Happy are you

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
February 11, 2007 Jeremiah 17:5-10 Psalm 1 I Corinthians 15:12-20 Luke 6:17-26

The New English Bible (now over 40 years old) did us all a great service
by translating the word Blessed! that appears in these sayings
as Happy!
It is not 100% accurate, but translation is not an exact science.
But Happy is a much more user friendly word.
Whereas Blessed is really churchy
When we suggest that God is interested in our happiness and not just our blessedness
it does remind us that life in God is about the ordinariness of our day to day life
and not just some pie in the sky sort of religious-blessed life
The sayings themselves remind us of this
Hunger and thirst both spiritual and physical are of concern to God
God is concerned with and wants to solve the dilemma of the world's hungry
as well as the great demands for truth and love (spiritual appetites) that our owrld knows
God is concerned about our weeping and our laughter
...these matters which so affect the quality of our lives
which make us happy or sad
are God's concerns
so too, when we find ourselves hated and despised, pushed to the edges of our lives
there is in bringing these things to God in a spirit of openness and hope
the chance to be truly blessed
It is easy to be seduced by the false gods of this world:
Jesus names money, greed, and arrogance
these, he suggests, have their own rewards
but do not bring true happiness.

This week
Where do you find yourself looking for hapiness
but instead find shallowness and emptiness.
Where is God calling you to a difficult place to seek true happiness?
What is the other side of the coin?
What else do you need to be able to do
and what demons do you need to confront
in order to risk the search for happiness.
Pray for the grace to be truly happy
and you will be truly blessed!