Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 "You Can't Please All the People All the Time"

“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”

         Though we often attribute that quote to Abraham Lincoln, he actually adapted it from an earlier writer named John Lydgate.  Lydgate was a 15^th century English monk and a prolific poet, turning out over 145,000 lines of verse over the course of his lifetime.

         Now, that fact is just a bit of historical trivia.  However, in those words he wrote is nestled an age-old truth.  Both Lydgate and Lincoln were right.  No matter how hard you try, you cannot please all of the people all of the time. 

         One of your children will forever dispute your parenting skills – particularly when he or she reaches the ripe old age of 13 or so.  Someone will always find the sermon boring or will dislike one or more of the hymns.  At least one family member will announce fault in the dinner menu and wonder aloud why you have to serve pasta – again.  Donald Trump will continue to be a divisive political figure, and Congress will be hard pressed to put together a health care bill that everyone raves about.

         Just as polarization seems to be one of our cultural norms, so it was for Jesus as well.  He also found himself in no-win situations, and his frustration over the latest one was apparent in the rant that began today’s Scripture passage.  I can just imagine Jesus throwing up his arms in disgust and lashing out at whoever might be listening.

“How can I account for this generation? You people are like spoiled children, a bunch of whiners: We played a merry tin whistle for you, and you would not dance.  We sang a maudlin funeral dirge, and you would not mourn.  What gives with all of you?”

         First there was John the Baptist, Jesus goes on to say, and people called him crazy.  He was too austere, what with the fasting coupled with his sackcloth and ashes approach.  And noshing on those locusts – even mixed with sweet wild honey? Ick!  And besides, he yelled too much:  “Repent!  Repent, you brood of vipers!”

         “Who wants to be labeled a snake and cow tow to a religion like that?” you asked.  “I would rather play golf.” 

         Be honest now! (Jesus says.) All of you reacted to John the Baptist with these unspoken words: “Dude, lighten up a bit.”  So – you pushed John aside.  Too much of the Chicken Little/the sky is falling mentality for your liking.

         Jesus was on a roll now, so he continued.  “And then I came, and you label me a glutton and a drunkard because I eat with the wrong sort of people and have been known to change water into wine.  I befriended tax collectors, whores, and miscellaneous minor sinners not unlike yourselves, and you label me a supporter of the riffraff – so far beneath you. 

         Just because I enjoy a good feast every now and then, you figure, well, if Jesus does not take this religion stuff seriously, then neither will we.  See – it is all settled.  I am off to play golf.

         There you have it.  Both John the Baptist and Jesus were regarded as irrelevant in their day and time. But isn’t that how it always works? There is always an excuse.  “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”

         That being said, as your pastor, I think this first part of our Scripture passage raises a couple of important questions for all of you sitting here in church.  In the week ahead, I challenge you to ponder the following: 

         What will motivate you to ever more readily interact with God, engage with the kingdom, and deepen your spiritual life? 

         What will inspire you to make this church a priority in your busy life? 

         What will motivate you to come to worship more consistently, learn from each other more intentionally, and participate more actively in the ministries of our church? 

         What will it take to move you from the inertia of doing only what you are doing now to the satisfaction of doing more in the name of Christ?

         One blogger I read this week summarized modern-day church commitment: “It's that people don't want to be tied down on Sunday, "It's the one day of the week I have to myself." Or, “it cuts into family time”. Or, "I'm not a bad person, why do I have to be told I'm a sinner?"
         (He went on to say:) To those who say it's the only day of the week you have to yourself, I would respond, "Everything you do during the week is ultimately for yourself." To those who say it cuts into family time, I would argue that this -- church -- has the potential of becoming an extended family capable of more support than you can imagine. And to those who don't think they're bad people, well, nobody is perfect.
         (Other) people claim that church is too boring or they can worship God just as well while hiking or fishing or hunting. Or they want to know what they will get out of it, as if church were there simply to meet their needs.
         To those who say church is boring, I remind them that church isn't there for our entertainment. To those who claim they can worship God on their own, I say, "You're right, but what are you learning? How are you living into the community of God's kingdom?" And to those who ask, "What am I getting out of it?" I ask in return, "What are you putting into it?"

         Our blogger is saying that the message of Jesus, which, of course, lies at the root of who we are as a church, is not about us - and our needs, but it is rather about them – and their needs.  The Good News of Jesus is to be discovered nestled somewhere in our feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, healing the sick, welcoming the outcast, and raising up the lowly. 

         “Oh, no, there she goes again,” you might sigh and whisper. “Why do we have to have a pastor who always seems to come round to talking about and challenging us to take action, to be part of the mission and outreach of this church, in short, to do something?  When do we get to rest?”

         And so we come to the second part of our Scripture reading. Jesus speaks it almost like a prayer, but it is really an invitation.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

“Come to me, all you who are labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 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.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

         To those laboring under harsh political systems and narrow religious structures, Jesus says, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.”

         To those burdened by attempting to be a good parent under especially trying circumstances, Jesus says, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.”

         To those caught in marriages that are disintegrating and relationships that are falling apart, Jesus says, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.”

         To those so stressed out by caring for others whose health is failing or whose own health is wearing them down, Jesus says, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.”

         To those in any kind of need that is hindering their ability to work for the kingdom, to live compassionately, to seek justice, and to be a peacemaker, Jesus says, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.”

         Discipleship is not easy – whether it is practiced in our own families with a trying teenager or an aging parent, or practiced locally in our town, or even globally.  Jesus never said that being one of his followers would be a Sunday School picnic.  He never intimated that his would be the easy path.  Certainly we do need rest.

         That being said, Jesus might have abandoned us at this critical and uncomfortable juncture. He might have just said, “You’re on your own, dude.”  But instead, he reminded us that we would never be alone when we are trying to be his followers.  “Come to me, and I will give you rest.”

         Now, before you stop listening and figure that you have found a loophole (perhaps one you have been searching for), understand that, in this passage, Jesus is not saying that our burdens and problems will be taken away.  Much as we might long for such an easy solution, he will not be shouldering them all himself, so we do not have to. 

         That is why the image of the yoke is so fitting.  As you know, a yoke is a farm tool that is put across the neck or shoulders of two or more oxen or horses.  It allows them to pull heavy equipment that they could not pull nearly as efficiently as individual animals.  Yoked animals inevitably are able to work together, increasing their strength and effectiveness.

        And so it is with us and with Jesus.  He does not take away our burdens and problems.  The harsh political systems and narrow religious structures will not disappear.  The trying circumstances of parenting will not go away.  The marriage or relationship will not be miraculously saved.  Caring for the health of others and our own health will not suddenly be a piece of cake. 

         However, we will not be doing the caring and enduring and working and changing alone – and that should be both comforting and energizing.  It is like familiar story by Mary Stevenson:

         One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

         This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord, “You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always.

But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

         The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

         Jesus promises us rest when we find rest in him. And when we rest in him, he promises that we can learn from him because to rest in him is to be yoked with him. And when we are yoked with him, we will learn of compassion, learn of forgiveness, and learn of love – and it is amazing how learning and practicing those things alone will ease the burdens we carry. 

         And when we rest with him, we will find wisdom.  When we rest with him, we will find that we are yoked (or connected) to the one through whom God’s dream of mercy and grace is being made real.

         When we rest with him, we will find hope where once there was no hope, strength where once we were bone-tired, courage where once we feared only for the worst. 

We will discover a fullness where once we only felt emptiness coupled with a gnawing hunger for something that is missing.  And in that hope, in that strength, in that courage, in that fullness, we will find that, with him, once again we can work for the Kingdom, for the dream, for the vision of the world God intended – in our families, in our communities, in our world. 

         Personally I find the message of resting in Jesus a lot more to my liking than a bunch of religious rules and regulations – someone telling me what I have to believe.  As your pastor, that is how I hope I lead you in this congregation.  I hope is that together we are creating a community of faith that, as our blogger wrote, is “driven by the understanding that we are yoked to the one who danced; which, again, although restful and light, is still a yoke….(and so) we are required to think about the Other” and the least of these – even as we find our rest in him.

         However, I remember what John Lydgate and Abraham Lincoln both said, “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.” And so there will be people who will not be comfortable with the path this community of faith has chosen to walk.  We will not be what they are looking for in a church.  And so they will go to other churches – or decide to play golf.

         But you are here, and your presence is a blessing.  You are not playing golf, and you are enough. So come and rest if you need to.  Come and gather strength and courage for whatever lies ahead.  Come and figure out just why you set foot here this morning – and go tell someone your reason – so they can find the rest and strength and courage they will need to help make God’s dream come true.