"Slippery Slope" | The Rev. Heidi Thorsen | February 12, 2023
Sermon Preached: Sunday, February 12, 2023 at Trinity on the Green
Epiphany 6, Year A: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 | 1 Cor. 3:1-9 | Matthew 5:21-37 | Psalm 119:1-8
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be pleasing to you, O God, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
I would like to begin today by reading you a story– or at least, the beginning of a story. It goes like this:
If you give a mouse a cookie,
He’s going to ask for a glass of milk.
When you give him the milk,
He’ll probably ask you for a straw.
When he’s finished, he’ll ask for a napkin.
Then he’ll want to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn’t have a milk mustache.
When he looks into the mirror,
He might notice his hair needs a trim.
So he’ll probably ask for a pair of nail scissors.
The story goes on from here in a somewhat predictable way. The mouse makes a mess when giving himself a haircut– so he asks for a broom. The broom leads to sweeping, the sweeping leads to mopping, the mopping makes him tired so he wants to take a nap– and that leads to a whole other list of things that the mouse requires! And so on, and so forth.
This is the beginning of the classic children’s book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. The book has been translated into more than thirteen languages since it was first published in 1985, and has inspired seventeen sequels with titles such as If You Give a Moose a Muffin, and If You Give a Pig a Pancake. Each of these books illustrate what is known as a slippery slope– a sequence of events in which one thing leads to another, resulting in a series of unintended consequences. The small initial event (giving a mouse a cookie) snowballs into something much, much larger.
Today’s gospel passage, the verses we just heard from the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, reads a bit like a grim, moralistic version of this children’s book. Instead of the words, “if you give a mouse a cookie…” We get these lovely verses:
“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away…”
“If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away…”
Jesus’ teaching in these verses is another prime example of a slippery slope. In several different examples, Jesus draws a connection between one seemingly insignificant thing and another, very serious thing.
If you are angry with a brother or sister, it is as if you have committed murder– Jesus seems to say.
If you have looked at another person with lust, it is as if you have committed adultery.
If you divorce your partner and marry another, that too is adultery, Jesus seems to say.
These phrases might sound like hyperbole; like an exaggeration– and in fact, I think they are. I don’t think that Jesus is literally telling people to cut off their arm, or gouge out their eye. And, by extension, I don’t think that Jesus is literally saying that all people who divorce and remarry are committing adultery– even though Christians have, at times, interpreted these passages in very literal, very hurtful ways.
Jesus uses these hyperboles to make a point– to drive home the idea that every action we take is significant. Every action has ripples of consequences. As followers of Christ, we aren’t just responsible for the big ticket commandments - things like “thou shalt not murder,” or “thou shalt not steal.” We are also responsible for our everyday actions. We are responsible for resolving conflicts with our brothers, sisters, and neighbors on the street. We are responsible for being kind. We are responsible for checking our anger when it does more harm than help. Each of these actions adds up over time. And each of these actions has the potential to steer us in a slightly different direction– towards God’s love and grace; or perhaps, away from it.
Every action we take makes a difference. And this, at times, can feel overwhelming. I know that I can get caught up in the most mundane decisions. Things like: which brand of ketchup should I buy at the grocery store? What TV show should I watch in the evening? Which of my five almost identical black clergy shirts should I wear today? Add these seemingly small, insignificant decisions to the slippery slope idea and– bam!– suddenly life feels like a fragile, volatile place where every little action we take will affect our lives forever.
Maybe in some logical way that is true, but practically speaking that isn’t the point. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is not a reason to stress about every single decision in our lives. Instead, it is an invitation to be intentional. It is an invitation to know ourselves, and our values; to know who we are and who God is calling us to be– so that we can act according to the best version of ourselves every day of our lives. We can cultivate goodness in the small things. We can steer our lives towards the kingdom of God bit by bit, degree by degree, cookie by cookie. And as we practice this holiness in the everyday, we gain the muscles that we need to make wise and kind decisions in the bigger moments, too.
“Choose life,” Moses says, in his address to the People of Israel in today’s reading from the Book of Deuteronomy. “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days.” This is how I choose life today: by being as intentional as I can in my everyday living. By recognizing that seemingly insignificant things, like whether I walk by someone on the corner asking for money, or how I interact with someone in line in the grocery store, or whether I pause in the middle of the day to pray and center myself – these things make a difference. Be intentional. Be present to the moment, and the world around you. Live your life with a deep awareness of who you are, and who God is calling you to be.
Returning to our Gospel passage, Jesus says, “Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” When I hear these words, again, I hear intentionality. I hear the importance of the everyday decisions that we make, with words like ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ And I also hear a loud, resounding affirmation that sometimes no is the best answer.
Sometimes “no” is the best answer in relationships that are no longer healthy and life-giving (and I say that with intention this morning, for all those who have gone through a divorce and it was the right thing for you).
Sometimes “no” is the best answer when someone asks you to do a really good thing, like volunteer, or serve on a committee, but what you really need in that moment is time to rest, and recharge.
Sometimes “no” is the best answer when you are confronted by someone on the Green asking for money– because you don’t have cash, or because you can’t give more every single time. But if no is the answer, let your “No” be “No,” and look them in the eye when you say it. Acknowledge that person with all the dignity and concern that they deserve.
Sometimes “no” is the right answer.
And on the other hand, sometimes the answer is yes.
Yes to relationships that help us grow and live more fully, including those second chance relationships after a separation or divorce. Yes to volunteering and committees, in those instances where our talents and unique perspective can be used to serve the common good. Yes to giving generously whenever we can, because none of us would be where we are today without the help of someone else.
Let your “No” be “No;” and your “Yes” be “Yes”–and stand firm in your convictions. Know who you are, and who God is calling you to be. Know that every act of everyday holiness matters.
If you give a mouse a cookie,
He’s going to ask for a glass of milk.
When you give him the milk,
He’ll probably ask you for a straw.
When you said “yes” to God, what happened next? Did your life change in an instant? Maybe not. But maybe it changed in small ways. Maybe one thing led to another, led to another, let to another. Maybe your life changed in everyday actions and attitudes. Maybe your life is still changing, even today.
I hope that it is. Because Christianity itself is a slippery slope– it is a slippery slope in the best way. If we follow Jesus Christ, we will grow. We will change. We can’t know in this moment all that God has in store for us in the future. But we can trust that God is good. And we can trust that the way of Jesus is the way of life abundant. Choose life - and let the story begin. Amen.
Works Cited:
Numeroff, Laura Joffe, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1985).