Sunday's Message - Where’s John Adams When You Need Him

Here's the message I offered during the celebration service in the First Presbyterian Church of Mingo Junction, Ohio on Sunday, July 5.

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30, Contemporary English Version

You people are like children sitting in the market and shouting to each other,
“We played the flute,
    but you would not dance!
We sang a funeral song,
    but you would not mourn!”

John the Baptist did not go around eating and drinking, and you said, “That man has a demon in him!” But the Son of Man goes around eating and drinking, and you say, “That man eats and drinks too much! He is even a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Yet Wisdom is shown to be right by what it does.

At that moment Jesus said:

My Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I am grateful that you hid all this from wise and educated people and showed it to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that is what pleased you.

My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who truly knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too.

If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.

Where’s John Adams When You Need Him

As everybody here knows, yesterday was the Fourth of July, Independence Day. And even though COVID-19 became sort of a wet blanket on our usual celebration, I’d wager folks still ate a ton of hamburger and chased a mess of flies away from the potato salad. And I don’t know about y’all, but I saw red, white and blue all over the place. And last night, there were plenty of fire works going off, and this I know because every time it happened, my little dog, CoCo Chanel, shook and panted. (It was a rough evening.) And I have absolutely no doubt that next year, the Fourth will be as big and gaudy as ever.

But you know, when we look at how one of our founding fathers envisioned this day, man, there’s something missing in what we usually do. I mean, even in a typical year, we just don’t do the very thing that John Adams, one of the guys on the committee that wrote the Declaration of Independence, thought really had to be a part of our future celebrate, which by-the-way he thought we’d be doing on July 2, the day the Declaration passed Congress, rather than the fourth when it was actually signed. You see, right after the Continental Congress approved the Declaration, John wrote this to Abigail, his wife: “I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty.” Now, I’ve got to tell you, I find that really interesting. And although in the next sentence he talked about how it should be “...solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more,” his very first thought was on how it should be a day to give thanks and praise to God. Now that’s what John Adams envisioned, what he expected,

And for that reason, I think I’m pretty safe in saying, he’d probably be kind of disappointed with how Americans usually celebrate this very special day. My goodness, I don’t think many people remember the Fourth with anything close to solemn acts of devotion, unless you can call cramming hot dogs into your pie hole a spiritual exercise. And if it happens to fall on Sunday, you can take it to the bank that attendance will be low, because let face it, that’ll one Sunday which a lot of even dedicated Christians will simply “take off.” Give me a break, the Fourth of July is a day for flags and eagles and displays of power. I think for most Americans offering humble thanks to God is just about the last thing on their minds. In fact, for more than few, doing this kind of stuff would kind of be downer.

And you know, in a way, that feeling, that perspective, well, I think it reflects how a lot of Americans, even American Christians view our country 24/7. I mean, think about it, yesterday we celebrated our independence, right. And what does independence mean? Man, it means that no one can tell us what to do, and when it interferes with what we want, we really don’t need anyone else. Isn’t that what this “America First” business is all about? We’re independent. And let’s get real, we’ve got wisdom just coming out of our ears; therefore, we have all the answers and regardless of the questions. And even better than that, our way is always right. Man, we are smart. And as to strength, good night nurse, we can not only endure, we can overcome anything, because we have shown over and over again that our ability and our energy and our confidence are virtually without limits. We are strong. Am I right? Sure I am; or that’s what I think a lot of Americans believe.

And even though I believe it’s wonderful to treasure and to celebrate our independence and wisdom and strength, if we’re not careful, these very positive feelings can lead us into some attitudes and actions that have been and will continue to be destructive to the very country we love. Let me tell you what I mean. If we’re not careful, the very independence we celebrate can leave us isolated and alone, separated from other countries and peoples and traditions whom we believe have nothing to offer us and even cut off from a God whom we think has nothing we really need to hear. You see what I mean? And I’ll tell you, if we’re not careful, our perceived wisdom can lead to arrogance and even ignorance. I mean, you tell me how we’re going to grow if we already know it all and our answer is always right, and if you disagree, you know nothing because you’re just, plain wrong. And you know, the more we focus on our strength, on our limitless abilities and energy and confidence, the more tired we’re going to become trying to carry that burden and the more difficult it’s going to be to accept any kind of help, even help from God. You see, we can actually hurt ourselves and our country if we let our enthusiasm and pride go to the extreme. I’ll tell you, if we do that, we become no better than those spoiled, know-it-all, dissatisfied children whom Christ described in the passage we read a little while ago. And in my book, that’s not patriotism.

And you know, for that reason, for that very reason, I believe it’s crucially important for us as Christian Americans to reclaim the humble devotion described by John Adams and to listen to the three things our Lord Jesus Christ said in the second part of the passage we read, and I’ll tell you why. When we do, when we humble ourselves, not only will we change but so will our nation.

I mean, along with celebrating our independence as a country, we can also make a concerted effort to recognize our dependence as Christian brothers and sisters, and I’m talking about how we need to dependent on God always. Now, that’s the first thing we can do. You know, it’s interesting, this recognition of dependency is right here in the passage we just read. Remember, Jesus thanked his Father that he “...hid all this from wise and educated people and showed it to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that is what pleased you.” In other words, Jesus was grateful that God revealed his love and mercy and grace to ordinary folks, you know, to men and women who were absolutely dependent and who knew it. You see, according to Jesus, these were people to whom God revealed himself, not to the high and mighty, not to those who boast and brag, and certainly not to those who can never be corrected or advised, but rather to those who are able to recognize that who they are and what they have comes from a source far wiser and stronger than they. And I’ll tell you, we can do this too. We can recognize that, in relationship with God, we are dependent; there’s no other way to say it. And I’ll tell you, when we’ve able to accept it, it’s going move us closer to God, the source of all things. Who knows, we might actually be willing to celebrate Independence Day with solemn acts of devotion. But more than that, if we help our fellow citizens understand this, I believe it may actually move us closer to one another and to other countries and other peoples and other traditions who are no more or no less dependent than we. We need one another, and working together, we can improve the lives of everyone. You see, as Christian Americans we can recognized that we’re dependent. That’s the first thing we can do.

And second, we can also accept our limitations, or as my wife reminds me every now and then, we can accept the fact that we just might not be as smart as we think we are. And isn’t that what Christ is saying in this passage? I mean, not only did he say that stuff about how God reveals himself to ordinary folks and not to the so-called wise and intelligent, he also said, “My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who truly knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too.” In other words, coming to understand Jesus isn’t something we do ourselves. In fact, left on our own, we just can’t fully understand who God is or what Christ did. Our wisdom and knowledge are limited; therefore, no wonder we can’t figure out how to rein in human nature. And because of that, whether we like it or not, given our limitations, the power of greed and lust, the power of fear and hatred, my gosh, the power of sin is just, plain stronger than us. And I’ll tell you, because of that, as we try to figure out what we’re going to do about the cornavirus or unemployment or a country putting a bounty on dead Americans, much less as we wage war against poverty or drugs or terrorism, I’m telling you, we’re never going to be able to stand on our hind legs, beat our chests and say “mission accomplished,” not until Jesus Christ returns and redeems creation. We’re not going to be able to do it. In fact, the only thing we can really do is to humbly approach God, confessing our own sins and seeking his direction, and then using what he’s given us as best we can. But that’s not going to happen if we allow our own arrogance and ignorance to get in the way. No, we’re not going to be able to do what we’ve been called to do and do it well until we accept our limits, the second thing we can do as American Christians.

And third, we can also admit that there are times when we’re weak, that there are times when we feel burdened and worn out, that there are times when the yoke we carry as individuals and as a country seems too heavy for us to bear. Remember Jesus said, “If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.” Now that’s what he said, and I’ll tell you, it reminds me of a hymn we used to sing at Ocean View Presbyterian when I was a boy: “I am weak but Thou are strong, Jesus, keep me from all wrong; I’ll be satisfied as long as I walk, let me walk close to Thee. Through this world of toil and snares, if I falter, Lord, who cares? Who with me my burdens shares? None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.” I’ll tell you, I think this is something we need to admit both as individuals and as a nation. And I’ll tell you something else, when we do, when we have the courage to admit our weakness, I believe two things are going happen. One, we’ll be able to respond to Christ’s call, and I’m talking about the invitation he offers right here in this passage. You see, we’ll be ready to come to him and receive rest, because he was talking about us when he invited all who toil and are burdened. And we’ll be willing to take his yoke upon our shoulders and to learn from him, because he’s gentle and humble, and we will find rest. Now that’s one thing that will happen. And two, when we admit that we’re weak, that just might help us be a little more tolerant and patient and even generous with all those folks who are also being crushed by their own burdens. You see, that can happen when we admit that in spite of our press clippings, when compared to God, man, we are weak.

Like I said a little while ago, the way we celebrated the Fourth yesterday was an anomaly. Next year we’ll be back to eating and waving just like we usually do. And when that happens, and it will, let’s remember what one of our founders, said about Independence Day. You see, because we love America, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we can decide to follow the advice of John Adams and the teachings of Jesus and we can muster up the courage and the faith to accept our dependence and to recognize our limitations and to admit our weaknesses. And if we do, I don’t think our solemn Acts of devotion to God Almighty will be limited to one day a year.