Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30, Romans 7:15-25a Never Say No 7 9 17

The inspiration for the sermon title Never Say No is a cute song from the
musical, The Fantasticks. The show is about the patriarchs of two families who
conspire to engage in a mock feud, so their children will fall in love with each
other. Basically, the dads tell their children no, you cant date each other
knowing full well that is exactly what the young adults will do.
This concept of doing the very thing that is forbidden is engrained in the
human psyche. From the time of the story of Adam and Eve eating fruit from the
tree in the garden of Eden, to Maria and Tony falling in love in West Side Story;
from the mythological Pandora opening her box of unknown gifts to Walter White
breaking bad by dealing illegal drugs, we have countless fictitious examples of our
human nature to do the things we are expressly prohibited from doing.
The apostle Paul, was trying to get this idea across in his letter to the new
church that was started in Rome. He had been there to visit and knew the
people; he also heard about what happened since his departure. Lets just say
there was some backsliding going on in the Roman church. Rather than wagging a
judgemental finger at the new Christians or pointing out the myriad ways they
were messing up, Paul chose to speak about his own struggles. He used himself
as an example of one who tries his hardest to follow Christ, but seems to be of
two minds when it comes down to making choices over exactly what to do.
How many of you have ever made a list of pros and cons about a situation
in your life that doesnt seem immediately clear? How many of you follow the
implicit advice given on those lists? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But there are
times when each of us has made a choice while saying to ourselves or another
person, well its against my better judgement, but okay. Weve all been

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there, and Paul wanted to show the fledgling church that there is a faithful way of
dealing with these situations.
He said that the Law or guidance that God gives to us is not given to point
out where we have fallen short. Instead, the purpose of the law is to nudge us
toward life, toward that which is healthful, life-giving, and of true value1 The laws
of not coveting and loving neighbor, for example, are not offered to us as sticks of
punishment to knock us upside the head when we are unsatisfied with what we
have, or neglect someone in need. Those laws are given and written so that we
are drawn toward that which is good, and will upbuild the body of Christ and the
community in which we live.
The law also has the secondary effect of giving us a heads up of what
challenges are sure to come our way. Thou shalt not kill and pray for your
enemies, seem pretty self-evident. However, these laws are codified in our lives
of faith because there will surely come a time when we feel threatened, or the life
of someone we love is threatened, and we will be tempted to take a life or to pray
against, rather than for, the one we call enemy. Without the law to give us a
heads up of the kinds of temptations that are afoot, we can get swept up in the
moment and lose a sense of what is good.
The Never Say No song from the Fantasticks pokes fun at this concept, as
though by simply saying Dont Do something, someone is sure to do it. The song
goes,
Why did the kids put beans in their ears?
No one can hear with beans in their ears.
After a while the reason appears. They did it cause we said no.

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Lose, David. WorkingPreacher.org
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 My son was once afraid to swim.
The water made him wince.
Until I said he mustn't swim:
S'been swimmin' ever since!
S'been swimmin' ever since!
You know its true: Saying bacon is bad for you makes it sound more
delicious. Putting limits on kids screen time makes cell phones and tablets all the
more appealing. Ill tell you, in college I knew a young man who was a member of
the Church of Latter Day Saints the Mormons. I asked him about the role of
women in his church, reminding him that I was thinking about becoming a
minister. He assured me that at that time, (this was in the 1980s), I would be
welcomed warmly as a Sunday school teacher in his church. That No in my
teenage years helped to solidify my resolve to serve God as an ordained minister.
The limit was like a dare.
This reverse-psychology/philosophy makes it difficult to set any kind of limit
or boundary, no matter how helpful. At the retreat last weekend, we had a
number of different kind of discussions, one of which asked about the limits or
deterrents we experienced around volunteering for mission or outreach activities.
Overwhelmingly, around the circle came the response: too many other
commitments. There are an infinite number of options we have these days of
things to do. Single projects, long-term memberships, one-day seminars, summer
camps, sports teams and classes of all kinds. When we say Yes to so many things,
not setting limits along the way, we find ourselves potentially saying No to the
very thing that is meaningful or life-giving. It is when we can say a clear No
along the way, that we are actually freer to say Yes when we really want to.

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 One of my preaching mentors, David Lose, likes to ask: How do we help
each other say "no" in a culture that seems only to understand "yes." We are
already helping each other in that way. I mentioned in the quarterly meeting a
few weeks ago that there are some church committee members who have, for a
variety of reasons, said that they cannot continue to serve on their committees.
They are setting healthy limits so they can say yes to other things. We help by
sharing each others burdens. We accept the self-imposed limits of our brothers
and sisters; we help each other to say no by offering extra support, and a listening
ear. We can even explore our own schedules and the impulses of our hearts to
see if there is a call within us to fill an empty spot on a board or committee. This is
a great time to try out that kind of service to the church, with 6 months left to the
year. At least one person has already expressed willingness to serve in one of
these vacant positions.
Paul teaches us that in the life of a church, whether 15 months old or
almost 150 years old, there will be times we are torn as individuals and as a whole
about when to say no, and when to say yes. At those times we need to take into
account that not every limit that is placed on us is a dare, that the guidance of
God in the law is for life, not punishment; and ultimately, when we become
overwhelmed with responsibilities or see that we have taken a wrong turn, we
are blessed and uplifted by the neverending grace of God.
Amen.

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Romans 7:15-25a
7:15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the
very thing I hate.
7:16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good.
7:17 But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.
7:18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will
what is right, but I cannot do it.
7:19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.
7:20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells
within me.
7:21 So I find it to be a law [or cause and effect] that when I want to do what is
good, evil lies close at hand.
7:22 For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self,
7:23 but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind,
making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
7:24 Wretched person that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
7:25a Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

11:16 "But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces
and calling to one another,
11:17 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.'
11:18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon';
11:19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a
friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."
11:25 At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have
hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants;
11:26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
11:27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except
the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses
to reveal him.
11:28 "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you
rest.
11:29 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.
11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."