10/31/04

What Happy People Know

Psalm 119:137-144
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
Luke 19:1-10

"Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he ..." Did you ever sing that song in Sunday School? I'll bet we all remember the delightful story of the short, rich, tax collector - not at all liked or respected by others for a variety of reasons - who is transformed by an encounter with Jesus.

Zacchaeus, like all tax collectors of his day, was despised, because in addition to collecting taxes for the Romans, they added on a surcharge so to speak, and in effect, ripped off their fellow Israelites, and often became quite wealthy in the process. Add to this that old Zach was short in stature and the picture is completed. People "looked down" on him in more ways than one.

Why Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus and his "rolling rally" - like the one held in Boston yesterday, we're not sure. Maybe he just wanted to see a celebrity. For sure, Jesus' reputation had preceded him. What we do know is that no one would let Zach in and give him space at the curbside. So he climbs up a tree - robably not an easy feat to accomplish for someone so short and probably wearing a long robe. When Jesus comes along he spies Zacchaeus up in the tree, and tells him to hurry down, because he, Jesus, is inviting himself to his house for lunch. The tax collector climbs down in a jiffy, and is "happy to welcome him." The crowd is not happy that Jesus is showing this scoundrel such favor. What does Jesus see in this guy? When they get to his house, Zach has, so to speak, a conversion experience. He is transformed. He says, "Half of what I own I'll give to the poor, and if I've cheated anyone, I'll pay them back four times." He responds to Jesus with repentance and with a promise of discipleship. And Jesus declares that salvation has come to his house.

I've preached on this text a number of times over the years, and emphasized a number of things in the story, but never the phrase we're going to zero in on today. After the little man climbed down from the tree and led Jesus to his house, Zacchaeus was "happy to welcome him." Questions we might ask are: What made him so happy? What is it that makes us happy? What are the secrets of happiness? What is it that happy people know?

Before I answer what I think made Zacchaeus happy, I want to explore with you a number of alternatives; I think people in general are happy for many reasons. We begin with scriptural suggestions, and there are way more than I can possibly cite, but here are a few. Many of the Psalms have the phrase, "Happy are those ..." and then the psalmist fills in the blank. For example, "Happy are those who delight in the law of the Lord." In other words, happy are those who follow the paths that God has laid out in scripture - perhaps especially in the Ten Commandments. I love the verse from today's psalm that ties in so well with the story of Zacchaeus: "I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts." And later: "Trouble and anguish have come upon me, but your commandments are my delight."

Some other wise words from the psalms - happy are those who take refuge in God, happy are those who trust in God, happy are those who take care of the poor, happy are those whose sins are forgiven, whose strength is in God, etc. If we rely on God in myriad ways, we will find happiness. And doing these things, I believe, makes God happy also. We heard Bob's beautiful solo today, "He Smiled on Me," about Jesus' smile being the "smile of God." Similarly, in Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life, he lists what he thinks makes God smile. God smiles - when we love God supremely, when we trust God completely, when we obey God wholeheartedly, and when we praise and thank God continually. (i) For sure, when God smiles on us, we are happy.

Many of us find the Beatitudes in Matthew's Gospel to be comforting and helpful. In some of the translations, each of the teachings begin with "Blessed are ...," but in the Good News Bible translation they begin "Happy are ..." For example: "Happy are those who are humble ..." "Happy are those who are merciful to others ..." "Happy are the pure in heart ..." "Happy are those who work for peace ..." Robert Schuller of the Crystal Cathedral wrote a book once entitled, "The Be-Happy Attitudes." He maintains that even under the most difficult of circumstances, happiness is a choice that transforms our tragedies into triumph. (ii)

Forgive me for a Red Sox analogy, but the players and the fans have been a pretty happy bunch these last few days. Many of us would certainly include ourselves among them. What do these happy people know? For sure we beat the dreaded Yankees and swept the Cardinals in the World Series, but I think there's more. What I've already picked up from some of the players and from many of the fans who have been interviewed and the millions who were lining the streets of Boston in the rain yesterday, is a deep sense of gratitude. The banner of Manny at Fenway Park that says "Thank You." The expressions of thanks offered by players to fans and fans to players at the "rolling rally" yesterday. The gratitude of the fans to the players, managers, owners, even to past players, for bringing to fruition what had eluded us for 86 years. Happy people are aware of and are willing to express deep gratitude. In addition, what we've learned from all this is that contrary to popular belief, nice people do sometimes finish first. We've learned that persistence pays, and also patience. We've learned the importance of keeping the faith and hanging in there. We've learned that adversity can be overcome. All important things to know and practice in life.

Our Conference Minister, Nancy Taylor, sent an email to the churches on Thursday, too long to quote in its entirety here, but I'd like to share a few tidbits. She begins with some scripture - from 1st Chronicles and from Nehemiah: "Let the fields rejoice!" and - I love this one - "Our God turned the curse into a blessing!" (iii) She writes: "For Red Sox nation these past 86 years suddenly seem little more than a slight, momentary affliction. Yet, the season of baseball has given us a gift beyond this victory: a neatly confined conflict that provided a blessed diversion from the unholy horrors of real warfare. These long and late evenings have been respite from the terror, famine, genocide, and pandemic by which God's world is wracked. In a world in which we are called to bear the unbearable, a languorous stretch of nine or fourteen innings is a gift of Sabbath." Near the end of the email, she concludes: "It is enough to know that here, at the hub of the world, all things work together for good for those who Believe." (iv) Amen!

Beyond the Red Sox, others have offered suggestions for the attaining of happiness. One that I found quite clever offers a Prescription for Unhappiness: "Make little things bother you ... Lose your perspective of things, and keep it lost .... Get yourself a good worry - one about which you cannot do anything but worry. Be a perfectionist: condemn yourself and others for not achieving perfection. Be right: always right: perfectly right all the time. Be the only one who is right, and be rigid about your rightness. Don't trust or believe people, or accept them at anything but their worst and weakest. Be suspicious. Impute ulterior motives to them. Always compare yourself unfavorably to others, which is the guarantee of 'instant misery.' Take personally, with a 'chip on your shoulder,' everything that happens to you that you don't like. Don't give yourself wholeheartedly or enthusiastically to anyone or to anything .... Use this prescription regularly for a while and you will be guaranteed unhappiness." (vi)

I quoted a Jewish comedian last week, and I'm going to quote another one today. The late George Burns was one of my favorite funny people, and he wrote a book entitled, Dr. George Burns' Prescription for Happiness. In it he says: "If you were to go around asking people what would make them happier, you'd get answers like a new car, a bigger house, a raise in pay, winning a lottery, a face-lift, more kids, less kids, a new restaurant to go to - probably not one in a hundred would say a chance to help people. And yet that may bring the most happiness of all. I don't know Dr. Jonas Salk, but after what he's done for us with his polio vaccine, if he isn't happy, he should have that brilliant head of his examined. Of course, not all of us can do what he did. I know I can't do what he did; he beat me to it. But the point is, it doesn't have to be anything that extraordinary. It can be working for a worthy cause, performing a needed service, or just doing something that helps another person." (vi) I find his words profound and true.

Back to Zacchaeus. I believe Zacchaeus was happy for a number of reasons that can also be applied to our lives. Like Zacchaeus, happy people know that God's transforming love is for all of us, even when we find ourselves up a tree. God looks beyond our faults and our shortcomings, and loves us and accepts us no matter who we are. God's love can truly transform our lives. Like Zacchaeus, many happy people know that when we welcome Jesus into our lives, wonderful things happen. Though the word gratitude is not explicitly mentioned in our story, I've got to believe that Zacchaeus is so filled with gratitude at Jesus' recognition and acceptance of him, that this is the motivation that prompts him - along with God's transforming love, of course - to offer such incredible generosity. Gratitude is more than just saying "thank you." It's a deep appreciation for all the blessings one has.

Finally, like Zacchaeus and Dorothy, most happy people know that there's no place like home. Most of us are abundantly blessed to be in the homes we're in, to have the families, the friends, the loved ones who so enrich our lives. We are abundantly blessed to call America our home, where so many of our constitutional rights are often taken for granted. Please, don't forget to vote on Tuesday. We are abundantly blessed to be a part of this church home where we dwell among such loving, caring people. Is our constant striving for an ever bigger house, an ever bigger and shinier car, an ever more prestigious job, more and more toys and things, is all this really what happiness is about? Many people think so. I'm not so sure it is, and I hope you're not either.

What truly happy people know is that they are enough, that they have enough, that they are already blessed with more than enough, in ways way beyond what most people in the world can only imagine. One of my favorite biblical passages is from Genesis, when God tells Abraham that he and his people have been "blessed to be a blessing" to others. This is our calling also - as a church community and as individuals who know that we are so blessed. Go, be a blessing to others in your homes, in your neighborhoods, at work, at school. Go, spread God's love as you have found it in Jesus and in God's people. If you do, I guarantee you ... you will know real happiness. Amen.

The Pilgrim Church of Duxbury
Rev. Kenneth C. Landall

i Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, Day 9, pp. 69-73.
ii Martin Jose, Autoillustrator #2118.
iii 1 Chronicles 16:32 and Nehemiah 13:2.
iv Nancy S. Taylor, Message from the Minister & President, 10/28/04.
v Raymond Guterman, Autoillustrator #2146.
vi George Burns, Dr. George Burns' Prescription for Happiness, p. 141, found in Autoillustrator #2128.