“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 is light.” -Matthew 11:28-30
There comes a time in the life of every man, woman and child, a time when the path forward is unclear; the road behind fraught with misery and sorrow; the ground where they stand shifting and unstable. There comes a time when the pressures of the world seem so great as to break the back of the strongest person; when evil surrounds and tears at our souls, and the light of our God seems distant, so far away.
Its times like these when the House of the Lord serves its true purpose. “Come to me,” he says, “come to me and I will give you rest.” Where can we go to find this promised rest? Where can we go when the shadows are nipping at our heels and this bleak world has us by the throat? The church is an extension of the Lord, his physical footprint in a barren world.
The Sanctuary of our Lord is just as physical as it is spiritual. In a spiritual desert, the church serves as a bastion against the forces aimed against us. The walls of a church are those of a fortress; it’s tenants warriors armed to the teeth and willing to fight. The church invites all who are willing to listen, and through the church the Lord delivers the gift of faith, the gift of protection, and the gift of peace.
Remember the church, in your darkest hour. Remember the servants of the Lord, remember the words of love and kindness that light your way home. Come back to your family, come back to your faith. We are waiting to welcome you with open arms.
All who seek the comfort of the Lord will be accepted, none who seek the gift of faith will be refused. Peace is within your grasp, all that’s left is to reach out and embrace it. How foolish it would be to stay away- let not fear nor pride stand between you and the oasis of the lord. The Lord is waiting, calling, saying “Come to me; I am here; I am here; I am here.”