Jeremy L. Berg

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Have you made any New Year resolutions?  While kicking caffeine, shedding pounds and other lifestyle adjustments are great goals for 2010, I believe Christians should strive for some higher recommitment this New Year.

Imagine you could have met the risen Jesus this New Year’s Eve at Caribou for a cup of coffee and a heart-to-heart conversation.  What new commitment, lifestyle adjustment or resolution would he suggest you pursue this next year?

I suggest he might urge us once again — or maybe for the first time — to “take up his yoke.”  The idea of a “yoke” is powerfully rich and multi-layered expression in the ancient world.  I think we can find at least 2 powerful New Year resolutions for our lives in these words of Jesus.

1. Come to Jesus with every burden this year. There are many places we tend to turn when life hits us hard, when we get bogged down and stressed to the max.  Imagine how different this year might be if we took God at His word which says elsewhere, “Turn all your anxiety over to God because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).  The result, Jesus promises, will be that we find rest for our souls.

2. Take up Jesus’ yoke. A yoke was a wooden frame that joined two oxen together in order to pull a heavy load.  Jesus invites us to be joined with Him to walk in step together as he helps carry our daily load.  Yoke also signifies complete submission to another.  Let us again place our lives completely under the loving, refreshing, lordship of Jesus this year.  Finally, yoke came to describe the particular teaching of a particular rabbi in Jesus’ day.  Let us make Jesus’ teaching our sole reference point and guide for life in 2010.

May we all live whole-heartedly under the easy yet all-demanding yoke of our savior this New Year and find rest for our souls.

Happy New Year!