An Intimate Invitation

Are you tired today? Discouraged? Overwhelmed? If so, then I have the best possible news for you! Jesus says He will give you rest today. There is only one thing you have to do. You need to come to Him. “Come to me.” Jesus says to each of us. Jesus is not miles away. He is as close as two hands clasped together in solidarity. You only have to move a tiny bit in the direction of Jesus. A small movement of your spirit toward Jesus. “Come to me” says Jesus. He makes it easy for us.

Maybe you think that Jesus isn’t talking to you here? Maybe you feel you are not good enough for Jesus to talk so directly to you.  Look at the words Jesus uses! He says, “Come to me all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens. “All of you, come!” says Jesus. Jesus issues this personal invitation to everyone, no matter what religion, nationality, political persuasion, education, rich and poor, saint and sinner, all are invited to experience rest for their souls.

This very personal invitation has only 3 sentences, yet it carries an intimate message of deep and abiding love. In the second sentence, Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you.” To which I say, “Whoa! Wait a minute Lord, your yoke?  I don’t think I’m strong enough to carry Your yoke.” Jesus must have known we would balk at those words, so He adds one more sentence of reassurance to the invitation. “My yoke is easy; my burden is light.”

Jesus is persistent in inviting us. He goes so far as to describe himself to ease our discomfort and fears. He describes Himself as “gentle and humble of heart.” He does not describe himself as King or Lord or Prince of Peace, although He is all those things. Jesus is gentle, humble, friendly, approachable. Look at the image Jesus uses to describe the relationship He wants to have with us – the yoke.  The dictionary says a yoke is a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or cart that they are pulling.  Jesus is comparing himself – and us! – to farm animals, to oxen. Maybe Jesus is even smiling at this image – after all, elsewhere He calls us wayward sheep. Jesus uses this farming image to help us understand our relationship with Him.  We are joined together, Jesus and me, carrying our load, no matter how heavy, we carry the load together, as a team.

So in this Advent season, with two weeks till Christmas, if you are anxious about your Christmas preparations or lack thereof, if you are driven to distraction by the endless traffic jams and grocery store lines and non-stop commercialism, if you are distressed over the ill health of someone close to your heart, do not fear! I’m here to tell you today you have just received the best Christmas invitation of your life. A very intimate invitation from Jesus to you, inviting you to carry this burden joined together, and Jesus will give you sweet rest for your weary soul.

Eileen Prebensen '80 is a member of the C21 Center's Pray It Forward community. She offered the above reflection on Wednesday, December 10, 2025. It is shared with her permission. 

Learn more about Pray It Forward here.