To Impose No Further Burden

Text: Revelation 2:18-29

Reflection and Question: Thank goodness Jesus promises through John’s letter to place no further burdens on the faithful in the city of Thyatira; the burdens already imposed are severe enough: pain, suffering and death! Instead, Jesus says He will give them the “star of dawn,” a lovely image in the midst of quite different promises of ruling “with a rod of iron” and “smashing them like bits of earthen ware.” Whatever Jesus has in store for the church in Thyatira, He tells them to “hold fast” and “persevere in doing my will.” Do you respond better to the harsh or kind hand?

Prayer: Holy Jesus, You sit at God’s right hand and search every person’s heart. We humbly ask that You impose no further burden on us as we struggle enough with what we presently bear. See our strength, not our weakness, and have mercy. Amen.

This meditation is based on the Daily Lectionary Year 2 from the Book of Common Worship for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (1993).