"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

The first reaction of a skeptic to the Great Invitation might be, "What's so easy about it? The yoke, I mean. How is it easy?"

In the Old Testament, the term yoke was a metaphor for servitude (Deuteronomy 28:48; Jeremiah 28:13-14; Isaiah 9:4). Here, it is a reference to Jesus' teachings (cf. Acts 15: 10; Galatians 5: 1). To bear the yoke is to obey the Word.

Everybody is hitched up to a yoke. That is, we all live by some religion. Each person in the grocery checkout line is steered by some philosophy. And there are many creeds. Which gets us back to the question.

"What's so easy about Jesus' creed?"

The first answer is, honestly, nothing. It isn't easy to follow Jesus' teachings. The right thing is rarely the easy thing. The Christian life is hard.

We misunderstand Jesus. By claiming, "Mine is easy", Jesus means, "Mine is easier". While life by Jesus' creed is hard, it is easy compared to others.

If you think Jesus' yoke is tough, try hitching up to the yoke of atheism or humanism or hedonism.
If you think being a disciple of Jesus is difficult, try being a disciple of Darwin, Freud or Hefner.
If you think it's hard to be sober, try being an alcoholic. If you think it's hard to be faithful to your spouse, try being an adulterer. If you think it's hard to be straight, try being an addict. If you think it's hard to be honest, try being a liar. If you think it's hard to go without, try life by the creed of materialism.

If you think life is hard with God, try it without Him!

"His yoke is easy, His burden is light.
I've found it so, I've found it so!"

Bridal Shower
A bridal shower is scheduled in honor of Delaney Faneuf, tomorrow evening (Monday), Dec. 15th at 7 p.m. at the North Jackson Avenue church of Christ in Bartow. See the bulletin board for more information and a list of what she does and doesn’t need.

New Members
We are pleased to welcome Jim & Gayle Harsell, who have expressed a desire to be numbered with the saints who worship and work here at Orange Street. Add this information to your directories:

Click Here for Directory Info

Our hearts go out in deepest sympathy to Peggy and Frank Nabors and family in the passing of Peggy’s mother, Pernie Herndon, this past Wednesday evening (the 10th) in Blountsville, AL. Funeral services were held yesterday. Keep the Nabors in your prayers during this time of sorrow and while they are traveling.

Personal Work Team “A”
There will be a short meeting of Visitation Team "A" in "Assembly Room B", today, immediately after the morning worship. This will be the last meeting "this year." Please be there.

The Pantry
Be sure to bring in your canned food items to help restock the pantry. This week’s item is canned entrees (spaghetti, raviolli, mac and cheese, etc.).

Senior Dinner
Be aware that our annual Senior Dinner is scheduled for next Sunday in the annex after the morning services.

Happiness involves Character! It is not "What you have" but "who you are." Goodness precedes happiness! This is the simple key most have overlooked or denied in their quest for happiness.