"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 of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Richard Foster, the contemporary writer of spirituality and prayer, calls these verses, as we just heard them, The Grand Invitation of Grace.

I want to tell you a story about a little boy, his name is Kevin. He's 10 years old. He was preparing for surgery to have a stainless steel rod placed into his chest cavity because of some physical complications from birth. The operation itself is an amazing story, but what I want to share, more importantly, is how the family prepared Kevin for the day of surgery, and the incredible experience of trust and love, as a result of this preparation.

It all began more than six months ago as Kevin's parents kept no secrets from this little boy. Kevin was told all about the operation, what to expect. He was shown pictures and a video of the procedure. He met the doctors, nurses and other staff who would be involved with the surgery. He visited the hospital, went to the operating room, and held the stainless steel rod in his hands.

He learned about the IVs, held an oxygen mask in his hands, visited the recovery area, and learned how to work the hospital beds. Not a single aspect of this procedure was left to chance. Even the anticipated emotions of the parents and big sister were addressed, how it would feel to see your child, or your little brother go into the operating room. Any fears that Kevin may have had in the weeks and days prior to the surgery were anticipated and addressed with loving concern.

On the morning of the surgery, everything at the hospital was familiar. His parents stayed with him until the final moments, and even his father, dressed in a hospital gown, was able to be with his son until the final moments when the anesthesia was administered. In all things, fear and anxiety were met with loving presence.

Still, at the final moments, probably the final three seconds before the anesthesia took hold, there came a look of fear in Kevin's eyes just for those few seconds, the kind of look no parent ever wishes to see in a child....the kind of look that remains in one's mind's eye forever...the kind of look that makes the next two hours of surgery excruciating...the kind of look that only becomes less pain-filled when the first words out of your child's mouth as he awakens after the surgery are: Where's Mommy? Where's Daddy? Daddy, I love you! Mommy, I love you!

Is there anything in life that comes closer to the experience of unconditional love? Is there not a grander invitation to grace?

I don't know if this makes sense to you, but when I think of God's love, I very often experience the heart of God as an open wound of love. I experience the heart of God in the Father rushing out to embrace the prodigal son, and in the Woman who searches long and hard for the lost coin. I experience the heart of God in the Shepherd seeking the one lost sheep; and in the Mother Hen who gathers the young chicks under her wing, and in the child who, despite those few seconds of fear, knows absolutely that it is in Mommy and Daddy where all fear can be comforted by love.

It is the Grand Invitation of Grace, "Come to me, all you who are weary....", offered to each of us, to find comfort, to know comfort, to experience and trust in God's love for us. For me, that is what Kevin's story is all about, and how the images used by Jesus in the Gospels become real in our lives, and how they have become real in all of our lives. Sometimes we are the parents providing love; other times we are the child with fear in our eyes-always with the invitation to trust God's love for us.

The burdens we carry are multiplied in number; yet the invitation to enter into the wounded heart of God, burdens and all, remains steadfast and reliable.

When I initially thought about the first half of the Gospel text as we heard it this morning, it did not seem to fit. With all the talk about the children in the marketplace, no matter what game was suggested to play, they always found fault with the game. And with the people who were critical and judgmental of both John the Baptist and Jesus, who never could be pleased. At first it didn't seem to fit with the second part of the Gospel! Yet, I think it does!

The connection is in the response of Jesus. It is the way Jesus responds to our sinfulness, to our humanness, to our need too often to be critical and judgmental of others. It is no different than when Paul is talking about his own conflicts when he does things he does not want to do!

The response of God is an invitation into the heart of God, into the heart of a God who responds to criticism with gentleness and to judgment with humility. God's revealing activity in our lives is to break open our hearts by God's love so that we will become more loving. There is absolutely no better way to become more loving than to trust totally in God's love for us. Such is the Grand Invitation of Grace!

As a congregation, as the people of God, we are called to continue to be in mission, we are called to continue to be faithful and obedient in proclaiming the Gospel in word and deed, to not give up, to not lose heart because in God's heart there is only faithfulness and in God's heart is always the invitation to live in compassion and care. What a gift of an invitation to grace!

Finally, I want you to know that the story of Kevin is a true story. Kevin is my nephew. My wife, Lois, and I were with him and his parents and his sister this past week on the day of his surgery. He's home, recuperating doing well, and he gave me permission to share his story.

May this story as to the way this little boy trusted and the way he experienced love be our story. May we experience relationships in our lives that reveal God's love to us.

And, finally, may our hearts be constantly opened to the love of God in our lives so as to reach out, respond to others, respond to other's needs, and invite others into our lives where we can lift burdens, most assuredly because our burdens have already been lifted from us by a gentle and loving God. Amen.