「魂の休息のため、あなたはどこへ向かうか」五月第一主日礼拝 宣教 2025年5月4日
マタイによる福音書 Matthew 11章28〜30節 牧師 河野信一郎
Good morning. Although it is the middle of Golden Week and many are absent today, we are thankful to be able to worship with all of you gathered in the chapel. We are also happy and grateful for the attendance of those of you who worship online.
Now, I would like to make two short announcements. On the coming Sunday service on the 11th, we will welcome Pastor Shinohara as a messenger. He is currently a member of S Baptist Church and a former member of Okubo Church. He is an expert on life and death studies and will soon publish his book. The following week, on the 18th, missionary Scott will give a message before returning to the U.S. with his family in June. He has been working very hard for the past three years and has developed his Japanese language skills remarkably. I believe his Japanese is the best among the missionaries in his class. Please remember it and attend the worship.
Therefore, I will not be giving the Sunday service message for two weeks in a row. I will preach during the prayer meetings, and there will be an online conference related to the convention, but I will not be giving a message during this time. In fact, I wish I could just do nothing and recharge my batteries spiritually, but I am not going to do that. I will be preparing for a new series of messages that will begin next week at the evening service, and I will also be preparing for the Old Testament series that I usually do from August to October. I also plan to take care of the dilapidated garden behind the church. I would appreciate your prayers that I can use this time that God in His mercy has given me for various preparations in a meaningful way.
Now, this morning, under the theme of “Where are you going to get rest for your soul?” we hope to listen together to Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28-30. We need not only rest for our bodies, but also for our souls and minds. Without rest, we can become exhausted, emotionally unstable, and cause unnecessary worry to our families and others around us. It can also lead to burnout, and we will not be able to fully demonstrate our true strength and abilities, and we will be wasting our time.
This is a bit of a side-track, but one of my favorite Japanese singer-songwriters is KY, who has a huge following among young people worldwide. As a music lover, I have been listening to various genres of music since I was young, and I think that this artist, KY has a special talent. One of his songs is called “Mainichi(Everyday),” and the lyrics are so impressive that I would like to introduce the first and last parts of the song to you here.
At first, the song begins at a very slow pace, as if mumbling in a state of weakness, or perhaps full of fatigue. “Every day, day after day, day after day, I have worked hard in my own way. Can I still love something that doesn’t change day after day after day after day?” From this point on, the song speeds up and the lyrics become more and more about the “emptiness” that cannot be expressed in words, as if to cover it up with entertainment and romance. It is as if they are trying their best to run through their fast-paced daily lives with no time to catch their breath, even though their minds and bodies are exhausted from pushing themselves too hard.
However, the speed of the song comes to an end at the end and changes back to a slower tune, returning to reality, “Every day, day after day, day after day, I have worked so hard in my own way. Every day, day after day, day after day, nothing changes, and even if I tried, would I still be able to love these days?” The lyrics end with more words added to the words that started the song.
This is my personal impression, and I may be wrong, but I think that people who are exhausted both mentally and physically from going back and forth between ideals and reality in their unchanging daily lives are represented here. They work hard every day, but still nothing changes. The status quo will always remain the same. I don’t know what I exist for, what I live for, what I am working hard for, or where I am going. My hard work is not rewarded at all. There is no sense of accomplishment. There is no joy, no excitement. Feeling such emptiness, one can no longer love oneself.
I wonder if people who are suffering and agonizing between ideals and reality, living with low self-esteem and without self-affirmation, can relate to this song, and I wonder if there are many such people. However, I also wonder if my heart is moved by these lyrics because I too have such a dark side in my heart, and I wonder if my heart is weak. However, when I am moved by such things, I immediately pray to God for help, listen to praise songs, and sing praises to God.
How about you? Every day, you study, work, raise children, do housework, take care of your family, care for your elderlies, and so on. The day passes in the blink of an eye, and even when you finally fall asleep, the morning comes in an instant. If you complete one task, the next one will come along. There is no end to the worry. Can’t stop thinking about it. To escape such situations, we tend to turn to entertainment, travel somewhere, or pour time and money into something meaningless, only to regret it later when we see the bill. We need a rest for our souls somewhere.
This morning’s Bible verse is one of the most famous words in the Bible. The Bible says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. These are the words of Jesus’ call to come to Him. What kind of person is “weary and burdened”? There are many kinds of people who do things far beyond their capacity, who push themselves too hard, who try to solve problems on their own because they think that if they don’t do their best, who will? Can a person who is tired in mind and body really make the people around him or her happy?
How can a person who does not face his or her own heart and body honestly, and who continues to lie, live a life of integrity to those around him or her? Can they live faithfully to God who gives them life? Can those who pursue wealth, fame, and status, and those who are filled with lust, find rest? Will they not be confronted with a harsh reality at a moment’s notice and end up feeling a sense of emptiness, wondering what all their hard work has been worth? The harsh realities include the sudden onset of illness, accident, injury, unemployment, bereavement of a loved one, or physical decline.
If nothing changes after working hard day in and day out for our families, companies, societies, and churches, we will feel a sense of emptiness. But to us, Jesus said, “Come to me, whoever you are, and I will give you rest.” He invites us to come to Him. “Anyone” means me, you, anyone. No one is left out of Jesus’ invitation list. “I will let you rest with me” is a promise that Jesus will give us rest. Not family, lovers, or friends, not money, entertainment, or material goods, but Jesus’ love that gives rest to our souls.
Verse 29 says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble. Then you will have rest.” Jesus’ further invitation to “take my yoke upon you and learn from me, and you will rest”. What does he mean by “meek and humble?” When we read the scripture in Hebrew and Greek, it seems that it is closer to the truth of Jesus’ heart to translate, “For I, too, am a burdened, afflicted, and humbled person”.
Jesus, the Son of God, left God the Father and came down to earth, took our sins upon Himself, suffered pain and suffering on the cross, and died an atoning death to free us from the fear of sin and death, and to provide salvation. Therefore, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me” is shown to mean, “Believe in me and follow me. Then you will have rest.” If you believe in and follow Jesus, salvation will be given to you through Him, rest, peace, and joy will be given to your soul, and you will be given the strength to live each day.
Verse 30 says, “For my yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.” A picture of a yoke is shown on the screen in front of you. A yoke is something that connects two oxen or horses. Two oxen are yoked together and plow the earth together. When Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you,” it is a word of promise and encouragement that He will walk with us in our daily walk, and that He will bear our burdens with us, saying, “My burden”. Therefore, even though we may walk with our burdens day in and day out, we are not alone. Because Jesus carries our burdens with us, they are easier to bear and feel lighter.
We lose motivation because we feel that every day is too much work, because we are trying too hard to take responsibility on our own. Our minds and bodies become weary because we are trying to carry our daily burdens in our own strength alone. Jesus said, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”. Let us hear and believe Jesus’ words of invitation and promise, and let us respond to His invitation. As we are connected to Jesus, God’s love and new power will be abundantly poured out through Him, and rest for our souls will be equally given to each one of us. God’s rest will be given to all of our minds and bodies, and rest will be given to our souls.