Come to Me: A treatment for the hurried life

I offer this for you for use in your personal devotional time or as a reading in worship. There are some great tunes written with the "Come to Me" concept at their core, whether quoting this passage or not. (see suggestion at the end) It could be a more classic choral piece or a modern worship song. Be creative.

One note, if you are using it in a service, make sure the actors/readers spend some time getting comfortable with the "out of time" overlap of words which eventually come into alignment. It will make key moments have much greater impact.

Matthew 11:25-30 (The Message)

Reader: #1: Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer,

Reader #3 (Jesus): “Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.”

Reader #2: Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. 

Reader #3 (Jesus): “The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.

All three: (read in turns, overlapping by one word, so you are talking on top of each other)

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burnout out on religion?

All three: (read, overlapping at first, then slowly coming into alignment)

“Come to me.”

Reader #3 (Jesus): “Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest.”

All three: (again read in turns, overlapping by one word, so you are talking on top of each other)

“Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.”

All three: (in unison) “Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”

Reader #3 (Jesus): “I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”


Here's just one fresh example of a song that could beautifully follow this reading: Come to Me (Bethel Live). You'll find the print music here.