If you are happy and you know it ...

A sermon delivered at the 10:30 service in St. Columba’s Parish church on Sunday 30th January 2011

While going to sunday school, I remember distinctly learning the wee chourus

If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands

If you’re happy and you know it and you really want to show it

If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands

So often we get caught up in the pressures of life - in balancing accounts, in meeting work deadlines, in flying from one thing to another that we push the things of God from the centre where they should be to the periphery of life. We get caught up with the details that we forget the bigger vision of what life is all about. We know all too well that depression and anxiety is on the rise.

Throughout this year we are working our way through the Gospel of Matthew at the Morning Services. Our reading today is the first part of the first major teaching block of the Gospel known as the Sermon on the mount.

Jesus opens his sermon by emphasising what the blessed or happy life looks like

Jesus here is emphasizing the values produced in Kingdom Men and Women by the Holy Spirit. Values which stand in stark contrast to the values of the world back in his day as well as values which are all to common today.

JB Philips has rendered the Beatitudes that apply to the kingdom of this world like this

Happy are the “pushers” for they get on in the world

Happy are the hard boiled for they never let life hurt them

Happy are they who complain: for they get their own way in the end

Happy are the blase for thy never worry about their sins

Happy are the slave drivers for they get results

Happy are the knowledable men of the world for they know their way around

Happy are the trouble makers for they make people take notice of them

Happiness is a concept which I am sure we all strive for, economists tell us that it is one of the goals of the decisions we all make with our finances - not simply working and making decisions to increase wealth but asking questions as to how we spend our money, our time to get happiness and fulfillment out of life.

This week, amidst all the usual news stories two stood out for me...

BBC Breakfast took on the challenge of seeing if people could learn to be more happy though various tasks and challenges.

Also the chief of the Bank of England Mervyn King in a speech quoted the Ken Dodd song

King said: "When it comes to measuring success, don't count money count happiness. The advice of Ken Dodd in 1964."

Within the Beatitudes we have a concise list of Kingdom values - which will be mediated on through the remainder of the gospel

Poverty, mourning, meekness, hunger for righteousness, purity, mercy, peacemaking and persecution.

To those on the outside - who are searching for happiness in our world today these values may seem quite alien but actually by meditating on each of them in turn is quite useful and gives us a picture of True kingdom life. Life which Jesus himself promises us elsewhere in the Bible - Life in all its fullness

Time only allows me to look at a 3 of the examples but if we look at these you will see a pattern emerging

“Happy are the meek” becomes “Miserable are the arrogant”. The meek will inherit the earth, but those who bully others can only take: they are not *given* anything.

“Happy are the merciful” becomes “Miserable are the merciless”. People who bear grudges, who refuse to forgive, and who take revenge, are the real prisoners. They are prisoners of their own hate, and it eventually poisons all their relationships.

Happy are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake” becomes “Miserable are those who have no spine”. It isn’t always easy to stand up for what is right — yes, we can wind up persecuted. But who will ever trust us with what is truly important if we don’t have the inner strength to hold on to it in the first place?

The others ... why not take the reading sheet home with you and see what Jesus was getting at through them

If you are happy and you know it and you really want to show it

If you are happy and you know it Go and ...

• Do not be afraid to to show that you do not have everything
• be meek
• fulfill your hunger for doing what is right
• show mercy
• be pure
• make peace
• don’t be afraid of what others will think of you

Do all of these things because God has called you to do them! - The world is waiting for Men and Women, Young and Old to show what true happiness is all about