Any parent will tell you that a sure fire invitation for a child to do something you don’t want them to do, is to tell them not to do it. It is a dare. “I can’t do something? Just watch me.” They don’t trust you that you are right. Unfortunately, if you were to try to get around that by telling them to do something you don’t want them to do, they’ll have the uncanny sense that you are trying to pull a fast one on them, so they’ll do whatever it is anyway.
Daring is something that is part of growing up. Since the perimeter guard of Halloween jack-o-lanterns has been overrun, sending the Thanksgiving turkey into full retreat because of the full-scale attack of Christmas on the calendar, I will not apologize for starting this sermon with some dialogue from “A Christmas Story.” It is the story of Ralphie growing up in Cleveland in the 1940s who has to convince his parents, his teacher, and Santa that the perfect Christmas gift for him is an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle. Here’s the scene: He and his classmates Flick and Schwartz are outside the school on a cold day.
Flick: Are you kidding? Stick my tongue to that stupid pole? That’s dumb!
Schwartz: That’s ’cause you know it’ll stick!
Flick: You’re full of it!
Schwartz: Oh yeah?
Flick: Yeah!
Schwartz: Well I double-DOG-dare ya!
Ralphie as Adult: [narrating]
NOW it was serious. A double-dog-dare. What else was there but a “triple dare you”? And then, the coup de grace of all dares, the sinister triple-dog-dare.Schwartz: I TRIPLE-dog-dare ya!
Ralphie as Adult: [narrating]
Schwartz created a slight breach of etiquette by skipping the triple dare and going right for the throat!The triple-dog-dare is infamous for the sole reason that you cannot back down from it—without exception! An issued triple-dog-dare has no counteraction and must be carried out.
While the scene from the end of the Joshua narrative is not couched in pre-adolescent playground language, I would suggest to you that the tenor of the conversation between Joshua and Israelites rises to the triple-dog-dare level.
The Israelites are at a new juncture in their communal life. For forty years Moses had led, guided, prodded them through the wilderness until they were ready to enter the promised land. Then Moses anointed Joshua as his successor to take the people into Canaan. The bulk of the Book of Joshua is not for the faint-hearted. It is the record of bloody invasion and expropriation of the land. That apparently lasts about twenty-five years, the best we can figure. Most of the hard work is done, although the next books in the history of God’s activity with the people show how tenuous the taking of Canaan was. Now it is time for Joshua to cede his authority. For the next period of time, there is no single compelling charismatic leader for the people. As need arises to make some decision or to quell some uprising with the neighboring people, leaders – judges – appear and disappear. They, along with the priests, are supposed to be the representatives of God in and for the people.
So at the seam of this change in leadership style, Joshua sets the people down, reminds them of their history, and sets the stage for the future. The people have to make a decision. Will they serve God? Or the gods of beyond the Euphrates or of Egypt? Or the gods of the Canaanite peoples left in their midst? At the dare level, Joshua says that he and his extended family will serve God.
And all the people say, “Me too.” There is a lot of pressure here. The spiritual/political leader who is stepping down has declared which option he and his family will take. What can the people say, except “me too”? We all have been in decision-point situations when it seemed best to say what the speaker wanted to hear. The head of the company makes a statement about where she is going to lead the company and asks who is with her. All the people around her become “yes-people” even though they have questions or grave doubts about the decision. The easy course of action is simply to say “yes.”
Joshua is not a dumb leader. He knew what was happening. So he cranks the covenant process up a notch. He double dares them: “You can’t serve the Lord, because he is a holy God, a jealous God. He won’t forgive your rebellion and your sins.” And the people accept the dare, “No! The Lord is the one we will serve.”
Joshua doesn’t want a bunch of “yes-Israelites” claiming they will serve God but quickly leaving God behind. “You are witnesses,” he said. That’s the triple-dog-dare the people can’t back down from. “Yes, we are witnesses.”
And they are witnesses—witnesses to their quick failure to do the very thing that they promised.
In spite of the triple-dog-dare, they fail. They are no wiser than the foolish bridesmaids who were delighted to be part of the wedding celebration but failed to think far enough ahead to bring oil to keep their lamps burning.
Joshua would have been disappointed but would probably nonetheless have been happier if the people had said “no.” At least there would have been a sincere realization that they couldn’t do what was expected them if they said “yes.”
For all practical purposes, Jesus triple-dog-dares us to be his followers, to do the ministry he did and which he entrusted to those who would come after him. We are quick to say “yes,” not fully thinking about what that means. We want in on the party, the celebration, the kingdom. But like the some of the bridesmaids we are ill-prepared for the task. We don’t have the resources. We can’t do it on our own. Just as Flick (and how many other rash kids) couldn’t get his tongue unstuck from the cold flagpole, we can’t get unstuck from the lack of follow-through needed to fully accomplish what Jesus has called us to do.
What the Israelites failed to understand is that they couldn’t do it by themselves, even though they tried time and again. And we have had our moments – perhaps more then we are willing to publicly admit – when we failed to fully understand what was required of us as the body of Christ for the world today.
Jesus’ triple-dog-dare to us isn’t about doing his work – and failing. It is about daring to put ourselves into Jesus’ hands so that it is not our imperfect efforts bringing misadventure, but his Spirit working in us moving us towards the full completion of the work he has given us. Jesus’ triple-dog-dare is to give up the pretense that we are powerful and invincible. He triple-dog-dares us to rely on him. That’s not a dare you can back down from. Is it a dare you can take up? Don’t say “yes” unless you accept all the conditions. It will change your life.
Amen.
Unless noted otherwise, all scripture references are from The Common English Bible, © 2011 www.commonenglishbible.com.
Copyright 2014 First Presbyterian Church of Waverly, Ohio. Reprinted by permission.
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