Where does Happiness come from?

Today happiness is being studied by social science and written about more than ever before, but 2,000 years ago a man named Paul wrote a short letter to the young, persecuted church in Macedonia and revealed some amazing truths about how to find happiness in the midst of difficulties.

Today we learn how to intentionally pursue happiness in 2019.

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Good morning.

I’d like to start today with a thought experiment.

Think for a moment about the happiest, most joyful person you know.

I don’t mean someone who is excessively sentimental or anything like that. Think of someone who is authentically happy.

They have joy.

They’re grateful in their life.

They have a confidence in God.

They’re optimistic when they think about the future.

They just kind of breathe life and energy into you.

Who wouldn’t want to spend more time with that person?

I have some people like that in my life. I can hardly get enough of them. I just look forward to every moment I’m with them.

Then, alternatively, bring to mind the unhappiest, most joy-challenged person you know.

Think of someone who is negative.

Someone who is bitter.

Kind of a complainer.

Kind of a martyr.

Someone who says “no” a lot.

Think about that person.

Don’t look at them. Don’t poke them in the ribs. Just think about them.

No one wants to spend more time with that person.

Then think about places.

Where is the happiest place on earth?

My kids would say Disneyland.

For me, I’ve found I love the idea of going to Disneyland more than I actually love going to Disneyland.

I remember one year my mom went with us to Disneyland in August. I don’t know why we chose August to go to Disneyland. It was about 120 degrees, and the lines were 2 hours long.

The kids were miserable. They felt sick because it was so hot.

I got mad. “Do you understand how much we paid for you to be here today? So you stand in line, and you wait two hours, and you go on those rides, and you be happy… or I will give you something to be happy about!”

Kind of a famous, effective parenting line.

So often life is this way — I want it to turn out a certain way, and then it doesn’t.

Then I was thinking about our church. I was thinking:

What if our church became the happiest place on earth?

What if our church became famous for joy?

What if you were to approach your God-given joy potential as a human being?

What if anytime anyone came to a service here —

They might be an outsider.

They might be a stranger.

They don’t know the Bible.

They may be all messed up.

But when they came in here they just felt happy. They felt embraced. They felt like we were a bunch of people who just genuinely wanted to be here.

What if when people heard the word Christian, instead of thinking judgmental or proud or something like that, they just thought joyful? People who are able to laugh at themselves.

There’s a standup comedian who’s Episcopalian. He came up with the 10 top reasons for being Episcopalian. Some of them apply to us at Blue Oaks. Here’s the list — the 10 top reasons to become Episcopalian.

10. No snake handling.

9. You can believe in dinosaurs.

8. Male and female — God created them; male and female — we ordain them.

7. You don’t have to check your brains at the door.

6. Pew aerobics.

5. The church here is color-coded.

4. Free wine on Sunday. (That’s not Blue Oaks. Sorry about that.)

3. All the pageantry, none of the guilt.

2. You don’t have to know how to swim to get baptized.

1. No matter what you believe, there’s bound to be at least one other Episcopalian who agrees with you.

We’re hungry for joy, but everywhere it seems to be so elusive.

The guy who came up with that list was Robin Williams.

Robin Williams was an Episcopalian. Lived here in the Bay Area for so many years.

I don’t know about you, but I loved Robin William’s stuff.

Mrs. Doubtfire.

Good Will Hunting

Patch Adams

Good Morning Vietnam

Dead Poets Society

Just to name a few.

If there’s someone who can make us laugh, we’ll pay them all kinds o