“Saying No”

Scripture – Joshua 24: 1-2, 14-28

Sermon preached by the Rev. Dr. Randall T. Clayton

Sunday, August 25, 2024

As Tim and I recently were preparing to downsize our living we had to decide what we would keep and what we would say “No” to before we moved – our new home would simply not hold nearly as much stuff as the home we were about to vacate. The junk that had just accumulated in the recesses of our basement and the far reaches of closets were no-brainers – either to be trashed or hopefully, recycled.

Going through stuff that we had laid aside just in case we might need it again made me wonder why we ever thought we would need a bent screwdriver, badly chipped plates, an entire box of mismatched glassware, and lampshades that were literally falling apart. We tossed those easily. And did we really need a different snow shovel for every different kind of snowfall? No longer, anyway.

But there were some tough decisions too that we had to make. There was art that we had carefully collected and loved, each with a story, but there was far too much for the future. Clocks and tables and other family memorabilia that had been passed down to us from relatives who were no longer living, furniture that had been part of what made our home feel like home – too much for the future. We had some difficult choices to make realizing that we could not keep it all.

And then, once decisions were made, trying to unload that to which we had said “No” became a project itself. We became well acquainted with recycling options here in New Castle County, and (unfortunately) with Cherry Island too. We donated to non-profits, passed some things on to siblings that would have gone to them one day anyway, and we gave a lot of furniture to a couple of young families just starting out.

We even put some usable furniture out on the curb in front of our house and were pleased at how quickly it disappeared – generally within a couple of hours. I will note, however, that this method of divesting ourselves of furniture was not 100% successful. For instance, we put a painted chair on the curb one afternoon, saw a car stop and the driver load it in their car, and then drive off with it. We were pleased! But imagine our surprise when I looked out of the window a few hours later to discover that it had been returned. Once again it was on our front lawn. I am guessing that when they got it home, their spouse must have said “No” to that chair, so they returned it even though we thought furniture on curbs had a no return policy attached. With it back on our curb, I decided that perhaps we were supposed to keep the chair and brought it back into the house. It now has a place in our downsized home as a flower stand.

Downsizing for us meant saying “No” to keeping a lot of belongings. It was not always easy to say “No” to some of our treasures, or for that matter to a house and gardens that we loved. But the truth of the matter was that if we were ever going to get to the “Yes” of a condo in the city, we had to say “No” to some belongings and the house we had called home for more than a decade. We would never get to the “Yes” until and unless we moved through the “No” first.

In the scripture text for today, Joshua is also reminding the people about the need to say “No,” to say “No” as a way of starting to say “Yes” of the fullness of life that God offers. Joshua gathered the people at a place called Shechem, the same place where God had addressed Abram for the first time in Canaan, and the same place where Jospeh’s bones were buried. Interestingly, it was in Shechem where Jacob led his household in an idol burying ceremony.

With the people gathered in that theologically important city, Joshua began by listing what might be called God’s” greatest hits” to date. He reminded the people of God’s call to Abraham, and of Abraham’s numerous descendants. He reminded the people that God had rescued them from bondage in Egypt and had led them through the desert to a new land, a place in which the people are living but for which they had not labored.

Reminding the people of God’s gracious actions he then said, “Now revere the lord,” “serve the Lord in sincerity and in faithfulness…put away the gods that your ancestors served…”  And “if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve…as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord,” Joshua said.

The people had a choice – they could either serve God with a capital G or serve gods with lower case g’s. One or the other, but not both, because God (with a capital G), he said is a “jealous” God. Jealous, and zealous, I think.

As one theologian noted, our relationship with God might be likened in today’s world to the relationship between passionate lovers. If that relationship leads to a marriage covenant, certain agreements apply and certain promises are made. But the obligation of the lover is not just fulfilled by some sort of mechanical compliance with stipulations. The theologian says, “Imagine the absurdity of a partner in marriage greeting the spouse at the end of the day and saying, ‘My commitment to you is complete today since I have not committed adultery.’  The [marriage] relationship requires multiples expressions of love that can never be legislated fully. Moreover, the passion of the lover is naturally expressed as anger if the partner ignores or neglects the relationship.” Perhaps God is “not just jealous when Isarel follows other gods, but also zealous about the quality and the depth of relationship” with us.[i]

“So, which will you choose,” Josua asked. “We will serve the Lord,” the people said. “You can’t,” Joshua replied. “Oh, you’re wrong,” they responded, “we will serve the Lord.” “No, you won’t,” Joshua said.

What Joshua recognized is that despite our best intentions, and our fervent desires, we do fall short. The gods of our culture beckon to us, and it is very, very hard to say “No” to them partly because quite honestly, sometimes we don’t recognize that we have chosen to follow them. Sometimes we fall short because choosing to follow God with a capital G frequently requires a re-ordering of priorities, an honest examination of our prejudices and assumptions, and a willingness to no longer be numb to the suffering of others, and to those who are oppressed in our world.

Saying “No” to the gods of our culture does not necessarily mean giving up creature comforts, or fun, but if those things get in the way of our generosity then it’s a sign they have become gods we are worshipping.

Saying “No” to other gods doesn’t necessarily mean divesting ourselves of all our belongings, though it does require that we examine ourselves to determine if our actions and attitudes show that we believe we can secure our future by what we acquire, or by the alarms we install, or by insulating ourselves from those who are different.

Saying “No” to gods or our culture does not mean you have to vote republican or democrat or independent, but it does mean that our votes are informed by a commitment to working for or a community that loves and cares for the least.

And thinking back to a recording of a lecture I heard Munther Isaac, a Palestinian Christian pastor and theologian, gave recently at the Riverside Church in New York, (I would commend that lecture to you, by the way) I think he might remind us we say “Yes” to God only when we are saying “No” to structures in our world which dehumanize others. [ii]

Of course, none of this is easy. Saying “No” can be hard.

In reflection on this text a colleague once wrote,

As a parish minister, I assume Joshua’s role when I invite people to affirm their covenant with God and one another. But I seldom have his courage in follow-through. If I did, when parents brought their child for baptism, I would say more than the generic, ‘Do you promise to grow this child in the Christian faith and offer him or her the nurture of the Chirstian church’? “ Instead I’d ask, in front of God and the whole congregation,  ‘Do you promise to get him or her out of bed, dressed and here every Sunday morning for the next 18 years, even when you’ve had a long week and you’d rather sleep in or there’s a soccer match or when this darling infant has grown into a surly, tattooed teenager who thinks church is ‘dumb’?  I’ve never been that honest about baptismal vows, I bet Joshua would have been.

When people join the church, Joshua would have asked more than the rote, ‘Do you renounce the powers of evil and seek the freedom of new life in Christ.’ After the unsuspecting new members said yes, Joshua would have followed with ‘So when you buy your next car, will you resist all the commercial hype that encourages you to overspend on something that eats up resources and pollutes the air’?

Had Joshua presided at my ordination, I doubt he would have let me get by with a simple vow to study, pray, teach, and preach. He probably would have demanded, “Will you give up your personal gods of procrastination, perfectionism, and the pursuit of trivia?”[iii]

“Choose this day whom you will serve,” Joshua calls to us today.

As I have thought about choosing to say “No” to so many of our belongings in the process of downsizing so that we could say “Yes” to  a new chapter in our lives, I’ve discovered that while saying “No” to many belongs and to a home we loved has included some sadness for sure, and that while it took no small amount of work to figure out how to divest ourselves of things we would no longer need, I also discovered an unexpected and wonderful  sense of joy and freedom in the process too. Friends, relatives, and total strangers are now using things and treasuring things that we could not use any longer, and in some cases had not used for years. That brings me joy. Now that we have cleaned out our basement, we have freed our nieces and nephews of one day in the future being stuck getting rid of our basement full of stuff. More joy. In choosing what to keep and what to say “No” to, we were afforded an exciting opportunity to re-think our needs, our wants, and goals too. And holding on to less baggage in some ways has made me feel a bit lighter, less weighed down with stuff. Joy on top of joy. Saying “No” enabled us to say “Yes” to a new chapter in our lives.

Joshua knew it was tough to say “No” to the gods that beckon us to follow each and every day which is why he told the truth to the people. They could not follow. They would not. But Joshua’s God and our God is a God who continually says “Yes” to us, even though time and time and time again, we have chosen otherwise. I think Joshua knew that too. Our God may be jealous and zealous, but God’s love for us is deep and wide.

“Choose,” Joshua said to the people. “Choose.” And isn’t a God who rescued us from bondage and who led us through the desert, isn’t this God worth choosing? Isn’t a God who loves us so much and so passionately and so zealously that this God became human, isn’t this God a God worth choosing? And isn’t a God who was willing to be lifted high on a cross for us, isn’t this God worth choosing? Choose this day who you will serve.

Prayer

Gregory Knox Jones

Loving God, the lives you have given us are so unpredictable. They can be rich and full and majestic, but they can be harsh and painful and depressing. We relish moments of deep satisfaction, but we also know occasions of incredible frustration. In those times when life is difficult, grant us the gift of perspective.

Before we blurt out our catalogue of complaints, before we whine about unfairness, before we pontificate on how much better things would be if we were in charge, help us to remember that life is a gift. We are here because you have created the cosmos with all its wonders and mysteries. We are here because you have taken the risk to create living beings who are free to become our best or worst selves. May we be mindful of our blessings: families who nurture us and friends who love us, good health and opportunities to learn, freedom to speak our minds and worship as we choose, opportunities to work, to relax, and to play, music that makes our spirits soar and art that challenges the way we see the world, and events that prompt us to be generous and to extend compassion to others.

Generous God, we have freedom to make choices and the power to make an impact. Even if we are unaware, every action we take impacts the world and alters the possibilities. We change it for better or we change it for ill, but we change it. You challenge us to be your partners in transforming the world by expanding your kingdom. Inspire us to take up your challenge, knowing that when we follow your guidance life becomes beauty-filled and hope-filled. Prod us to build loving and lasting relationships, nudge us to take up a cause that will spur justice to spread, and inspire us to strive for a world where people can live together in peace.

Gracious God, remind us of those in our church family who need your strength and our prayers. Those who have recently lost loved ones, those who are recovering from surgery, those preparing for surgery, and those in health care. We pray for people who struggle with mental illness and those searching for employment, those who are struggling in their marriages and those in harm’s way who are serving our country.

Everlasting God, there are many with needs here in our midst. We pray that they will experience healing, guidance, and the assurance that you will are always with them. Make each of us aware of the places where we can be your ambassadors, touching others with your love as we touch them with our lives.

Now, hear us as we pray the familiar but powerful prayer Jesus taught us to pray together saying,

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

NOTES

[i] Creach, Jerome F.D., Joshua, Interpretation: A Biblical Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, Westminster John Knox Press, 2003, p. 127.

[ii] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiKeYVJpPYg

[iii] Arnold, Talitha, “True Grit,” The Christian Century, October 23, 2002.