MU Devotion for the Fourth Sunday After Trinity
Reflection
Are you bored with being stuck at home?
For many people, particularly our key workers, these past few months have been anything but boring. Many have had to work longer hours in restricted conditions with sweltering, uncomfortable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). They have been working with an intensity which exhausts them physically and mentally. Maybe you have noticed this in friends and family or have experienced this yourselves. It is often hard to find rest for your soul when life becomes so intense.
So, we pray today for those, whom the demands of life allow them little opportunity for relaxation. May God give them peace and a tranquil spirit that they may find rest and refreshment in the midst of the busyness. (Families Worldwide, Saturday’4th July)
But those working long hours are not the only ones for whom this period has been hard on the soul.
For those who have been isolated for months, the intensity felt is more about the strangeness of losing our routine. We have had to find new routines and new ways of living, to say nothing of having to face new fears and new anxieties. Some of those routines are now being broken as many of us are beginning to re-engage with the world. It can be very frightening the first time you venture out for a walk or to the shops. Not only does life look different but each of us has been changed. Things that we took for granted are not the same as before. We have put up a folding screen in St Mary’s Church, Briton Ferry, to display health and safety posters and direct people through our one-way system. One parishioner commented it felt like they were walking in for a medical examination!
So, whether you are isolated at home, re-emerging into the new changed society or have been battling through the crisis at work we have all picked up new burdens. Things which cause us worry and stress. Things which can feel stifling on a daily basis. In the reading from Matthew’s Gospel set for today, Jesus says:
‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’ Matthew 11. 28
Jesus promises that when we come to Him, we will find rest for our souls. Seeing our time spent with Jesus in prayer, as a time of refreshment, a time of renewal, a time to re-energising is a wonderful image. Continual refreshment as we journey with Jesus as our guide. For His yoke is easy and his burden is light.
Prayer
God of peace forgive us when we struggle through life in a state of turmoil. Help us to stop, be still and know that you are God, and allow your Spirit to fill our own spirits with serenity and calm. Amen (Families Worldwide, Wednesday 1st July)
May you each find rest for your souls as you continue to journey with our living Lord.
Revd. Sandra
