Towards a "Green" Happiness

I should probably begin this blog with a confession. 

This weekend (October 12th and 13th), I am focusing on “green” or environmental happiness, as part of my proclamation series on becoming happier persons.  Now, in preparing for this sermon series, I dived into all of the contemporary literature on happiness, including the many empirical surveys conducted by various researchers.  Although there is not perfect agreement among all of the researchers, there is a broad consensus that the following components are essential for authentic, lasting happiness:

Ø  Personal Growth

Ø  Positive Attitudes

Ø  Strong Inter-Personal Relationships

Ø  A Sense of Gratitude

Ø  A Strong Sense of Meaning and a Commitment to Something Greater than Ourselves  (For Christians, this component is fulfilled through our faith and commitment to following Jesus.)

Ø  Serving Others & Working to Heal Brokenness in the World.

For the most part, I have focused this series of proclamations around these six, empirically-verified components of happiness.  Please note that “green happiness” is not part of the consensus list of core components. 

            So, why did “green happiness” not make the list of essential components?  Could it be that enjoying nature and working to care for the environment is not important for happiness? 

I don’t think so; I believe that having a healthy relationship with Creation all around us is an essential ingredient for a life of flourishing and happiness.  Instead, I think this omission is primarily because psychologists and other researchers have not yet really studied the role that the environment plays in our happiness.  A significant exception might be Catherine O’Brien, an Associate Professor of Education at Cape Breton University in Canada.  Dr. O’Brien has developed a very interesting concept of “sustainable happiness.”  (See her website at:  http://sustainablehappiness.ca/ )  As psychologists, sociologists, and others continue their research into what give us happiness, I believe that more and more will begin adding a “green” component.

So, here’s my confession:  Even though it is not yet recognized as one of the essential components of a happy and flourishing life, I decided to include a message on “enjoying nature and working to care for it” as part of this series on becoming happier persons.  I decided to add it for three reasons:

First, I believe God intended for there to be a “green” component to human happiness.  The scriptural text for this weekend is Genesis 2: 4b-9.  The Bible contains two distinct creation stories in the first two chapters of Genesis.  Even though Biblical scholars tell us that this story is chronologically older, it is less familiar that the other creation story in which God creates the world in six days (see Genesis 1).  Instead, in this story, God “formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,” (verse 7).  The name of this first person was Adam; his wife, Eve, was created a few verses later.

We can imagine that when God created Adam, God was so excited about this first human person and that God immediately loved Adam.  God wanted to give Adam a gift, to show God’s love and excitement.  Think of it as God’s “baby shower” for Adam.  So God next created a gift for Adam.  Here’s how Genesis describes that gift in verse 8, “And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed.”  In the Genesis story, the Garden of Eden represents all of God’s good Creation.  In other words, God gave us all of Creation, but not to dominate and abuse as we like.  No. Instead, God created all of Creation in order for us to enjoy and to flourish.  God intended for the enjoyment of Creation to be one of the essential components of happiness.

A second reason for this particular sermon is my own practical experience.  Ever since I was a little boy, playing in my Grandfather’s woodland, I have found that time with nature is an essential component for my happiness.  For me, nature is a core ingredient for happiness.  This engagement with nature does not always have to be some rugged, “mountain-man” immersion into the wild.  By engagement with nature, I also mean spending time with pets, or caring for a house plant, or simply sitting by the window and drinking in the beauty of a winter’s snow storm.  All of these possibilities are avenues for including the enjoyment of Creation as an essential component of happiness.

Finally, the third reason, for this particular message is simply my local congregation’s decision earlier this year to become a green, sustainable church.  When the Administrative Council made this commitment, it was with the understanding that we would have to “live into” this new way of “being church.”  I added this sermon because I believe that “living into” this new commitment should certainly be something that we do when we worship, as well as when we conduct our financial and administrative business.

So, this weekend, I am going to invite all of us to reflect on how “enjoying nature and working to care for it” contributes something important and unique to our genuine happiness and flourishing.  If you live in the Meriden-area and do not have a regular church home, I invite you to join us this weekend, to see how this message works out, as we explore becoming happier persons.  Meriden United Methodist Church is located at the corner of Dawson and Main Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  We have two worship services each weekend:

Ø  Our contemporary service starts at 6 pm on Saturday evenings.

Ø  Our classic service starts on at 10 am on Sunday mornings.

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all!