Riddle for Sunday Aug 19

What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion? Answer? Listen to the Sermon.

On Happiness

Monday's Adult VBS section was on Jesus and happiness. If you are interested in listening to a fascinating lecture on the subject by Peter Kreeft you can find it here.

When Jesus said "blessed are the poor" was it because he thought poverty was a good thing? When Paul said "slaves be subject to your masters as to the Lord" was it because he thought slavery was a dandy idea?

I think Jesus was telling us that unless we can see ourselves as blessed when we are poor, hungry, reviled, persecuted, defeated, maligned, excluded and abused, we also won’t be able to see ourselves as blessed when we are wealthy, overweight, affirmed, coddled, victorious, acclaimed, included and adored.

We discussed the difference between happiness and blessedness. Happiness is an internal, subjective emotional state that tends to be fleeting. We usually attempt to produce this state by attempting to exercise control of our environment and relationships to produce this satisfaction. As often as not the result is frustration, the opposite of happiness or satisfaction.

Blessedness is a more objective state of being, one not dependent necessarily upon good fortune or a pleasant situation. This is why Jesus can say the things he did in the Beatitudes. We noted the irony that is often the case that we don’t actually begin to experience blessedness (which itself can evoke happiness, gratitude and joy) until the doors are closed on the usual pathways by which we pursue happiness. It seems the compulsive obsession in which we most often pursue happiness and the cycle of anticipation, excitement, boredom and frustration that generally ensues bars our vision of blessedness. For these reason Jesus announces blessedness for the most unlikely categories and situations in people’s lives.

The gospel enters here when we realize that what in fact Jesus said and brought was pure blessedness. The good news was that in fact blessedness had arrived and the breaking of the power of sin and death had begun. The irony of ironies was that the cross, an instrument of torturous execution and political violence now became the spiritual means of blessedness to the world.

Earl Marlink concluded with a citation to Philippians 4:4-7.

Vacation Bible School this week