Unforced Rhythms of Grace

Anyone else look at the technological advances in our world in the last handful of years in absolute amazement?

AI - you can literally write a book - or rather, have a computer write a book for you.

Driverless cars - late 1960s, a thing called cruise control made an appearance in luxury cars. Became more widespread in the 70s. In about 60 years, we’ve gone from pushing a button to keep the same speed, to cars that assisted with parallel parking, to cars that could assist the driver on the road, to now driverless cars!

Just a couple days ago, Virgin Galactic launched its 3rd space flight… for tourists!! Anyone can go to space!

Ever been worried about losing a body part? No worries! There is a company that has developed a 3d Printer that is capable of printing body parts!

Technology is leading to innovations at a warp speed!

But why? Because we are a people of advancement. A people that is driven by success. To be the best. To set goals of what could be. To come up with the craziest goals possible... and then go all out in trying to get there.

And then we get to the end, and 1 of two things happen:

Either we aren’t satisfied and want to go for more and bigger and faster, and it becomes a vicious cycle.

OR

The end is not what we envisioned at all. Over the summer, because of technology, a group of people set off on a trip to see the wreck of the Titanic. But the desire to be the first and best and to get ahead led to recklesness and a submersible device that didn’t live up to expectations and exploded and killed all on board.

And we do the same on an individual level as well, right? And this time of year plays into that. It’s a new school year. A time for fresh starts. This year I’m going to be the best student. Going to get perfect attendance. Going for a 5.0 GPA. Going to turn in all my homework. We set these goals to be better versions of ourselves.

We set goals

We put pressure on ourselves to do it

We fail

We either quit, or start back from the beginning.

Our whole lives are revolving around this striving for something more.

To a certain extent, that’s not bad. But here’s what I see... and what I’ve lived... that I think is harmful.

We use the same methodology in our relationship with Christ:

Start this new journey with Christ... have to do all that I can to make my relationship with him all it can be.

Or you’ve been doing this for a while, and each new year, you set these new goals of daily bible reading and prayer and doing this and not doing this

All so we can work hard to reach a better status with Jesus.

And it’s so hard, with all the other things you’re trying to keep up with. And there’s pressure. And you get down on yourself when you don’t stick with your fresh start.

I want to give you some encouragement as you are still fresh in your new school year goals. If you are hoping for a fresh start with your relationship with Christ, it is my prayer and my desire that your fresh start would be modeled after the teaching of Jesus. And I think Jesus has something to say about this way of doing things that I’ve described.

Matt 11

Jesus is teaching a crowd and he gives a series of woes to groups of people who seem to be missing what the kingdom of God is all about. He is talking about groups of people who are missing the point of who Jesus is and how he operates.

I think that lines up well here, because I think that if our way of killing ourselves with undue pressure to succeed and to climb ladders and get better creep into the way we walk with Jesus, then we are missing the point and we are misunderstanding how Jesus operates.

But, thankfully Jesus doesn’t just end there. He goes on. Let’s pick up scripture there.

Mt 11:25-30

5 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Did you get that? Does that sound like a life of pressure and unrealistic goals?

Let me read it to you in the message.

Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: “Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.”

27 Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. “The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.

28-30 “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.”

Unforced rhythms of grace.

Here’s what I see. We set these goals and standards for our walk with Christ. We strive for them, then we fail. Like our new school year goals.

There are typically two responses that we tend to buy into.

-just quit, because it’s not worth it because I can’t do it

-start our whole process back from the beginning.

Can I give you a little encouragement this evening as you are in the midst of the fresh start. It’s in the form of a simple word. Maybe a word that you want to adopt as a theme for this school year. Relax!! Just relax. When it comes to your relationship with Christ: relax.

If your way of doing Jesus makes you feel like you have to quit when you mess up, or start back from the beginning, I think that it’s not the way of Christ. The way of Christ is restful, the yolk is light and the burden is easy.

So relax. Be still. Find the unforced rhythms of grace.

Time of silence.