Letter from Jon, March 2026 

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.'

Matt 11:28-30

 

Dear Liberty Family and Friends

 

As you are probably aware we are right in the middle of Lent as we head towards Easter, and also right in the middle of our Lenten series looking at the Desert Fathers and Mothers who lived some 1600 years ago, drawing from the wisdom and experience of these people who withdrew into the desert to live a life of devotion to God, away from the distractions, corruptions and temptations of society.  Having prepared and preached a couple of sermons in this series already I have been personally challenged in my own walk with God but also encouraged to go deeper in my own devotion during this season.

 

The verses above from Matt 11 will be familiar to many of us I am sure.  These short verses are full of richness as Jesus invites us to draw close to him, to lay down our weariness and burdens and to rest in his presence.  Like many of us I have returned to these verses many times over the years when life has seemed overwhelming, when the burdens I have been carrying have seemed too much to handle, when I have reached or exceeded the limits of my capacity. 

 

As I read these verses again today, however, the phrase that stood out for me was 'learn from me'.  The invitation as we draw close to Jesus is to learn from him; from his teaching, from the way he lived and interacted with those around him, from the way he related to his Father, drawing aside often just to be with him.  We are called and invited to be disciples of Jesus, and, indeed, to make disciples; followers of Jesus or, as Fiona referred to us during last Sunday's meeting, apprentices.  An apprentice is one who walks and works alongside someone, learning their trade, watching them at work, picking up on how they handle different situations, how they act and react.  In essence, wanting to be like them.

 

As we walk through this Lent season together I believe there is an invitation from Jesus to do just that, to become 'gentle and humble in heart', as Jesus is.  That was the desire of the Desert Mothers and Fathers.  They didn't simply want to withdraw into the wilderness to escape the pressures of society. They wanted to find that place where they could live in uninterrupted intimacy with God.  They wanted to learn from Jesus and, by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, to become more like their Saviour.  We may not live in a desert or have the opportunity to withdraw as these men and women did but I do believe that they have so much to teach us about how to live right where we are, in the midst of the noise, the mess and the challenges of everyday life, in the presence of our God, learning from him and becoming more like him day by day.

 

I hope you enjoy this journey over these next weeks as we head towards the pain and surrender at the cross and the celebration of the risen Christ.

 

Much love

 

Jon

 

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