Laying Down Our Burdens

 Labor Day is a time to relax! But many of us don't ever relax -- not on Labor Day or on any other day -- because we're carrying loads around that we never ever put down. My sermon today takes a look at those loads and suggests the loads that we should be carrying, instead.

We’ve made it to Labor Day, the end of the summer season! Labor Day was created way back in 1894 as a holiday to honor the contributions of American workers. What better way to honor workers than by giving them an extra day to relax! Traditionally, Labor Day is a day for late-summer vacations, cookouts, and family gatherings. This year, things are a little bit different; but this weekend is still a time to relax and take it easy. We relax in all kinds of different ways. When we go outside, we hike, or swim, or canoe, or fish; and when we stay at home, we read, or cook, or sew, or play music (or listen to it), or just relax on the sofa or the patio. Those activities all share something in common, though. When we do them, we put down the burdens that we carry on other days, and we give ourselves a rest! The trouble is, though, that most of us carry some burdens all the time, even on Labor Day. We carry an invisible backpack that’s loaded with some things that we never, ever put down. Most of us aren’t even aware of it; but it’s there, all right; and it causes us no end of trouble. An overloaded, ill-fitting, physical backpack can cause chafing, blisters, and back pain; and our invisible ones can cause all kinds of problems, too. Let’s open one of those backpacks and see what heavy stuff is in there. Maybe we can put some of it down today, on this day of rest and relaxation.

There’s something heavy in the big, middle pocket: a great big load of guilt! I’ll bet you didn’t know you were carrying all of that around! The truth is that we all carry some of it. I’ll be that there isn’t a person alive who doesn’t feel guilty about something or other. Maybe it’s family guilt. There’s a lot of that around. Did you once say “no” to someone, and they have never let you forget it? Lots of people feel guilty for the times that they said “no” in their lives. Maybe that “no” set a reasonable limit to what you could do, but other people expected you to do more; and you’re secretly afraid that they’re right. Or maybe your guilt is about something else. Maybe you once made a very poor choice, and others were hurt because of it. Did you make a flippant remark that was taken the wrong way? Did you fly off the handle because someone pushed your button once too often? We all do that. No matter what is causing your guilt, it’s time that you got rid of it. It’s way, way too heavy to carry around for the rest of your life!

I think there’s something else that was underneath the guilt. Oh, yes – it’s regret. Guilt and regret are good friends. Where you find one, you frequently find the other. Regret is about wishing that we had done things differently. You can regret something you did, or something you didn’t do! A traditional Christian prayer of confession asks forgiveness for not doing “those things which we ought to have done,” and for doing “those things which we ought not to have done.” We’ve all messed up; and we’re all sorry for it! And if you have learned from your mistakes, then you’re a better person. Our mistakes helped to make us who we are today. But maybe you’re regretting letting an opportunity go by; and now, you wish that you had grabbed it when you had the chance. But you didn’t grab it; and what you’re holding on to instead is regret. Open your hand and let it go! The past is, as my mother used to say, water under the bridge. It’s much better to look ahead than to hang on to the wounds of the past. Regret just weighs your backpack down and keeps you from going on.

Well, thank goodness that middle pocket is empty! But the side pocket has something in it! What in the world is it? It’s really stuck to the backpack, so it’s hard to get out. Ah… it’s fear. Fear is in the very air that we’re breathing these days. Frightening images and frightening predictions are everywhere – about the COVID pandemic, about our political situation, about the havoc that climate change may cause. But here’s what we all forget when we buy into those predictions. No one – NO ONE – knows the future! These predictions are just the best guess of people who may or may not know what they are talking about! And as for the images… For every frightening image that we see on TV, there are a thousand encouraging images that we never see! If we focus on what is frightening, we will be afraid. And right under fear in the side pocket of the backpack is cold, heavy lump of despair. Despair is fear that has given up. Despair says, “Things will never get any better, so why even try?” Despair poisons everything it touches. Let’s get rid of fear and despair right now!

But what can we put in our backpack in place of guilt, regret, fear, and despair? Jesus tells us to take up his yoke, because his burden is light. And what he offers us doesn’t weigh us down; it sustains us on our journey through life! He offers us forgiveness for all the ways we have messed up in the past: all the thoughtless words we’ve said, all the selfish things we’ve done, all the well-meaning actions that we have taken that didn’t turn out as well as we had hoped. Jesus knows that we are only human; and he wants to replace our guilt with the certainty that, in God’s grace, we can start over again. He offers us something else, too. He offers us hope. Fear and despair keep us stuck in one place, worrying about the future, afraid of what might happen next. The hope that God offers us invites us to move ahead with courage. We may not know the details of what the future holds, but we do know that God is already there, waiting for us. We know, too, that God has promised us a future of love and peace, even though we sometimes don’t have a clue how we’re going to get to it. We do our best; and God handles the rest.

On this Labor Day weekend, as you lay down the burdens of labor that you carry every day, lay down the invisible burdens that you carry, too. Lay down guilt, regret, fear, and despair; and pick up the certainty of forgiveness, courage, and the promise of hope. Lay down the heavy burdens that the world gives you; and pick up the light burdens that Jesus offers. His burdens will help you rest, not only during today’s holiday, but every day of your life!