Matthew 11:25-30

-July 4, 1999 -

Jesus is in Galilee. As we have noted over the past three weeks, he is with the ordinary people. As he looks out upon them, he sees that they are harassed people, helpless people, sheep-without-a-shepherd people. He has compassion upon them and envisions them as those upon whom God wants to bestow his kingdom. He prays for workers to go and help them receive this endowment. And then he says something beautiful:

Jesus is referring, of course, to that wooden device used to link two oxen together so they can borrow strength from each other and be more effective. In this case, however, the yoke Jesus wants us to accept is his yoke. What an interesting description - his yoke. You see, the yoking of two animals is not only to increase their output, but also to provide the opportunity for a younger animal to learn the rhythms of work from one who has much more experience. The yoke belongs to the more mature ox, and in being strapped into his yoke, a younger animal learns the ropes of productivity.

Its like former president George Bush making that parachute jump a few weeks ago. At 72 years of age, the man jumped out of an airplane at 12,500 feet! Barbara Bush joked that she hadn't seen a freefall like that since the 1992 election. Of course, President Bush was yoked to a more experienced skydiver, and I'd say that's probably the best way to learn something new.

Similarly, Jesus invites you and me to take his yoke. He wants us to be joined with him not only so we can draw from his strength, but also so we can learn from his experience. So he can teach us the moves necessary to receive God's endowment of new life. And so Jesus invites us to a yoked relationship in which he can teach us how to live - how to achieve true success, how to overcome adversity, how to build healthy relationships. When we become yoked to Christ, he will teach us how to heal things that are broken, how to conquer evil with good, how to lead others to God, how to become happy, how to pray, how to forgive, how to make the world a better place!

To be yoked to Christ is to become apprenticed to the smartest man who ever lived, and to the only one in history whose life was so powerful that he even overcame death. No one else could be a better skydiver to whom we might yoke our selves and so discover this incredible endowment of life God wants us to have.

Now this morning, I want to talk about a dimension of this divine endowment that we sometimes take for granted. It is described in one of the most beautiful documents ever written. It reads like this:

These are the rallying words of The Declaration of Independence whose signing on July 4^th, 1776 marked the birth of our nation and the genesis of the holiday we celebrate today. And they are remarkable words. Words which, at their heart, provide an insight into the very essence of America.

When we say "God bless America!" what do we mean? When we "…pledge allegiance to the flag…" what are we doing? When we join with Lee Greenwood and sing, "I'm proud to be an American…" what are we subscribing to?

What is America?

Perhaps it would help us answer this question by first thinking about what America is not.

Surely America is not simply a prime piece of real estate carved out of the North American continent. Although we have a beautiful land, it is not contained within continental borders, but extends across national boundaries to places like Alaska, and even across oceans to paradises like Hawaii, and perhaps in the not-too-distant future, to Puerto Rico. America is not a fixed geographical location, but has a fluidity about it.

Similarly, neither is America a particular collection of states. On July the 4^th, 1776, there were only thirteen colonies comprising the new nation. By the time most of us were born, 35 other states had joined their ranks. And since then, two more states have been added. America is not simply a finite number of regional territories banded together for the common good. America is more like a rubber band - always stretching to welcome any who will come and join.

America is not a piece of land, not a collection of states. Neither is America a government.

In fact, one of the basic premises of The Declaration is that governments are simply the tools of human beings to help them achieve their highest, God-given destiny. When governments interfere with this pursuit, according to the authors, the governed have the right to cast it off and form another.

So if America is not a land, and if America is not a group of interdependent states, and if America is not a particular government, then what is America?

I think I would say that America - at its core - is a divine endowment.

America is a shining belief - an awesome conviction - that people matter, and because they matter, God grants them gifts of life.

And these gifts flow not from worldly institutions, but from a Power higher than ourselves. And these divine rights are ours whether we are Christians or Muslims, agnostics or atheists, members of the Christian Coalition or the People For The American Way. They are ours not because we have faith or don't have faith, not because we have wealth or don't have wealth, not because we have pulled ourselves up by our own bootstraps or have needed to depend upon public welfare to survive. These divine rights are ours as a gracious endowment bestowed upon us by God!

And this endowment consists of three vital gifts:

First, the gift of equal creation. All are created equal.

Second, the Creator has given us certain rights that cannot be revoked by other people, institutions or governments. They are rights endowed by God.

And third, among these rights are - the gift of life…the gift of liberty…the gift of pursuing happiness.

These three gifts are the divine endowment we describe as America.

I believe that one of the most important questions that can be asked in our national life today is "How can we extend and open this divine endowment to all who call America their home?" And it is a crucial question today because not everyone in our land experiences equality. Try being a black male like Ricky Byrdsong, gunned down while jogging with his children in a suburb of Chicago. Try being a woman in the corporate workplace. Or a handicapped person. Or a native American. Or poor. And there are some whose unalienable rights have, in fact, been taken away. They are not given full access to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Think about abused children. Crime victims. People who are denied employment or housing or health care or protection under the law because they are different from others. Think about kids growing up under the threat of AIDS, or violence in the schools.

The American endowment is intended for everyone, but not everyone is able to enjoy it.

And you and I - both as Americans and as Christians - have a responsibility to do something about it.

Do you remember that scene in Galilee? Jesus is looking out upon those denied the endowment of God. He sees them as harassed people, helpless people, sheep-without-a-shepherd people. He has compassion upon them. And then he opens wide his arms and declares, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest"

I believe that Christians must open our arms to those denied the gifts of God.

The brightest scenes in our land today are those in which people like you and me open their arms and offer themselves as a yoke linking others to the American dream. The most beautiful moments are when people like us seek out and connect ourselves to those who do not experience the full wonder of America. When people like us let the poor and the weak and the disenfranchised and the downtrodden have the opportunity to strap themselves to us and let us add our strength and experience to their lives.

One of my most wonderful childhood memories is of my mother helping me learn to write. In the day when my brain and my hand could not quite get things together, my mother's warm hand would often come over mine, and her gently guiding movements would help me write my name.

Later in childhood, a black family moved into an apartment next to our church. The neighbors were very angry and did their best to drive them out. I remember another hand coming over mine - actually two. My mother and father gently led my sister, brother and I over to the place where these people lived. We kids carried a housewarming gift and we all brought a pledge of friendship.

Throughout the course of my life, I have been taught the power of the yoking principle in which people share strength with one another, and guide the way to something better.

And I believe this is what people today need from us. Not criticism. Not mournful admonition of what's wrong. Not accusations of being less than how people used to be.

But what is needed today is for there to be some persons who are willing to stand up with Jesus. Willing to see those who can't reach the endowment of God as harassed people, helpless people, sheep-without-a-shepherd people. Willing to spread wide their arms like Jesus and say, "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy burdened. I will give you rest."

The greatest need in our land today is for outstretched and loving hands yoking people to the God-given gift of America.

Dear friends, I ask you today, to let your hands be among them!