A Sermon for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
The Rev. Patricia Gillespie

Psalm 145
Zechariah 9:9-12
Romans 7:21-8:6
Matthew 11:25-30

"You have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants."

God's message, it seems, is simple. So simple that children understand it better than intelligent adults. After all, when God wanted to tell us about Godself, God didn't write a PhD dissertation, God sent a baby. And even when that baby grew up, Jesus preferred to speak of God with simple stories instead of complex lectures. The good news, it seems, is simple. As simple as a child's story. So, relax, and listen as a child:

"Cookies" by Arnold Lobel Toad baked some cookies. "These cookies smell very good," said Toad. He ate one. "And they taste even better," he said. Toad ran to Frog's house. "Frog, Frog," cried Toad, "taste these cookies that I have made." Frog ate one of the cookies. "These are the best cookies I have ever eaten!" said Frog. Frog and Toad ate many cookies, one after another. "You know, Toad," said Frog, with his mouth full, "I think we should stop eating. We will soon be sick." "You are right," said Toad. "Let us eat one last cookie, and then we will stop." Frog and Toad ate one last cookie. There were many cookies left in the bowl. "Frog," said Toad, "let us eat one very last cookie, and then we will stop." Frog and Toad at one very last cookie. "We must stop eating!" cried Toad as he ate another. "Yes," said Frog, reaching for a cookie, "we need will power." "What is will power?" asked Toad. "Will power is trying hard not to do something that you really want to do," said Frog. "You mean like trying not to eat all of these cookies?" asked Toad. "Right," said Frog. Frog put the cookies in a box. "There," he said. "Now we will not eat any more cookies." "But we can open the box," said Toad. "That is true," said Frog. Frog tied some string around the box. "There," he said. "Now we will not eat any more cookies." "But we can cut the string and open the box," said Toad. "That is true," said Frog. Frog got a ladder. He put the box up on a high shelf. "There," said Frog. "Now we will not eat any more cookies." "But we can climb the ladder and take the box down from the shelf and cut the string and open the box," said Toad. "That is true," said Frog. Frog climbed the ladder and took the box down from the shelf. He cut the string and opened the box. Frog took the box outside. He shouted in a loud voice, "HEY BIRDS, HERE ARE COOKIES!" Birds came from everywhere. They picked up all the cookies in their beaks and flew away. "Now we have no more cookies to eat," said Toad sadly. "Not even one." "Yes," said Frog, but we have lots and lots of will power." "You may keep it all, Frog," said Toad. "I am going home now to bake a cake."

"I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand." The Apostle Paul is not saying "The devil made me do it." He's not blaming his equivalent of eating too many cookies on some kind of external evil. Paul is simply expressing common human experience: When we know in our heart what is right, but we do just the opposite. Most of us can say, "Been there. Done that." A very common human experience, indeed.

But Paul is doing something more than expressing a familiar human experience. Paul's message is not about human behavior, but about what God has done in Christ. Although we may learn much about ourselves in the Bible, the Bible is not about us, but about God.

Paul is telling us the good news that no matter how many batches of temptations we cook up, and even give in to, whenever we are ready to let them go, God swoops down like a flock of birds and carries them off. Our own will power is never enough. Like Toad, we may just make more trouble. But when we are ready to let go of the burden, we hear "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest ...." For us there really is no condemnation. We have been given forgiveness and grace, life and peace. In Christ, Scripture tells us, we have been set free from the law of sin and death,

In our baptism we find true freedom, new life, and peace. Our baptism is our true Independence Day. Remember and celebrate it!

"Cookies" is from "Frog and Toad Together" by Arnold Lobel (HarperTrophy, 1971). Click on the picture of the book for ordering information. The illustrations are superb and the other stories are wonderful. Story is used here as an excerpt for review.