05/13/2026
Quick question before you keep scrolling —
What do you do when you just need to breathe?
For some of us it's cooking. Driving with the windows down. Fishing. Hiking. Sitting outside with a cup of coffee before the house wakes up. We all have something.
Here's what's interesting though —
most of us keep that place of rest completely separate from our faith.
Rest is over here. Jesus is over there
Recently we started a brand new series called "The Way" and we looked at one of the most quietly powerful things Jesus ever said:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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
To understand what Jesus is really saying here, you have to understand how the world worked back then. In first-century Jewish culture, the best and brightest students would seek out a rabbi — a master teacher — and beg to be taken on as a disciple. The rabbi didn't go looking for students. Students went looking for the rabbi.
Jesus did the opposite. He went to fishermen. A tax collector. Ordinary people living ordinary lives. He came to them and said — come follow me. You're chosen.
And in Matthew 11, his invitation is even broader than that. He doesn't say "come to me, all you who have it together." He says come to me, all you who are weary. All you who are carrying more than you can hold.
That's about as wide an invitation as you can give.
Now here's the part I keep thinking about.
Jesus doesn't promise to take away your hard things. He doesn't say the burdens disappear. What he offers is rest in them — not rest from them. Soul-level peace in the middle of the chaos. A way of walking through life that isn't crushing.
His "yoke" — which was a word rabbis used for their whole way of understanding and living out the faith — is described as easy. Light. Not because following Jesus is effortless, but because it's the difference between carrying something alone and carrying it with someone who actually knows the way.
That changes everything.
So, here's the challenge we sent everyone home with:
Think of the place where you find rest — whatever that looks like for you. And this week, just be with Jesus. Shut off the phone. Let the noise settle. And simply say: Lord, I want to be with you.
That's it. That's step one of what it means to follow Jesus. Not a program. Not a checklist. Just — be with him.
We're so excited about where this series is going over the next few weeks. If you weren't with us Sunday, we'd love to see you this week. And if someone came to mind while you were reading this — someone who's been carrying a lot lately — share this with them. This message might be exactly what they need to hear. 👇
📍 Asbury Church Lansing 🗓 Sundays at 11am ▶️ Watch online at https://asburyag.com
