Snow and Rest
Monday’s Verse:
From Matthew 11:28 ESV
(Jesus said) “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Yesterday morning’s snowstorm definitely gave us more than we were expecting. So we all got out there, shoveled the walk or the driveway, cleaned off the car, and then took a good rest before the start of NFL Sunday.
Snow has a way of demanding our attention all at once. It doesn’t ask whether we feel strong or tired—it simply arrives. The shoveling, the clearing, the careful steps on ice all take effort, and when it’s done, the body reminds us just how much it gave.
Jesus speaks directly into moments like this—not only into spiritual exhaustion, but into the kind of weariness that settles into shoulders and knees. He does not say, “Come when you are strong,” or “Come when you have more to give.” He says, “Come to Me, all who labor.” The invitation is for those who are spent.
From a Lutheran perspective, this rest is a pure gift. You do not earn it by finishing the driveway well or by pushing through one more task. Christ gives rest because He has already done the greater work for you. Your value today is not measured in cleared sidewalks or checked boxes, but in the fact that you belong to Him.
So now, you may sit. The work is finished. And just as surely as the snow will melt, hopefully as it warms up for a few days after today’s icy cold day, Christ’s mercy remains—steady, sufficient, and new every morning.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, thank You for the strength for the work and rest when it is done. Quiet my body, calm my thoughts, and let me receive Your grace without striving. Keep me in Your care this day. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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