We get a sense of that in today’s second reading in which Paul gives an honest assessment of his own convoluted, sinful condition. Paul writes, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate… I can will what is right, but I cannot do it… Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (cf. Romans 7:15-25a)

Don’t Paul’s words ring true to your experience of yourself and others sometimes? I certainly know the ambivalent, complicated inner conflicts that Paul describes.

Because adults can often fail to see the obvious things hidden in plain sight, Jesus was typically more attracted to children and their comparative simplicity. That, too, is reflected in today’s gospel reading: “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.” (Matthew 11:25)

So, Jesus was frustrated with the people of his day and even lashed out at them. And yet, his frustration did not stop him from also offering these beloved words: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

These precious words are made all the more meaningful to me precisely because they come on the heels of Jesus also expressing frustration and indignation to the same people he addresses with consoling words! “Come to me ALL you that are weary and are carrying heaven burdens…”

All of us, even the most exasperating among us, feel weary and burdened at various points in our lives. Perhaps we feel especially weary and burdened during these unprecedented days of multiple crises.

“Come to me.” “I will give you rest.” “I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me… For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Oh, what wonderful, reassuring words.

And a picture is worth a thousand words. When I read or hear the words, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest,” I cannot help but think of the statue of Jesus that has appeared consistently in various settings throughout my life.

The original statue, by sculptor, Bertel Thorvaldsen, is in the Our Lady Cathedral in Copenhagen of the Lutheran Church in Denmark. But replicas small and large have appeared throughout the world.

There was a life-size version of it in my home church in Monmouth, Illinois, where I was baptized, confirmed, and ordained, and where my parents were married, and where so many family members had their funerals. There was a version of it in my mother’s home church in Watertown, South Dakota. Another life-size version adorned the altar of the congregation I served in Pittsburgh. I have a small version of the statue that now rests on the mantle piece of the fireplace in the parsonage here. The sculpture appears in a lot of Lutheran settings – but Mormons love it, too!

On the original work in Denmark, the phrase, “Come to me” is inscribed in Danish at the foot of the pedestal. Here’s a description of the statue:

Jesus is looking down, as if at those gathered, kneeling at the altar rail, waiting to receive Holy Communion. His arms are outstretched as in a gesture of welcome, of readiness to embrace us.

His feet are poised in such a way that he seems to be taking a step toward us, as if to enter into our broken world which burdens us and makes us weary.

Furthermore, it’s the resurrected Jesus who is portrayed in the statue, for the wounds in his hands and side are visible – graphically so in the painted versions of the statue, more subtle in the original granite.

While Jesus is cloaked in heavy robes in the statue, his feet, arms, hands and upper right torso are bare, revealing Jesus’ resurrected body, his flesh, the wounds – perhaps calling to mind the real presence of Christ’s body in the Eucharist.

It may be that the statue’s appearance on altars invites worshipers to contemplate this real, bodily presence that they are receiving in the blessed bread and wine. Jesus is indeed in our midst as we come to him, as he comes to us.

In short, this statue depiction of Jesus is one of pure, unmerited grace. The manner of Jesus’ presence in the statue is a visual depiction of how Paul concludes his exploration of his own complicated, conflicted nature, where he writes in Romans, “Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Paul’s answer is this exclamation of praise and thanksgiving: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” That is, the one who says, “Come to me” is the one who rescues Paul from his body of death.

Rather than leave you with questions for reflection and conversation this week, I want to invite you into a visual meditation on images of Thorvaldsen’s statue of Christ. In a moment, images will appear. The first is a photo of the original statue in Copenhagen, Denmark. The second is a colorful version adorning the altar of my home church in Illinois. The third is a photo of the small version of the statue that I have in the parsonage.

As you look at the images – or if you are drawn to close your eyes and imagine the presence of our Lord – let Jesus’ words of promise and comfort ring in your mind and spirit:

• “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens”
• “I will give you rest.”
• “Learn from me.”
• “I am gentle and humble in heart.”
• “You will find rest for your souls.”
• “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

You may want to repeat these words of Jesus again and again to yourself in your meditations. If you are seeing this sermon on the worship video, you may want to hit pause to linger with the images and consoling words.

However you are engaging this, let Christ’s grace-filled words enfold and embrace you to make manifest to you the realities the words promise in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Click on any image to see the full-sized version: