SPEAKER_00 0:00

Good evening, little lambs. Tonight's story is called The Weight Biscuit Wouldn't Put Down, inspired by the Gospel of Matthew eleven twenty eight to thirty. Tonight's Gospel is one of Jesus' warmest invitations of all. Come to me, all you who are tired and carrying heavy things, and I will help you rest. He tells us his way of walking with us, what he calls his yoke, isn't one more heavy thing to carry. It's how two who walk together share a load, so neither one carries it alone. And so tonight we're back on Shepherd's Hill, where Biscuit is about to learn in the middle of a perfectly ordinary chore, that Jesus meant exactly what he said. The sky over Shepherd's Hill had gone the soft purple gray of early evening, and down by the fire circle the lambs were doing their favorite autumn job, hauling smooth creek stones up from the water to wring the fire pit before the cold nights came. Fig and Bramble carried theirs in twos and threes, laughing as they went. Old Woolly sat nearby, showing Matt how to fit the stones snug against each other so the wind couldn't sneak between them. But Biskit, golden brown wool, tuft sticking straight up, always first to bounce into anything, had a different idea. I'm going to carry the rest of them, all of them, in one trip, she announced, already piling stone after stone into the sling of her blanket. Clover looked up from the pile she and Wren were sorting. That's an awful lot of stones, Biskit. I know, Biskit said, grinning, hauling the bulging sling up onto her back. But then everyone can just rest by the fire, and I did it myself. She wobbled up the hill. The sling grew heavier with every step, heavier than she'd guessed, heavier than her legs wanted to admit. Halfway up her knees buckled, and stones spilled across the grass with a clatter that made her wince harder than the fall did. She sat down hard, cheeks hot, staring at the scattered stones. I just wanted to carry it, she said, more to herself than anyone. You don't have to prove you can carry everything alone, Clover said gently, sitting beside her. I only just learned that myself. She began quietly gathering fallen stones into her own hooves. That's when Jesus came down the path, and without a word about the spilled stones or the tears gathering in Biskit's eyes, he simply knelt and began picking up stones too, unhurried, like there was nowhere else he'd rather be. I wasn't trying to make anyone worry, Biskit said softly. I just wanted to be the one who carried it. You don't have to earn a rest, Biskit, Jesus said, setting a stone gently into her sling. I'm not waiting for you to be strong enough first. I'm asking you to come to me exactly as tired as you already are. He lifted half the sling's weight onto his own shoulder, looping the rest so it rested between them both. Do you know what a yoke is? It's the piece that joins two who are walking the same way, so the load presses on both of them instead of just one. That's what I want to be for you. Not someone who piles more on, but someone who walks right beside you and takes half of whatever you're carrying. Biskit felt the sling lighten at once, and something in her chest lightened too. It really is easier, she said, surprised, taking her first step up the hill without wobbling. My shoulders are gentle ones, Jesus said, smiling. You never have to be afraid to bring me what's heavy. They walked the rest of the way together, stone by stone, until the fire circle was ringed all around, and Biskit, breathless, but grinning again, flopped down between clover and old woolly, lighter than she'd felt all evening. And so tonight we learned that Jesus doesn't wait for us to fix ourselves or prove how strong we are before he'll help. He simply says Come to me just as you are, and let me carry that with you. Is there something heavy you've been holding on to all by yourself that you could hand to Jesus tonight? Dear Jesus, thank you for saying I never have to carry heavy things alone. Help me remember to bring you my worries just as I am, and to rest in how gentle and kind you are. Amen. Good night, little lamb. God loves you so much. Sweet dreams.