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          In NY Harbor there stands a famous statue, the Statue of Liberty.  In her one hand, Lady Liberty is holding a tablet bearing the date July 4, 1776.  In her other hand, she is holding aloft a torch, symbolizing liberty enlightening the world.  In the harbor, the Statue of Liberty stands right next to Ellis Island, our nation’s largest immigration station for many years.  Millions of immigrants made the long sea voyage from Europe in those days and came through Ellis Island.  They came seeking freedom.  They came seeking better days.  And so for those coming over on the boat – perhaps like your parents or grandparents – they would see the Statue of Liberty, and it served as a powerful symbol of hope and promise to them.  There is a plaque at the base of the statue, inscribed with a poem that reads in part: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.  Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost, to me, I left my lamp beside the golden door!”  Hope and promise for those weary travelers, that’s what the Statue of Liberty offered.

          But today I want to remind you about a greater hope and a greater promise, for all those loaded down with even greater burdens.  That hope and that promise are found in the person of Jesus Christ, who once said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Yes, indeed, rest from the heavy burdens.  That is Jesus’ promise to us today and every day.

          Lifeguards find it very difficult to save the swimmer who does not desire to be rescued.  Just as physicians experience difficulty in healing those who don’t want health.  Similarly, God finds it hard to show us something if our heads are turned.  How can He untangle the web of our lives and help us to weave more carefully if we do not love Him and are suspicious of His purpose?

          A waitress discovered that her purse had been stolen.  She explained to her pastor the bitterness which overcame her.  That was her rent money.  And she was even more incensed because she was certain of the thief’s identity.

          Her pastor offered both sympathy and money.  Beyond this, he suggested that they pray about the bitterness that had infected her spirit.  As they parted, he promised to pray that God would work within the experience for her good. 

          Some time later, she reported a miracle.  No, the money had not been returned.  Something better than that.  While praying about her problem she was drawn near to God.  Forgotten chapters of personal devotion to God were opened again.  Happily, she reported to her pastor, “I am more at ease with my life than I have been in years.”  “But what of the money for your rent?” asked the pastor.  “Would you exchange your experience for the money?  Do you wish it had never happened?”

         “No,” she replied quickly.  “God was working with me all the time.  I would never have known it if we had not prayed.  That’s one problem I am really grateful for.  It brought me closer to God.”

          What God starts; He will finish.  God does get into all things and works for the good of them who love Him and come to Him.  So on this 4th of July, let us try it!  It works!