary sigh showing our frustration with the affect of this virus.

    Among those of whom the coronavirus has made weary -

> those overworked on the front lines.

> those who have been left with no work.

> those in business trying to keep their heads above the rising tide.

> those whose hair was l-o-n-g for too long.

> the younger crowd ( includes some older ones) craving for social connection and waiting their turn in line for the outdoor patios to open and the accompanying liquid refreshments.

> the impatient ones who have gathered in the parks or on the beach with little respect for social distancing.

> those desiring to attend Worship Services and be part of the fellowship with fellow believers.

> those who became bored with the daily routine or non-routine.

> those pupils of all grade levels who had the longest March Break recorded thus far only to see the exuberance of free time turn into a time of monotony and isolation from classmates and friends.

> parents who all of a sudden added school teaching skills to their parental resume and some juggling their new teaching role at home which also became their place of business - some lost a bit of hair on this one.

> those for whom summer get away vacations are now at home 'staycations'.

    It is to those of us who are weary that Jesus with arms wide open extends His invitation to come unto Him and receive the rest He has for us - a 'rest' which is grounded in His purpose and peace for us in our lives.

    Jesus tells us who may be carrying the heavy load of weariness to take His YOKE and put it on us because He is ever so gentle with us.

    A boy from the farm related the account that his father never made the yoke to balance on the oxen as they pulled a heavy load.  They were always made heavier on the one side than the other.  Then his dad would put a weak ox alongside a strong one, and the light end of the yoke would come on the weak ox and the heavier end on the strong ox.  

    That's why our yoke is easy and the burden is light, because the Lord's yoke is made after the same pattern, and the heavy end is upon His shoulders.  He bears us up in our weariness.

Together in His strength,

                Rev. Wayne