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If you’ve driven to the church coming north up Robb Street from
Colfax, the title for today’s sermon may sound familiar to you.
“Your Pursuit of Happiness Begins Here.” Sound familiar? Well,
the sermon title was inspired by a sign for one of the apartment
complexes down the street advertizing the benefits of living in
their apartments. “Your Pursuit of Happiness Begins Here.” As
I drove by that sign for the first time I thought, “Really?
Really…the foundation to my finding happiness begins at St.
Moritz Apartments? Really? Sounds like an idea for a sermon!”
And why not this Sunday, Easter Sunday? Let’s ask ourselves the
question, what is the foundation for your happiness? Where does
your pursuit of happiness begin? Where you live? What you do
for a living? How much money you make? Really.
Now, I’m not interested in picking on the
apartment complex. By the way, I noticed earlier this week that
the sign is down a bit and is difficult to read. For the
record—I had nothing to do with it! I’m pretty sure it was
caused by the strong winds we’ve been experiencing lately.
Driving into church today I noticed the sign was back up. But I
didn’t have anything to do with it being down because I’m really
not interested in picking on the apartment complex. At one
level I don’t blame them because they are latching on to a
driving force in our society—the pursuit of happiness—and want
to be considered in the mix. It is all around us you know.
Driving this kind of car will make you happy. Wearing these
kinds of clothes will make you happy. Being a fan of this
sports team will bring you happiness. Having the most up to
date piece of technology will make you happy. I recently got
this—a new cell phone that lets me connect to the internet and
also receive and respond to my emails. I’m told it will make me
very happy. I’m not finding that to be the case! We’re told
that eating these kinds of food will make you happy. Anyone
bought a “Happy Meal” lately? I’ll tell you who you really made
happy in doing so. McDonalds. Yes, yes, you made your kids or
your grandkids happy also…temporarily. But the food and the
cheap little toy that comes with it doesn’t sustain our
happiness very long, does it?
That’s a perfect metaphor for the pursuit
of happiness in our society today. It doesn’t last very long.
The fancy car we purchased in our pursuit of happiness breaks
down, or is wrecked in a crash, or simply gets old and we’re off
to the next thing in pursuit of happiness. The clothes get old
after a few wearings and no longer provide the happiness we
sought. So it’s off to the next replacement in our wardrobe and
the former threads of happiness end up in the coat rack as a
part of the clothing drive. Or our favorite sports team doesn’t
fare so well. Anyone deriving a lot of happiness from the
Denver Broncos lately? There’s been a lot of unhappy people on
Monday mornings in the fall! Or the apartment we rented in our
pursuit of happiness gets old, or the rent goes up, or, more
likely, is no longer big enough to hold the other “stuff” we’ve
accumulated in our pursuit of happiness, so it’s on to the next
place. Or the job begins to disappoint—the hoped for promotion
and raise didn’t come through, new bosses arrive and you find
yourself on their bad side. Our pursuit of happiness takes us
down many roads, many different starts and stops, all of which
ultimately disappoint us. Either they wear out or break, or
they don’t measure up to our expectations for happiness. All
such pathways are destined to disappoint us. Yet we continue to
pursue them.
It’s called marketing. Like Sirens
tempting the sailors of ships in Greek mythology, the marketers
tempt us with their siren songs that happiness is found in such
“things”—and we too easily give in.
The problem with Jesus is he’s not a good
marketer. He’s constantly doing some miraculous thing—the kind
of thing that could really get the people stirred up to join his
fan club—and then instructs his few followers to not tell
anyone. Or, he’s saying things like, “whoever wants to find his
life must lose it,” or, “deny yourself and take up the cross and
follow me,” or, “serve, not yourselves, but others.” What kind
of campaign slogans are those? Jesus needs a speech writer, a
spin doctor. Or, the prime example of really bad marketing—the
Sermon on the Mount when Jesus actually says, “Blessed (or
happy) are the poor in spirit, the meek, those who are
persecuted because of righteousness” and so on. Who’s lining up
to sign on for that? Yet Jesus must’ve been a charismatic
figure because crowds did begin to follow him. Some curiosity
seekers on the fringe checking it out, some caught up in all the
excitement and joining in, and some leaving everything behind to
follow him. And yet…and yet, just when this Jesus Movement is
gaining popularity—the crowds are growing, a triumphant entrance
into Jerusalem—Jesus walks into a trap, refuses to rally his
followers, refuses to even defend himself against the trumped up
charges against him (Pilate is looking for a way to release
him!), and rather meekly goes off to die the horrible death of
crucifixion, leaving his followers stunned, confused and
frightened. It’s a marketing disaster.
Unless…unless there’s a greater purpose to
all of that. Jesus, who knows his “target audience” better than
we know ourselves, knows the pathway to true happiness. What
appears disastrous on Friday and Saturday turns into glorious
victory on Sunday. This Jesus, who said about our pursuit of
material things in hope they provide us comfort and happiness,
“Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…and all
these other things will be given to you as well.” Jesus knows
where true happiness is found—in a relationship with him
I learned a long time ago the truth of this
old baseball saying—it’s a baseball saying but it applies to
everything else in life as well (which baseball often
does!)—“You’re only as good as your last at bat.” The crowd
will cheer your name when you get the big hit…but you better
produce again the next time at bat or you’re a bum. The boss
extols your work when you really come through…then threatens you
with firing when you don’t. The apartment really impresses the
people you hope to impress…until something breaks or just gets
old. The Happy Meal provides satisfaction and joy…until we’re
hungry again and the toy is broken. To a material world, you’re
only as good as your last at bat. And if you’re looking for
those things to bring you happiness, you will be sorely
disappointed.
I also learned a long time ago this truth,
which I know I’ve shared with you before but is worth repeating
again—I need to be reminded again and again of its truth. It
was at a conference about stress, that great robber of our
happiness, and while it uses the word stress in it, I think we
can just as easily substitute the word unhappiness for it.
“Stress/unhappiness occurs in our lives when we seek the fruit
of the Spirit from creation rather than from the Creator.”
The “fruit of the Spirit” reference is to Galatians 5:22, 23,
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Against such things there is no law.” Happiness is not
specifically mentioned in that list, but I would suggest to you
that the realization of those things in our lives is what leads
to happiness. Being loved makes us happy. Finding joy or peace
leads to happiness. Experiencing the kindness or goodness of
someone makes us happy. Unfortunately, the things of this world
cannot perfectly provide that. Sometimes they will. And
sometimes they won’t. You’re only as good as your last at bat.
That is true about everything in life—with one exception. Jesus
Christ. Because of his mercy, love and grace, because of his
power over all of creation—all of that made evident in his death
upon the cross for our sins and in his victorious resurrection
and victory over sin and death—because of all that, there is one
place where we find exception to the rule that we are only as
good as our last at bat. Jesus Christ.
So, you have a decision to make today. I
have a decision to make today. Each of us has a decision to
make—today and every day. Are you going to seek happiness in
creation…or are you going to seek it through the Creator? It’s
not that the things of creation are necessarily bad. Some
things are and one has no business seeking happiness from them.
But many things in creation are good. The love of a good
relationship is good. A good job and doing our best at our work
is a good thing. A nice apartment is good. Being a fan of the
Denver Broncos can be good entertainment and a nice diversion to
life. Working at those good things in creation is a good
thing. They’re just not the ultimate source of happiness. That
would be the Creator.
C.S. Lewis wrote this, “God has designed
the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our
spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were
designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just
no good asking God to make us happy without bothering about
religion. God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from
Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”
Where does your pursuit of happiness
begin? What really draws your time and attention in pursuing
happiness? Is it in the things of this world, creation? You’re
never going to find it there. I suggest to you that your
pursuit of happiness begins here—in a cross, and empty tomb, and
a resurrected, living Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. |
