Happy ...

The very term conjures up images of kids at a park running around playing together, or students in the bleachers cheering as their school's team scores the winning basket. 

It can also be the feeling a grandparent has the first time they hold their grandchild or the excitement that overtakes little children on Christmas morning. 

When we think of happy,

we often think of moments in time –

a moment where we feel great.

“Being happy” is considered an emotional event based on circumstances. 

But we all know life isn’t full of all good events. And for many years, Christians taught that happiness was not something to desire. As Christians, we were to look for something more theologically grounded like joy or being blessed. 

There are thirty-seven references to “happy” in the Old Testament and forty-eight in the New Testament. If you include terms related to happy (gladness, pleasure, laughter, delight, celebration, etc.), that number grows to more than 2,500!  

It seems like being happy was somewhat of a priority in the Bible. 

The truth is the term for “joy” or “blessed” is easily translated as happy.

 When Jesus spoke of joy, or when Jesus talked about who was “Blessed,” we can just as quickly say Jesus was talking about the type of people who were happy and what made them happy. We can say, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” We could also say those who are meek are happy because they will inherit the earth. 

God didn’t separate being happy from having pure joy,

and neither should we. 

The funny thing about happiness – the more we make it our goal, the less likely we are to reach it. According to Jesus, being happy is a part of the covenant of being God’s people. So how do we achieve it?

There’s a great letter in the New Testament that talks about a group of happy people. That is the book of Philippians.

 Paul, while under house arrest in Rome, writes to the people of Philippi a letter of thanks and love, and shares how happy he is every time he thinks about and prays for the Philippians. 

Paul was the founding pastor of their church ten years earlier. They shared an incredible history of serving together and serving one another.

That history served as the foundation for Paul’s happiness with the Philippians – that they were partners in the gospel.

The life they shared focused on Christ and his mission. 

As we approach this series on Philippians, I am excited to hear what this congregation of happy people from Philippi has to teach all of us. 

As always there will be a band of prayers,praying for the service and the church at 9:00 am.

If you are able, join us,if you aren’t, pray for one another on your way to church.

See you Sunday.