THE 3 BE’S OF HAPPINESS: Be Flexible

November 15, 2008

Philippians 3:7-9; 4:11b-13

Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith…

… I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

NRSV

Let me tell you two real situations.

In New York, 1895, Teddy Roosevelt—who would later become President—was the city’s police commissioner. During that era, there was a famous German preacher named Ahlwardt. He gained fame by stirring up hatred against Jews. He came to New York City to start a crusade against them. He requested a permit to hold that crusade, as well as police protection.

Prominent Jewish leaders in the city went to Teddy and demanded that Alwardt not be allowed to speak.

What would you do, if you were Teddy?

While you think about that, let me tell you another situation.

One day an Israeli soldier was on patrol in an area of occupied Palestine. He felt a rock hit him in the back. Before he had a chance to turn around, another rock hit him in the shoulder, then another in the helmet. He whirled around, rifle ready to fire. In his sights were several Palestinian children. They were picking up more stones.

What would you do, if you were that soldier?

While you think about that, let’s go back to Teddy.

Mr. Roosevelt insisted that the Jewish-hating German was entitled to freedom of speech, just like anybody else. To ensure that freedom, he ordered police protection. Teddy hand-picked the security guards: 40 policemen. And he made sure every one of them was…Jewish.

-- Shane Mooney, "50 reasons we're proude to be Americans," Maxim, 7/2000.

And what did the Israeli soldier do?

He slowly lowered his rifle, and put it on the ground. The children stopped their throwing. The soldier then picked up three rocks…and started juggling. Juggling. The children were mesmerized and forgot about their stones. The soldier did a few tricks, and the kids laughed. Then he did a grand finale, and they applauded. He took a bow, picked up his rifle, and walked away.

—epiphanydc.org/sermons/sermon_2006_04_23_Hensley.pdf. Retrieved

November 4, 2006.

What would you say that Teddy and the Israeli had in common?

They refused to see only one solution to a problem. They refused to be boxed in to an “either-or” way of thinking. They took what was presented to them, and resolved it in a novel way. They approached life with extreme flexibility: they weren’t locked into one way of thinking, or one way of doing things.

It strikes me that this is another “be” of happiness: BE FLEXIBLE.

When you think about it, a lot of UN-happiness comes about by being rigid. By limiting your options. By engaging in “either-or” thinking.

It’s easy to be rigid with your daily schedule. You start the day the same way, at the same time, doing the same things. If something interrupts it, you feel flustered and ill at ease until normalcy’s restored.

It’s easy to be rigid with how you relate to people. You limit the people you associate with on a regular basis. You associate with the same people, in the same way, at the same time, on the same day.

Someone said that “Creativity is the most neglected and yet most useful aspect of relationship-building. In relationships most of us think with our emotions, not our minds…When we view relationships as opportunities for creativity, they always get better.”

It’s easy to be rigid at work, especially when problems arise. Sometimes you define a problem rigidly, and that only narrows your options further.

During the space race of the 60’s, a problem arose. Astronauts had to take notes while performing tasks in space. But in zero gravity, ink pens don’t work, since pens rely on gravity. So NASA defined the problem: How do we develop an ink pen that will work in space?

After two years of research and development, a zero-g “Astronaut Pen” was developed, at a cost of approximately $1 million. The initial production run was 50 pens.

The Soviet Union was faced with the same situation. But instead of asking, “How can we develop a new ink pen?” they asked, “How can we write in space?” Their solution? A pencil.

It’s easy to be rigid with your hobbies. Things that once were fun, but have become dull—yet you just keep doing them, as if by repetition you’ll regain the fun again.

This is going to come as a shock to you, but it’s easy to be rigid…at church! The mantra of the church: “This is the way we’ve always done it, and this is the way we’ll continue doing it, until Jesus returns.” You worship the same way, at the same time, sitting in the same pew, every Sunday. Or you get locked into the same class, or you do the same project the same way at the same time of the year. All these things are fine and good. But if there’s a change, especially one you don’t agree with, then things don’t feel right and you get upset.

How much money, time, and emotional energy are spent by dealing with life inflexibly!

To be happy, lighten up. Soften up. Don’t be so rigid.

I’ve discovered the importance of yoga for the body. I’ll do different postures while I’m at the gym. I’ve discovered that the older I get, the easier it is for me to lock up, not be able to bend as much.

It’s just as important to keep our outlooks limber. Here are some things to ask yourself each day to help exercise your outlook:

What new thing can I do today?

What old thing can I do in a new way?

Who can I make happy today, and how?

Instead of looking at this problem through my set of eyes, what if I looked at it as if I were from Mars, or China, or Poplar Bluff?

What new hobby can I start?

So—there you have it.

How to “be” happy? “Be” flexible.

But wait! There’s more!

What I’ve said up to this point you can find in the self-help section of Borders, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon.com. It’s standard “feel better” stuff.

You, as a Christian, have an inside track on cultivating this ability. You have an opportunity to be flexible naturally, without even thinking about it. Do you want to know what this “Christian benefit” is? Well DO YOU?

It’s found lurking just beneath Paul’s words today.

Whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord… I can do all things through [Christ], who strengthens me. –Philippians 3:7-8,13

Don’t you feel what’s behind these words?

PASSION! PASSION! And more….PASSION!

Flexibility comes from…PASSION!

Jesus was REAL for Paul! He was alive, vibrant, powerful, intriguing, loving, forgiving, directing!

Each day was an adventure for him. He was at the delightful mercy of the Holy Spirit. Where would he go? What would he do? Who would he meet? How would he react? He didn’t know. Of course, he had his plans, but his plans were always opened to change from a power greater than his own.

The one thing that was constant for him: at the end of the day he could say the same thing that he started his day with: “I CAN do all things through Christ, who strengthens me!”

The barometer of your flexibility is this: the more passionate you are about Christ, the more flexible your spirit is.

JESUS SAID, ‘WHOEVER PUTS HIS HAND TO THE PLOW AND LOOKS BACK ISN’T WORTHY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD;’ THEREFORE IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO FOLLOW HIM AND AT THE SAME TIME SAY, ‘WELL, I’VE NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE.’  JESUS SAID, ‘LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD, BUT YOU, FOLLOW ME!’ THEREFORE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO FOLLOW HIM AND AT THE SAME TIME SAY, ‘IT’S JUST TOO UNCOMFORTABLE AND SCARY TO CHANGE, TO TRY SOMETHING NEW.’

NO! The happiest, most flexible people in the world are the deeply committed Christians, like Paul. THEY HAVE JESUS’ SPIRIT IN THEM. That’s the spirit that’s free to accept the day as God’s gift. That’s the spirit to break the chains of tradition in order to experience and share God’s grace in new ways. That’s the spirit to buck social pressure in order to connect with and help someone.

It is the church’s mission to help you catch and maintain the passion for Christ that Paul had. It is the church’s mission to help you be the most flexible, and the happiest, person in this world.

I know very well the words people associate with church.

“Boring.” “Fun-less.” “Uptight.” Sit for an hour in a pew. Give your money to an invisible Man. Yeah, real fun.

And how do you think I feel when people hear I’m a pastor?

“Captain Boring.” “Captain Fun-less” “Captain Uptight.” You get the picture.

But people who say that have never met the Jesus Paul knew and the one we believe in.

Church is where it’s at. You hang around this place, you hang around these people, you WILL catch the passion.

CHURCH IS WHERE YOU DREAM! We have a vision plan in this church—a plan of dreams. They include such varied things as creative ways to let people know we’re here, and what we offer in Christ’s name; the sign we have came about as a dream. We dream of going into the area around us, discovering emerging needs, and creatively addressing them. We dream of new staff positions, such as a communications director and a parish nurse. We dream of a weekday children’s program. We dream of a new area for youth ministry, additional adult classrooms, and a chapel. We…dream—because dreaming is in this church’s DNA.

CHURCH IS WHERE YOU MEET NEW PEOPLE. Parents meet parents, youth meet youth, children meet children, singles meet singles: you get the picture. There is no organization that will introduce you to such a varied assortment of people as the church. And in the process, the church says that we’re all important, and all equal in worth and dignity.

CHURCH IS WHERE YOU FIND DIRECTION. When you’re confused, grieving, hurting, worried: where else can you find lessons, sermons, small groups, and wise friends who’ve been through what you’re going through?

CHURCH IS WHERE YOU CAN HAVE FUN. Talent shows, bonfires, potlucks, road trips, sports teams, trivia night…you get the idea.

CHURCH IS WHERE YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE. You teach a child, and see a young face light up. You help with youth, and see teenagers laughing and playing and learning and being pointed in the right direction. You visit the sick or the homebound, and see a face smile that hasn’t smiled in a long time. You collect food and clothes for the needy, and help out at homeless shelters and food banks, and you make life brighter for people who live in darkness.

The church is where all this happens…BECAUSE IT’S WHERE JESUS COMES ALIVE! You feel that, then passion becomes ingrained in your very heart, and you, of all people, will be flexible!

Having said all this, let me make a confession.

I am delivering this sermon during the time in the church year that it’s the hardest for me to feel the passion I’ve been talking about.

Why?

More than at any time of year, there are reports that have to be done. There are agendas that have to be written, and extra meetings that have to be called. There’s the pledge drive, and the resulting budget that has to be hashed out. All this on top of pastoral work: the visits that must be made, the sermons and bulletins that must be prepared, the regular meetings that must be scheduled—put all this together, and this time of year I don’t usually wake up with enthusiasm and say, “Oh boy, what new, exciting report can I do today?”

But then, in the craziness of all this, I remember.

I remember the faces of folks in small groups I’ve led—faces whose brightness matched Paul’s. New members, of all ages, who’ve encountered Christ more closely here, and are excited about their energized discipleship.

I remember 200 people at each of our Renewal services, and stories of lives being changed.

I remember new members and old members joining together to form new leadership for the future.

I remember members who’ve been at this church for years, excited about new plans for Renewal 2010, and willing to work hard for its success.

I remember youth on Sunday evenings laughing and playing and learning, and the adults who spend their time here so that can happen.

I remember the faces of children at the 11 o’clock service, smiling and singing songs with the band, and I know that’s how they’re going to learn the hymns I grew up with and love so much.

I remember all these varied people, and I smile.

I’ll go ahead and do what my job calls me to do, but I’ll do it with a renewed spirit. And my heart starts beating the rhythm of passion.

And you’ll go ahead, leave this place, return to your ordinary life. But remember what you’ve heard, and how you’ve felt. And in the everydayness, feel the passion, feel the flexibility, and be happy.

Any of you play chess?

A Dutch psychologist tried to figure out what separated chess masters and chess grandmasters. He subjected groups of each to a battery of tests--IQ, memory, spatial reasoning. He found no testing difference between them. The only difference: Grand masters simply loved chess more. They had more passion and commitment to it. Passion may be the key to creativity.

On the outside, there may appear to be no difference between the Christian and the non-Christian. But inside, there’s a HUGE difference. Encountering and loving Jesus unleashes a passion that is life-changing, death-defying, and boring-proof.

That passion is the key to truly being flexible, truly being happy.

That passion is the key for you to say with Paul, “I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST, WHO STRENGTHENS ME!”