The
\noriginal meaning of the word \u201cbelieve\u201d didn’t have anything to do
\nwith what we think or what we mentally affirm. \u00a0It had to do what
\nwhat we \u201cbelove\u201d – how we act. \u00a0We’re looking at beliefs right
\nnow, for the purpose of considering what we belove, and to check and
\nsee if our lives are lined up with what we belove.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We
\nare comparing three different believe systems: Moralistic Therapeutic
\nDeism, the Christian Right, and \u201cJesus Following\u201d. \u00a0Moralistic
\nTherapeutic Deism was identified by sociologist through a large
\nresearch project with US teens, and is the actual belief system of
\nmost teens, despite any religious tradition they claim. \u00a0Furthermore,
\nas teens are most heavily influenced by their parents when it comes
\nto faith, we have reason to believe that a rather large segment of
\nthe population actually believes \u201cMoralistic Therapeutic Deism.\u201d
\nSo, we are looking at it, and finding where it does and doesn’t match
\nour actual faith tradition.<\/p>\n
\u201cMoralistic
\nTherapeutic Deism\u201d has 5 salient points.<\/p>\n
This
\nweek we are going to take a closer look at the third of the them:
\n“The
\ncentral goal of life is to be happy and to feel
\ngood about oneself.” \u00a0For me, at least, this is a complicated
\nstatement. \u00a0I don’t disagree. \u00a0However, before you get your hopes up
\nfor a really short sermon, I don’t actually agree either. \u00a0I have no
\nobjection to happiness or feeling good about yourself \u2013 I’m all for
\nthat – but I still think it falls short as the CENTRAL goal of life.
\nSo, \u00a0YES, we are meant to be happy and it is great when we can feel
\ngood about ourselves BUT….<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nAnd
\nthe BUT has three parts. \u00a0We’re gonna take two of them together. \u00a0So
\nfirst,… BUT we don’t really know how to seek our own happiness and
\nactually find it! And, secondly, \u2026 BUT we are not called to be so
\nindividualistic. \u00a0We are meant to increase joy in the world, yes, and
\nto increase the ways that people notice goodness and God-ness in
\nthemselves, but not JUST for ourselves \u2013 for each other! \u00a0More
\ninterestingly, most studies suggest that the best way to make
\nyourself happy is to bring joy to others. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nIn
\none of those studies, they gave people money with instructions.
\nThose told to spend it on themselves did, and those told to spend it
\non others did. \u00a0And who was happier the next day? \u00a0Those who spent
\nthe money on others. \u00a0The boost in their joy was bigger and longer
\nlasting \u2013 having given someone ELSE a gift. \u00a0They tried it with
\nvarious amounts of money, in a few countries, under different
\nscenarios, and it held. \u00a0Further, they also found that if people were
\ngiven money and instructed to spend it on a team member, the success
\nrates of the whole team when up! \u00a0(True of sports teams and business
\nteams.)<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nStudies
\nalso say that the happiness of our friends friends friends impacts
\nour own! \u00a0We are social animals, impacted deeply by one another, and
\nthe best way to increase our own happiness is to increase the
\nhappiness of others. \u00a0On the converse, self-indugence doesn’t \u00a0bring
\nhappiness. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nIf
\nyou want to increase your happiness, spend more time with people you
\nlove \u2013 engaging with them \u2013 and bringing them joy. \u00a0These two
\nobjections really end up being similar. \u00a0We are called as Christians
\nto seek goodness together, and that’s how it really works.
\nOther studies also point out that when we are doing the work we love
\nbest we are profoundly happy. \u00a0This suggests a way of understanding
\nour roles in the world as our calls by God. \u00a0Amazingly though, that
\nhappiness that we have when we lose ourselves in a task we love \u2013
\nwe all tend to describe it as a way of NOT being in ourselves. \u00a0There
\nis something to giving ourselves away that is deeply related to
\nhappiness.<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nI
\nchose two scriptures this week to offer the Christian perspective on
\nhappiness, mostly because either of them individually seemed
\nincomplete. \u00a0The Gospel is the Sermon on the Mount, the beatitudes,
\nthe \u201cblessed are they…\u201d which are sometimes actually translated
\n\u201chappy are they….\u201d or could be translated \u201cfortunate are
\nthey…\u201d but the blessing or the happiness are definitely NOT the
\nassumed ones. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nThe
\nbeatitudes don’t say blessed are the rich because they can buy what
\nthey want or blessed are the young because they don’t have aches and
\npains or blessed are the aged because they have enough wisdom or….
\nor anything like that! \u00a0They say, blessed are the peacemakers,
\nblessed are the humble, blessed are those who mourn! \u00a0The beatitudes
\nturn upside the idea of who is lucky, and with whom God’s presence is
\nfound, but they can be read, easily, as a means of social happiness.
\nThis fits with the Gospel message itself.<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nLet’s
\nlook at them: \u00a0Blessed are the:<\/p>\n
\n\n…the
\npoor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (5:3) \u2013 those
\nwho do not seek wealth for themselves, or well-being for themselves,
\nbut for others.<\/p>\n\n…those
\nwho mourn: for they will be comforted. (5:4) \u2013 those who have
\nloved.<\/p>\n\n…the
\nmeek: for they shall inherit the earth. (5:5) \u2013 those who let
\nothers get what they need.<\/p>\n\n…those
\nwho hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be satisfied.
\n(5:6) \u2013 those who care for the needs of others<\/p>\n\t…the
\nmerciful: for they will be shown mercy. (5:7) \u2013 those who are
\nmerciful and kind to \tothers<\/p>\n\n\u2026the
\npure in heart: for they shall see God. (5:8) \u2013 those who love with
\npurity.<\/p>\n\t…the
\npeacemakers: for they shall be called children of God. (5:9) \u2013
\nthose who bring \twholeness to others\n<\/p>\n\t…those
\nwho are persecuted for the sake of righteousness: for theirs is the
\nkingdom of \theaven. (5:10) \u2013 those who believe enough to be willing
\nto take on pain for others<\/p>\n\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nWho
\nare the happy? \u00a0The blessed? \u00a0The fortunate? \u00a0The ones in deep and
\nwonderful relationships with others \u2013 the ones giving themselves
\naway to others. The ones whose lives intersect. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The
\nsecond scripture is a vision of the completion of the kingdom of God
\non earth, the coming of God’s spirit to dwell with the people, in a
\ntime without death or pain or sorrow. \u00a0Its the ultimate \u201chappiness\u201d
\nand its for the people as a whole. \u00a0Its the goal toward which we aim,
\nas Christians, the completion of the kindom of God.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Which
\ngets us to the third objection. \u00a0YES,
\nwe are meant to be happy and it is great when we can feel good about
\nourselves BUT….it is not the central point. \u00a0The central point is
\nbuilding the kindom of God. \u00a0Because I believe these two things are
\nthe same thing expressed in different ways, I can also say, the
\ncentral point is sanctification \u2013 creating space for the process of
\ngrowing in love for God, self, and others. \u00a0Our Jesus-following
\ntradition says that sanctification is a gift from God, but there are
\nknown \u201cmeans of grace\u201d that are likely to open ourselves to the
\nprocess.<\/p>\n\n<\/p>\n
\nI
\nthink joy is a means of grace, and hope that people take their joy as
\na source of wisdom about their particular roles in the world. \u00a0I
\nthink God wants us to be joyful both because God loves us AND because
\neach instance of joy in the world is a blessing to others and
\nincreases the wholeness of joy. \u00a0But in the end I agree with the
\noften shared (and regularly misattributed) quote , \u201cThe meaning of
\nlife is to find your gift. \u00a0The purpose of life is to give it away.\u201d
\n Yes, this bring joy and happiness, but it also blesses the world.
\nAnd, dear ones, we are blessed TO BE blessings. \u00a0Not just so we’re
\nhappy while others \u2026 aren’t!!<\/p>\n\n<\/p>\n
\nThus
\nfar I’ve left the Christian-Right out of this conversation. \u00a0I’ve
\nargued only with the Moralistic Therapeutic Deism perspective, and
\nshared from the Jesus-follower one. \u00a0In this case the Christian-Right
\nperspective is radically different from both. \u00a0Within the
\nChristian-Right, suffering is seen as redemptive. \u00a0This one has bled
\ninto mainstream Christianity in ways I’ve often worried about. \u00a0In
\nother churches I’ve served there has been an innate fear of too much
\npleasure, as if it is unholy to enjoy the goodness of life. \u00a0But in
\nthe Christian-Right this goes deeper, suffering is assumed to be a
\npunishment from God, a \u201cgift\u201d in the form of a lesson to be
\nlearned, a way of knowing that one needs to seek forgiveness from
\nGod. \u00a0I’m told, however, that this assumption is sometimes biased:
\nother people’s suffering is thought to be good for them, but in one’s
\nown life the goal is to be blessed through righteousness rather than
\nsuffering. \u00a0The idea that the righteous are blessed directly and the
\nunrighteous are blessed through correction is inherent in this
\nperspective.<\/p>\n\n<\/p>\n
\nThe
\npart of this that REALLY concerns me is that if suffering seen as
\nredemptive, the desire to lift people out of oppression is hindered.
\nYou see, if suffering is \u2026 necessary… then there isn’t a reason
\nto worry about people in poverty, or about people being mistreated by
\nemployers, or about people being abused…. because their suffering
\nbrings them closer to God’s desires for them so it is \u2026 sort of
\nanyway… good. \u00a0And, since the Christian-right is focused on
\nafterlife, the idea is often presented that suffering in this life
\nwill be rewarded in the next… another motivation to allow the
\nsuffering of people or groups.<\/p>\n\n<\/p>\n
\nNow,
\nI’m not entirely sure that the Jesus-following movement has a
\nfantastic theology of suffering. \u00a0We tend to do one of two things:
\nignore it and hope it goes away, or fight against suffering as
\noppression as hard as we can. \u00a0While the latter is something I value
\nin our believe\/belove system, there ARE some sufferings of life that
\nare simply unavoidable. \u00a0Making space for people to be in pain, and
\nto be heard and valued when they are in pain definitely matters to
\nmaking space for all of God’s people \u2013 and we can’t solve
\neverything. \u00a0We can’t solve cancer, we can’t solve trauma, we can’t
\nsolve grief. \u00a0What we can do is be with people where they are, and I
\nhope that some of our work on sanctification\/ kindom building is work
\nin increasing our capacity to sit with people who suffer.<\/p>\n\n<\/p>\n
\nI
\nthink God is with people in suffering, and sometimes suffering can be
\nvery holy work. \u00a0However, I don’t think God ever GIVES people
\nsuffering as punishment NOR as a lesson to be learned. \u00a0That’s where
\nthe Christian-Right and the Jesus-follower movements disagree.<\/p>\n\n<\/p>\n
\nSo,
\nin the Jesus-follower perspective, happiness and joy are GOOD, but
\nthey’re not everything. \u00a0Suffering and pain are real, but they’re not
\n\u201cgifts from God.\u201d \u00a0The central goal of life is not our own
\nhappiness. \u00a0Instead, the central goal of life is
\nsanctification\/building the kindom. That is, the central goal of life
\nis increasing communal well-being \u2013 and with it communal joy and
\nhappiness. \u00a0God is working with us to bring more joy into the world \u2013
\nfor all. \u00a0Thanks be to God. \u00a0Amen\u00a0\n<\/p>\n– <\/p>\n
Rev. Sara E. Baron\u00a0<\/p>\n
First United Methodist Church of Schenectady\u00a0<\/p>\n
603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pronouns: she\/her\/hers\u00a0<\/p>\n
http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n