Reading: Psalm 105
“Live a happy life! Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of his presence. Remember the world of wonders he has made.”
Sermon: “Shared Happiness.”
Welcome to the cheer committee Candlelight Service and Christmas Dinner.
Welcome to a cheerful evening together here at the Danish Church. The purpose for the Cheer Committee is to bring cheer – to people who are sad or sick, grieving and coping, but also sharing the celebration of big birthdays, lovely milestones, anniversaries etc. So, the Cheer Committees send flowers and cards to share cheer.
So, what better way to spend the first Saturday of December 2023, on the Second day of December, one day before the Season of Advent officially starts, at the Cheer Committee Candlelight and Celebration – as we all need cheer, candlelight and celebration. And we all need to share it with each other.
The truth about the best things in life is that there first not things but people, experiences, time, celebrations, dinners, friendships and family – and secondly, they are meant to be shared. And shared cheer og shared happiness is double cheer or happiness and so much better.
The Old Psalm said it so clearly:
“Live a happy life. Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works. Be alert for signs of his presence. Remember the world of wonder he made.”
Wonders of happiness. Wonders of cheer. Wonders of laughter. Wonders of compassion. Wonders of nature. Wonders of friendship. Wonders of family. Wonders of faith.
A happy life requires that we keep not only our eyes open, but all our senses to see, smell, listen, touch and feel the wonder of life. And all of that does help us when our happy lives are messy, complicated, struggle some and even unfair – to help us get happier.
A happy life or a happier life requires that we share and care.
The Danish Poet Benny Andersen once wrote in a poem about Goodness.
I have always tried to be good.
It is very demanding.
Doggedly I seek.
To do something for someone
Hold coasts, doors, place in line.
Get someone into something or other.
And that kind of thing
Spread out my arms.
Let someone have a good cry on my shirt.
But when the opportunity arises
I go completely stiff.
Must be a kind og shyness.
I shake myself.
Now open your arms wide
-
But it is so hard to offer yourself up.
When someone is watching
So hard to be good/happy.
For an extended period
Like holding your breath
But with daily training
I’m now up to an hour.
If I’m not disturbed
If I sit all alone
with the clock in front of me
spread of out my arms
again and again
it’s no problem at all.
I’m actually best.
When I’m alone
Well goodness and happiness are actually best when shared.
Sitting here tonight in this beautiful church with beautiful new blue pews, Christmas tree up, wonderful old hymns…. Well, this evening it so much better because we are here … together.
So just for the fun of it: let us practice with the poet:
Spread out your arms, turn to one another, look at each other, smile at each other and share this moment of happiness and jay…. And then it grows ….
As many of you know I am an avid reader. And it so happens that right now I am reading two books which both reflect happiness.
The first one is a novel called “Happiness Falls” about the events that shatter the happiness of a family in ….when a father goes missing, his family is desperately searching to find him and find answers: as everything they know or thought they knew seems to fall… as their believed happiness does fall. And the story unfolds that the missing father really didn’t share all with his family and maybe the happiness was not true happiness. Because he forgot to share for better and worse….
The other book that I have just dived into: “The Art and Science of Getting Happier.: Build the life you want.” By Arthur Brooks and Oprah Winfrey. It almost sounds like one of these books with easy unrealistic promised of perfect bliss, marriage, children, life…. Or one of the sermons delivered by the smiling mega pastor preaching his prosperity gospel…. But it isn’t.
It is a book based on experiences from this messy complicated troublesome life and scientific strategies to be happier…. Not to be happy, but happier no matter how challenging our circumstances might be.
It is a book about happiness.
As happiness or life never is static but ever changing, challenging and circumstantial. But there are concepts and strategies can improve our quality of life and our happiness….
With insight, compassion and hope Brooks and Winfrey reveal how the tools of emotional management can hance our lives. They recommend practices to build the four pillars of happiness: family, friendship, work and faith. And these four pillars are found in these chapters:
1. Build your imperfect family. Meaning that families er not perfect and they are not all the same. They might consist of father, mother and 2.2 children, but it might also be a rainbow family, a chose family, a divorced family and gay family. But family as a place of belonging and home.
2. Friendship is deeply real. That is what friends are for… for good times and bad times… like the song goes. Good deep friendships where we dare to be real, be vulnerable and be ourselves. Friendship as a place of acceptance and fun.
3.Work that is love made visible. Work is not always fun, and love is made visible. Work is hard chores, a necessity and but if we remember why we work, we might change our concepts of work. Work is to sustain our lives, to support our families, - and we are truly blessed and happier if our work also makes love, commitment and compassion visible. And remember that you are not in your job.
4. Find your amazing Grace. Find your faith and your hope. Be open. Believe, hope and love.
C.S. Lewis wrote in his famous book “Mere Christianity.: about a man named Bill who wants to be happy and good:
“As long as Bill does not turn to God, he thinks his niceness is his own, and just as long as he thinks that, it is not his own.
It is only when Bill realizes that his nicenees is not his own but a gift from God, and when he offers it back to God – it is just then it begins to be really his own. For now Bill is beginning to take a share in his own creation.
The only things we can keep are the things we freely give to God. What we try to keep for ourselves is just what we are sure to lose.”
If you walk the spiritual path of faith and hope, you will get happier, but only if getting happier is not your goal. Your goal must be seeking truth and the good of others.
So let this be our goal for this Advent Season as we wait and prepare for Christmas: to focus on the four pillars in our lives: Family, Friendship, Work and Faith. Balance them. Nurture them. Cherish them. Build them.
That was what was missing in the books Happiness Falls a deep connection of Family, Friendship, Work and Faith.
This advent let we try to focus and embrace a happier life with focus on what truly brings us happiness and fulfillment.
The Old Psalm said it so clearly:
“Live a happy life. Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works. Be alert for signs of his presence. Remember the world of wonder he made.”
And remember that happiness is like jam. You can’t spread even a little without getting some on yourself. So spread your arms out and spread some happiness, cheer and joy this Season.
Amen.