Twenty-five years ago, when my oldest daughter, Michelle was about a year old, she received a book from her godmother about a pony that needed to be bridled. After reading this book to her a few times, I wanted to throw it away, but I never could bring myself to do that, because it was a gift, or so I thought.

Let me try to explain. The book was the story of a beautiful little pony who liked to run about the fields enjoying her freedom. She investigated everything and loved to run so that the wind blew her main away from her body. But the pony’s owner wanted to train her to draw a cart and so kept trying to put a bridle on her. Although I do not remember how, the book made it clear that it was God who wanted to bridle the pony and that God would also try to bridle our freedom with a yoke, the same yoke that is in today’s scripture story.

Well, I was a young mother who did not want to in anyway curb her daughter’s freedoms. My vision for my children and for all children is to encourage freedom rather than curb it. I want my daughters to experience the world and follow their dreams as far as they can.

But, my daughter’s godmother was involved in a more conservative Christian denomination that encouraged people to accept the yoke of discipleship. She was a childhood friend and proved to be a wonderful godmother, but I was uncomfortable with some of her ideas. So, I just put the book away and stopped reading it to my daughters. Yet, over and over again my thoughts have returned to this book and this yoke.

Today I invite you to join with me in asking "How can a yoke be easy? Can any burden be light?" Both seem like contradictions to me, or an oxymoron. Come on, be honest now when is the last time you ever felt that a burden was light? After all, isn’t part of the definition of a burden wrapped up in it being heavy? If a burden is light then it ceases to become a burden! And maybe that is the very point Jesus is trying to make.

Jesus tells us just before this yoke metaphor that revelation belongs to God and that sometimes infants are more open to the grace of God because they make no pretence of knowledge. Whatever infants have is given them; they do not judge God by some preconceived criteria; they let God be God on God’s own terms.

In contrast to the infants of this reading are the people of the cities that have not been able to hear the good news of Jesus. The verses that we did not read, 20-24, are a condemnation of three specific cities that did not respond to Jesus’ powerful deeds. The lectionary omits these verses to make for a shorter and more manageable reading, yet they are helpful to our understanding of the text. If you want to look at them they are on page ___ of your pew Bibles.

Charles Cousar, New Testament commentator at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, suggests that "… the privileged citizens of Chroazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum had more than enough evidence to discern who Jesus was. But instead of being moved by what they see, the citizens have remained blasé." (p. 394) His comments lead me to reflect on the missing verses and to ask questions. Do we dance in response to God’s grace? Will we change our ways to more closely follow God’s ways? Will we accept Jesus’ yoke?

We seem to have more than enough evidence to discern who Jesus is, but maybe some of us have been reluctant to stand under this yoke. It has taken me 25 years, to realize that my discomfort with that children’s book was not for my daughters, but for myself. How could I let myself be bridled? I have been wondering how I could be comfortable with the yoke of discipleship. As a woman, how can I give up the freedoms that I have worked so hard to secure?

In order to be willing to accept the yoke of discipleship, we need to explore and clarify more closely what it is all about. How can we characterize our individual yokes? How can we make sure they fit? Fit is critical to the effectiveness of a yoke.

What is this yoke that we are invited to put on? Author John P. Meier is quoted in Imaging the Word, "paradoxically, Jesus’ ‘rest’ was also a kind of ‘yoke,’ a symbol used by the rabbis for Mosaic Law. Torah, Hebrew Law as interpreted by Jesus is about the wisdom of justice." The Ten Commandments, the basis for Torah were given to the people of God, so that they could live in community. For Jews, Hebrew Law, Torah, sets them free to live in community. Rather than a set of rules that confine us, they are laws that release us to live. I cannot over emphasize the importance of this critical change of perspective.

Several years ago, I worked with a group of people developing a VBS curriculum based on the Exodus stroy. We experienced slavery in Egypt by making mud bricks with our feet and hands and by playing slave and master (a variation of Sharks and Fish); we ran under Mylar streamers as we crossed the Red Sea; and through a scavenger hunt, we re-enacted the troubles in the desert. On Thursday, the fourth day, we wanted to receive the Torah and experience a rebellion so we could change our understanding of rules and laws. Perhaps you remember how the Israelites worshipped the golden calf while Moses was up on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments.

Perhaps children are the only ones who have a more difficult time than adults in changing their perspective on Torah. Children are always pushing against the rules. But when the snack for the day was Coke and chocolate wrapped in gold foil and there were no rules governing how the snack was distributed, the children who did not get any chocolate understood the importance of rules and how Torah can free us to live in peace.

This experience of community at our day camp leads us to another aspect that I want to emphasize this morning. Although each of us is called to take on the yoke of discipleship, we might also think in terms of our common yoke as a community. In a way, this new relationship that we are beginning this week is very much like our acceptance of this common yoke. I may struggle with the idea of taking on this yoke because it feels like too much to do by myself. I need the support of a community of God’s people. Even more, perhaps the yoke is something we step into together. We need each other.

In my introductory meeting with Staff Parish I became aware of one of the aspects of the yoke worn by this congregation. One of their first questions was, "Are you willing to go to Nicaragua?" Your partnership with Primera Iglesia de Christo in Barrio Sierrra Maestra is just one of the aspects of this yoke that I am happy to step into along side of you. For you see, hand in hand with talking about a yoke of discipleship, we also talk about Wisdom’s yoke of justice.

The spiritual rest that Jesus gives comes from assimilating and living Jesus’ attitudes, indeed, his very person. We cannot live Jesus’ attitudes without a strong understanding of wisdom and justice. We have to be willing to go where God would take us, to do what God would have us do. And sometimes that may mean standing in a place of discomfort.

Finally, the yoke that I now willingly step into is not necessarily one that will curb my creative freedoms. I have grown more comfortable with walking with God rather than all by myself and I have discovered the importance of creativity in our spiritual lives. Over these last several years, I have gone from the depths of despair and having no faith to a place of huge faith. All of this has been possible through exploring creatively the place of heaven in our lives and our relationship with God. As I take on this yoke that is now easy, I find that I can still run free with the Spirit of God at my side; I can allow God to lift me on eagle’s wings.

Some time ago, when I was just beginning seminary, I went to a gathering of lay speakers. I was feeling a little full of myself, after all "I was in seminary, and these were just lay speakers." and I was a little unsure as to why I was there. A very old, stooped over lady stood and shuffled to the podium to read the morning scripture and right before my eyes I saw her filled with the Holy Spirit. Released from the arthritis or osteoporosis that kept her stooped over, she stood straight and tall and read in a loud, clear voice the morning text. I was astounded at the transformation in her as she read the holy word. She put on the yoke of discipleship and it was a light burden, one that lifted her up rather than dragged her down.

This is the yoke that I want and desire for us as we enter this new relationship. Perhaps there are some other characteristics of your yoke of discipleship that we could talk further about and certainly in these coming months I hope that we can continue to talk about the peculiarities of the Aldersgate community yoke. This is a place of trust, for as I step into our common yoke; I pray that you will also joyfully step out and in with me as we move into the future that God has planned for us. Amen.