In
the year 1689, John Locke wrote his “Two Treatises of Government” which
included a line that said that the government’s obligation was to protect
“life, liberty and estate.” Other sources since have tweaked the phrase, such
as the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution which declare
that governments cannot deprive any person of “life, liberty, or property” and
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which reads, “Everyone has the right
to life, liberty and security of person.” However, by far the most well-known
adaptation of Locke’s words is Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence,
which says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty,
and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The Pursuit of Happiness
The Pursuit of Happiness
For
over two and a quarter centuries since Americans have been pursuing happiness
as if it is not just our right but our obligation. Everything we purchase,
every promotion we gain, every little new technology and trip we take is
purposed to make us more happy. Happiness is never a complete attainable goal;
it’s a beast not easily quenched, because happiness only lasts so long. As it
turns out, happiness is a difficult pursuit. It means defeating pain and
sadness, because you can’t be both sad and happy at the same time. So, to
pursue happiness means to cleanse yourself of all pain and regret and all those
difficult emotions.
But
here’s the thing. I just can’t imagine for an instant that Mary was happy.
Seriously, talk about the weight of the world put on your shoulders. Not only
did this young woman, who was probably no more than fourteen or fifteen years
of age, find out that she was pregnant from an angel, but she is also carrying
a Savior who is going to not only turn the world upside-down but also rip her
life apart. This is a son who is going to ignore her, claiming that his mother
and brothers are those who “hear the word of God and do it” (Luke 8:19-21), not
Mary or his brothers in the flesh. This is a son who has an ultimate purpose
that is not to bring her happiness. It’s a son whose life is bent toward the
cross. Mary’s life is a mess. There’s no way that she is happy, but, as Elizabeth tells her, she
is certainly blessed. Apparently, happiness and blessing are two very different
things.
We
think we want to pursue happiness, we think things that make us feel happy are
good, and in the short term it feels that way. We like simple things that make
us feel good. Why else would we care so much about alcohol, sex, or drugs? And
why else would it be that the people who are least happy feel the need for an
unhealthy amount of those same things? Happiness is always moment-by-moment, it
is subject to the whims of this world, and it is always in conflict with
sadness and despair. Babies are all about happiness. They are our perfect
examples of what a creature that understands only happiness would be like, and
that’s great… until they’re not happy. Then, you better find a pacifier or
stick your fingers in your ears, because a baby is going to let you know when
their happiness has run out. So, while Thomas Jefferson may have had this
American ideal in mind when he wrote those words, we need something more
meaningful than happiness to pursue.
Mary’s
“Magnificat” is the greatest song in all of scripture—I’m just going to go and
claim that right now—because it encompasses the radical, massive and
incomprehensible promise that Jesus represents. This is a revolutionary song
whose echoes have reverberated for centuries and millennia; it has been sung by
oppressed peoples far and wide—slaves and serfs, common people and prisoners.
The Magnificat is the battle cry for every person oppressed by principalities
and powers that deny them those basic rights: life and liberty…
…but
maybe not happiness.
You
see, I don’t think Mary is happy. This is not a song about happiness. In fact,
it is quite the opposite. Jesus is
coming this Christmas to save you from your happiness. Let me repeat that,
Jesus is not coming to bring you happiness; he’s coming to save you from it.
Happiness is what you want but not what you need. You want to be lifted up on a
throne, but, as Mary tells us in her song, Jesus is coming to tear down the
mighty from their thrones. You want to live a life free from fear, but Jesus is
coming to show mercy to the fearful. You want to be proud, but Jesus is coming
to scatter the proud. You want happiness, but Jesus is coming to crush the
pursuit of happiness. Happiness is fleeting, just as power and pride and fearlessness
are fleeting. Your life may be going just great and you might have thousands of
friends and the best family and millions of dollars in a bank account, and you
still may not be happy. That’s how the world works.
Jesus
did not come and die for your happiness, but Jesus did come that you might have
joy.
This may sound like an academic discussion, so let’s make this practical. I
want you to think about the most powerful moment of hope in your life. Now,
this might be kind of hard so, if you can’t think of anything immediately, think
about a time when your faith was strengthened. Now, think about what led to
that moment. I’m willing to bet that for most of you your moments of greatest
hope and joy have been birthed out of moments of pain or sadness. Happiness
tries to destroy sadness, Joy does not. Joy lives in it, grows out of it, and
becomes something more powerful than it would have ever been had there been no
sadness in the first place.
In
a world filled with things that cause us grief and sadness, joy is God’s gift
that defies all evil. Joy does not ignore sadness but triumphs over it because
it is not afraid of it. You can run from sadness and pursue a life of
happiness, but it will never be enough. You will always be searching for more.
More things. More base desires. It’s a great foundation for a Capitalist
economy, but a horrible philosophy to live by. The pursuit of happiness is an
addiction, but joy is not happiness. Joy contains happiness and sorrow, good
feelings and bad, but it is more than that. Joy is unexpected, surprising
gladness that enters into our sorrows and protests, saying, “No, no. Despair
does not win. There is something stronger, something better, and the seed is
planted.”
Happiness is good
feelings; joy is resurrection.
No comments:
Post a Comment