From time to time we all receive various invitations; to graduations, to weddings, to birthday parties, to meals, to attend a concert, maybe even to attend worship services. These may come as formal printed invitations, hand written notes, word of mouth, telephone calls, or e-mails.

On this Labor Sunday before I share Christ's invitation to come to communion I would like us to spend a few moments considering Jesus' invitation to us, "Laborers come." What is our invitation here?

I. Our Invitation

Jesus personally speaks the invitation given here. It is for the crowd gathered to personally listen to Jesus back then and it is for all of us who read His word today. "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." William Barclay translated these words: "Come to Me, all you who are exhausted and weighed down beneath your burdens and I will give you rest."

This is an invitation to persons who are trying desperately to find God. In the context of this passage many were exhausted and weighed down with burdens. For the Jews - their religion was a thing of burden.

In Matthew 23:4 we read, "They bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne and lay them on men's shoulders. Scribes and Pharisees laid these by demanding meticulous obedience, not only to the Law, but also to their intricate elaboration's of it. The expression, "the yoke of the law" was often used in Judaism. As we move into verse 29 we see that Jesus also invites his disciples to accept a yoke, but it is a different yoke. It is not a yoke of obedience to an external law, but a yoke of obedience and loyalty to living person, Jesus Christ. Those who have accepted Jesus invitation to make Him their personal Savior and Lord, accept Jesus' yoke, gladly serving Him. Jesus said (John 14:15), "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."

Jesus invites us, "Learn of Me." This is personal. The invitation to Christian discipleship is personal and it demands commitment and loyalty to Jesus Himself. He is the one who laid down His life for us. We should learn from the One who also taught us by His example. He said, "For I am gentle and humble in heart and you shall find rest for your souls."

II. Our Response

Our invitation from Jesus, like other invitations, demands a response. One way or another we respond. We may write a note accepting or declining in response to their request, RSVP. We may say, "Thank you, we will be happy to come." Or "I'm sorry, we cannot attend." We may make a telephone call of response.

However, whether or not we politely answer or not, we do respond. We either accept or reject the invitation. We go to the wedding or the arty or we do not. Similarly, we either accept or reject Jesus' invitation, which is actually the same as accepting, or rejecting Jesus Himself. He offers rest for our souls. He offers rest for now and for eternity.

We must realize that Jesus does not offer His followers a life of inactivity. But He assures us that if we keep close to Him, we will find relief from the crushing burdens of the law and sin. Jesus offers relief to those who in their search for God were trying to be good enough and discovered that task was impossible.

The rest to which we are called is to rest in faith and trust in Jesus Christ who had already borne the heavy burden of all our sin. We are to resting in His grace. God's Riches At Christ's Expense. Resting in the finished work of Jesus at Calvary.

In this rest Jesus still offers a yoke. We are to live in obedience to Him. But He says, "My yoke is easy and My burden is light." The word for easy here means well fitted.

Ox yokes in Palestine were made of wood. The ox were brought and measured. Then the yoke was roughed out. Then it was tried on and adjusted to fit the animal. It was tailor made to fit the particular animal. Legend tells us that Jesus made the best ox yokes in Galilee and that people came from many miles to get the best ox yoke they could get. The sign above the door of our Lord's carpenter shop could have read, "My yokes fit well."

Conclusion:

Jesus invites us to come and He says, "My yokes fit well." That is it. The life Jesus offers to us is not a burden, but a life measured to fit our needs and abilities.

How have you responded? Do you rest in faith in Jesus Christ? If not, you can accept Jesus' invitation right now.

All who have responded and said "Yes!" to Jesus Christ are invited to share in communion. Remember what Christ has done for us so that we can accept His invitation, "Come to Me, All who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest."

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