“Even If…Life Overwhelms” Readings Isaiah 35:1-10; Matthew 11:2-15 John the Baptist is in a dark place in his life. This is the cousin of Jesus, the one who first began the prophetic work of preparing the way for Jesus. And yet, he feels so overwhelmed he begins to ask questions of his own cousin: Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect another? Everyone feels overwhelmed at times – and sometimes overwhelmed for seasons of life. Look at burnout rates in the Western world, and you’ll find that more people are overwhelmed at the cutthroat, breakneck pace of our world than probably will admit it. And when life piles on you, it can feel like life is spinning out of control. Where is this peace that God promised? In the reading from Isaiah, most of the verbs are future tense. There may not be immediate relief to the pace and pressure; but God has proven that his weight is heavier than our own. And these burdens will be temporary; when we release our burdens onto him, our “what if” becomes “even if.” Jesus says, “even if this life is crushing you…I am coming to this world for you. To bear your burden and bring you peace. You can trust in me.” Bulletin 12-14-2025