7/13/08: 9 Pentecost

St Stephen’s San Jose, The Rev Ken Wratten=

Sermon Series on Happiness; Week Four – Sharing Happiness

In Matthew 5, Jesus taught seven different characteristics of the l= ife that is filled with happiness from having Divine Favor. We’ve examined being a peacemaker, being pure of heart, being humble, being someone who hungers and thirsts for God to be in their life, etc. Jesus has been teachi= ng us a very different understanding of what happiness is; a much deeper happiness; a happiness that lights us up from the inside, regardless of circumstances on the outside of our life. There are two remaining teachings Jesus offers about making happiness a strong, resilient reality in your lif= e. These teachings are about ‘influence’.

Think with me about the people who have influenced you over the cou= rse of your life. Parents, friends, bullies (Charley Fairchild-taught me the im= portance of respecting greater strength), the snow plow driver-winged plow, Lash La = Rue (quiet & strong). But there are also people who have influenced us in a negative way. People who have taught you bad habits, or foul language, or c= rude behavior, or being hurtful to others. When you think about it, these people have taken happiness out of your life.

Have you considered whether you have spent too much of your life be= ing influenced negatively by other people, rather than you positively influencing them?

All of us have influence on the people around us: for good or for b= ad. Jesus taught us to use that influence for good. It means to stop going with the f= low; stop trying to be like everybody else; stop worrying more about what oth= er people think of you than what God thinks of you. You and I either bring good and happiness into the world, or we bring bad and misery into the world. And in most cases, we have the choice.

Who here is an introvert? Raise your hand if you are a fellow introvert… But some of us introverts won’t raise our hand, beca= use we’re an introvert, right? Just imagine that each introvert here will have an inf= luence on 10,000 people in their lifetime (according to a study). Extroverts will influence nearly a million people in their lifetime. Who has God put into y= our life to influence them? And HOW are you influencing them?=

Matthew 13: You are the salt of the earth.

Jesus wants you and me to be salt; to get out there and season the world.

(Show salt lick)

How many of you have heard of a salt lick? What is it used for? Why? (nutrients). Cows and horses need these nutrients to be healthy.

In biblical times salt was very important. It preserved food, since there were no freezers to preserve meat. Salt was rubbed into the meat so t= hat it would not spoil, even though it wasn’t refrigerated.

Jesus said that we are salt; we are here to season our world, and we are a preservative to our world. We season the world by bringing God’s love and joy into the world. We don’t try to be like everybody else. = We don’t try to always be one of the crowd. We add spice to people’= ;s life. We season the world in a way that makes people thirsty for God. =

We preserve the world by rubbing ourselves into our culture and bei= ng a preservative for God and for good. One way of being salt on the earth is to be an encourager in your world of influence. How intentional are you ab= out bringing a word of encouragement every day; to your spouse, your son or daughter, your brother or sister, the people you work with, your parent? I remember when our girls were in grade school, Ruth would pack their lunch b= ox every day for school. Almost every day, she included a note in their lunch = box, saying she loved them, and signing it with a smile face. I thought that was girl stuff. I was wrong. I would have given anything to have notes like tha= t in my lunch box every day; or even once in a while. That’s one small way= for Ruth to be salt in the life of Candace and Laurie. It doesn’t take a = lot of work, just awareness of the moment.

Are you trying to be a parent without a script to follow? To be a father when you never had a real father figure to guide you? Or to be a mom= , but you never had a functional mother figure in your life? Or to have a good marriage, but you never had a good model of marriage at your home when you = grew up? Jesus is teaching you in this verse how to be a good model for the next generation: to end the dysfunction in your generation.

Jesus is promising that when you offer yourself to build up another person’s life, it comes back to you as blessing; as happiness for you= and for them.

Matthew 5:14: You are the light of the world.

Jesus challenges us to get lit for God; from the inside out, so we shine on others, and change their lives for the better. <= /p>

The world has lots of dark corners, where there is almost no light;=

Abuse, racial prejudice, greed, jealousy, depression, guilt, addict= ion - there are lots of dark corners.

(Show lantern)

Your job and mine is to bring light into those dark corners. I thin= k we tend to underestimate the influence we have on other people. I don’t think we realize that our friends notice what we do or don’t do; whet= her our light shines or not. They want to see if we are the real deal; if we wa= lk the walk or not. <= /span>

At St Stephen’s we collect food for SMUM, and warm clothing in the winter for Jim Glancey’s outreach; we support Simon Thuc in the Sudan, and we are working hard to get a superb preschool here, one based on Christian values. Every time we do these things, we’re shining our li= ght.

Think of the people who have influenced us in these ministries. The= ir call, and your call, is to be light. We Christians need to be God’s l= ight in the world, and we need to let it shine.

Don’t underestimate your influence on the people around you. = Who are you salt to, and who are you light to? When you season your world with God’s joy, it returns a deeply rooted sense of happiness to you. When= you get lit for God, and let people know what you’re glowing about, they = are blessed, and the blessing comes back to you to a level that defies the circumstances going on in your life. Lasting happiness is about livi= ng a life with characteristics that invite God’s divine favor, and then be= ing salt and light - sharing the happiness with others, and watching it multipl= y.

Amen.

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