During the next seven weeks, I will be preaching a sermon series focusing on the question, “Would You Like to Be a Happier Person?” Personal happiness has been an important, trending topic over the past few years. A quick query to Amazon.com reveals over 90,000 books in its inventory focusing on happiness and how to become a happy person. Research into personal happiness has increased dramatically in psychology as well as the other social sciences. Happiness is also a prominent focus of research by neuroscientists, who are studying those areas of the brain that become active when we experience joy and happiness.
In this sermon series, I will explore the keys to true and lasting happiness from the perspective of Christian faith. In my own personal experience, Christian faith has been foundational for happiness and flourishing. My faith gives me comfort in times of trouble, opportunities to serve and make the world a better place, and meaning when confronting life’s major questions. All of these are crucial components of happiness, according to those scientists who are currently studying what makes people happy.
I will begin the series this Sunday, January 17th, by exploring what constitutes true happiness. Some of the contemporary research differentiates two distinct types of happiness. On the one hand, there is an emotional form of happiness that is temporary and fleeting. We frequently describe this happiness as “joy” and frequently associate it with laughter. This is the type of happiness that occurs when we get some really good news. For example: our favorite sports team qualifies for the play-offs or we get a raise at work or we discover that our best friend has gotten engaged. Emotional happiness makes us feel really good, but that is not what we mean when we describe someone as really and truly happy.
On
the other hand, there is a second form of happiness that refers more to the
type of life that we live. We frequently
describe this type of happiness with words, such as “flourishing” or “well-being.” This second type of happiness is
long-standing, if not actually permanent.
Even when we get bad news or suffer a personal setback, this second type
of happiness persists even though we may momentarily experience the emotions of
sadness, grief, or depression. So, when
we think about becoming a happier person, then our focus is on this second, more
permanent type of happiness. Throughout this sermon series I will call
this second type of happiness, “true happiness.”
Contemporary research into this happiness suggests that there
are several keys to "true happiness:"
1.
Ongoing personal growth
2.
Positive attitudes towards life and others
3.
Strong inter-personal relationships
4.
A bountiful gratitude for life’s gifts and
blessings
5.
A strong sense of meaning and purpose in life
6.
An ability and commitment to serving others.
7.
An ability and opportunities for making the
world a better place; that is, making a real difference in the world.
As the grounding for our
exploration of true happiness this weekend, I have selected Matthew 16: 24-26 as the foundational text for the
proclamation. In this scripture, Jesus
is meeting privately with his followers and describing what it means to be his
disciple. In our scripture, Jesus tells
them:
“If any want to
become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and
follow me. For those who want to save
their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find
it. For what will it profit them if they
gain the whole world but forfeit their life?
Or what will they give in return for their life?”
At first blush, this scriptural passage may seem to be an odd
choice for a sermon on true happiness. Afterall,
this scripture begins by talking about the need for self-denial and carrying a
heavy cross if we are to follow Jesus.
This does not sound like a lot of fun-- or a sure and certain path to happiness. Then, the passage continues
with a clear appeal to the promise of an eternal life in happiness and bliss with
Jesus. Jesus appears to be talking about our willingness to lose our life in order to gain a better life in eternity.
A core Christian belief is that Jesus offers us redemption
and salvation, so that through our faith we inherit eternal life and go to
Heaven. As he is preparing the disciples
for his looming crucifixion and death, Jesus uses the metaphor of a house: “In my Father’s house, there are many
rooms. …And I go to prepare a place for
you … so that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:
2-3) For many Christians, their
faith is essentially an investment in their future; a future of happiness and
bliss with God.
I don’t intend to argue
against this view. I do believe that the
life of faithful Christian discipleship leads to happiness and bliss in God’s
presence. But, I want to suggest
that leading the life of faithful discipleship is also the key to happiness in
this earthly life. When we look at the
seven keys to true happiness delineated above, what I find remarkable is how
closely they correlate with the characteristics of authentic Christian
discipleship.
So, I want to suggest that
there is a second, complementary way of interpreting our scripture in Matthew
16. (I believe that scripture is so rich
that sometimes there may be two complementary ways of interpretations.) In this second approach to
the passage in Matthew, we may interpret Jesus as saying that when persons
commit themselves fully, 100% to discipleship by making sacrifices and
following him, then in that process of carrying their crosses, they will
ironically find true happiness in this life.
Come, join us this
Sunday, January 17th. During my
proclamation, I will develop in more detail my claim that the seven keys to
true happiness correlate perfectly with the characteristics of Christian
discipleship. Christ United Methodist
Church is located at 4530 A Street in Lincoln, Nebraska. Our classic worship services are at 8:30 and
11:00 on Sunday mornings.
Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.
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