The Secret To Happiness
by Rev. Jonathan Gale
21st July 2013
Colossians 1: 15 – 28
The Supremacy of Christ
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 17He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
21 And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him— 23provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel.
Paul’s Interest in the Colossians
24 I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. 25I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. 27To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Luke 10: 38 – 42
Jesus Visits Martha and Mary
38 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. 40But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ 41But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’
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Looking at Martha in our Gospel reading it’s clear that if you’re pulled in all sorts of different directions, you’re not going to be happy. Now I think there is a secret to happiness, and it’s hidden in our Gospel reading.
Now, Jesus often used hyperbole (exaggeration) as a means of emphasising a point. “If your eye leads you astray, pluck it out” he once said. Do you think he literally meant that? Not likely.
In our reading Jesus is at the home of Mary and Martha, who are hosting him. He says to Martha, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part.
Now let’s stop here for a moment. One thing? Martha is taking care, no doubt, of food preparation for Jesus and his followers and goodness knows what else, while her sister Mary is sitting, in the language of my great-grandmother, dewy-eyed on her umtararalistening to Jesus. No wonder Martha says, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ That’s a perfectly reasonable and practical request. And what’s more she asks for Jesus’ help, rather than grimly grasping Mary by the arm and frog-marching her off to the kitchen.
What can Jesus mean by ‘there is need of only one thing’ when clearly there is need for a whole lot more, and why does he embarrass Martha? Well, simply put, he’s making a point: and that is, it really is important to put first things first.
Let me see if I can explain by way of an illustration. When I was a lot younger I was a fanatical mountain-biker. I seriously loved mountain biking. If someone brought up the topic, or I happened to start thinking about it, it wouldn’t be long before I needed to pay a visit to the loo. That’s how excited it made me feel!
A while ago by a series of happy co-incidences I started mountain biking again after a fifteen year break. It didn’t take me long to rediscover a profound secret about mountain biking, something that had slipped my mind, over the years.
In order both to really enjoy riding off-road and to handle all the obstacles you have to master the basics (first things must come first) and that involves intense concentration. If you get distracted (hello Martha!)
- your front wheel is going to slip sideways on a root and you’ll meet the ground very quickly indeed,
- or you’re going to miscalculate your speed on a bend and probably hit a tree,
- or you’re not going to shift your weight back on the bike down a steep drop and go over the handle-bars …
There are a host of things that can go wrong. As a result for the first few weeks my whole face was taut with literal wide-eyed concentration as I fought to keep focussed 100% of the time. And you find out very quickly that a lapse is painful. My ribs are still sore from a fall on my first ride.
It is important that the most important thing: basics riding skills and fierce, unyielding concentration are mastered… before you can begin to cater for the peripherals … no matter how important or enjoyable those peripherals are.
The peripherals in mountain biking are
- the beauty of the dawn,
- the herds of deer,
- the ambience of the forest,
- banter with fellow riders,
- the antics of magpies
- just the sheer joy of being fit and outdoors in a rural environment enjoying the child-like thrill, the adrenalin rush of riding a mountain bike.
These are the things you can enjoy once you have mastered the basics. Appreciating these things while maintaining the concentration you need to ride without an accident is a sign of maturity. It can only happen safely when first things are first – when the basics are second nature.
If you haven’t mastered the basics, if they are not the focal and central core of your consciousness, your mind is all over the place – a rush of frantic attempts to take everything in in a chaotic sequence. It’s called distraction. You’re not master of the situation. The situation is running you – pretty much into the ground!
Now, let me tell you right off: I’m a Martha fan. They say the world is divided on this issue. You’re either a Mary person or a Martha person, and your preference says something about you. However, in the context of the Gospel story, running around like a headless chook is what Martha is doing while Mary is mastering the basics. What Jesus is saying is, ‘Put me first in your life. Once you have established my supremacy in all things in your life, then you will have all the rest in perspective. You’ll be able to handle all things rather than have all things handle you.’
This is maturity –
- having the important thing in place first and then developing the ability to handle the peripheral things without losing the important thing.
- as an off-road biker- having the bike-riding skills and concentration centrally rooted in your subconscious and then developing the ability to enjoy the countryside and all that it offers
- as a Martha – having Jesus at the very centre of your consciousness and then developing the ability to manage all the peripheral tasks of hosting the Messiah and his disciples
Sometimes we feel that life running us and mostly it’s because we have our priorities wrong. Is the wheelbarrow pushing you or are you pushing the wheelbarrow?
Having Jesus deeply embedded in you, consciously and subconsciously is really important.
Paul knew that the secret to happiness was the kind of maturity I’ve been speaking about – how important it was to put Christ first. In the epistle reading he outlines some aspects of Jesus’ supremacy …
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 17He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.
… so that he might come to have first place in everything … Everything, not just when we feel like it or when we’re in religious mode. First place in everything.
I have to ask myself, ‘Jonathan, in everything you think and do: does Jesus have first place?’ If I’m honest the answer is ‘No’. The challenge is what I’m going to do about that. Why is it not the case? Why am I not 100% submitted to Christ in 100% of my thoughts and actions? Something to think about and act upon.
19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
21 And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him
Holy and blameless … okay … that’s where we’re headed. I’m certainly not holy and blameless now, but as long as I’m headed in the right direction, all is good.
holy and blameless and irreproachable before him — 23provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard,
… provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard … Provided. There is a condition to my reconciliation to God, and it is that I do not lose the focus that he is Lord, the first principle at the centre of everything, especially my life.
Paul goes on to speak of 26the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints … the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
… Christ in you, the hope of glory … Not associated with you, not around you: in you. Paul gets deeply excited about this: that what happens as a result of the blood of Christ being shed on our behalf, Christ lives in us. That’s where we need to ensure he remains – deeply embedded at the centre of our beings. First things first.
You know, the demands of the Christian life are huge: ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbour as yourself.’ We’re expected to be living, breathing servants of the Gospel to all. What are we up against? Well here’s a thought about the service quality that is our competition – the unspoken pressures upon us. We live in a world where, if you happen to have Google open on your computer and you accidentally bump the minus sign, Google will, in 0.22 of a second identify 3, 500, 000, 000 websites that will enlighten you on the hyphen.
We have a world that is increasingly complex, demanding and busy; one that gives less too.
To maintain perspective, to maintain a sense of significance, a sense that we are in control, that we are useful, that our lives have meaning and that we are progressing, that we are not distracted by the multitude of demands upon us – we need to have Jesus as the first principle in our lives. Everything else will find its rightful place when we do. That is the secret to happiness!
And Paul concludes with 28It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
… mature in Christ … The secret to happiness is a maturity that is reflected in a life that is not distracted by many things.
Being at the mercy of individualism, consumerism, materialism or hedonism will shove you all over the place. You’ll develop a sense that you’re out of control, that you’re pulled in all sorts of different directions.
Having Jesus and all that he stands for as the central undergirding and motivating force of your life will keep you on track, will enable you to live with perspective, with the ability to handle the peripheral things – the forces of living in this world, some of them necessary; like managing your family, making a living, paying the bills etc – and some of them to be rejected; like trying to find meaning outside of God’s community of people, spending too much on things you don’t need, not being generous enough because you lack trust in God’s provision etc.
41But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part,
The secret to happiness, to enjoying and to managing life, is right before our eyes.
And I want to say one more thing to you, in case I’ve given you the wrong impression. I’ve described how first you need to learn the basics well (for example, how to ride over rugged terrain safely) before you can enjoy and manage the peripherals – all the associated pleasures and associated pressures.
Understand this: the more you master the basics and the more you enjoy the associated activities (what I earlier called ‘the peripherals’), the more your joy in the basics themselves increases!
So it’s not as though we put up with putting Jesus first so we can be happy and in control. As we mature, it is in putting him first that our true happiness lies. He is our true joy!
warning everyone and teaching everyone, says St. Paul. Today I’m both warning and teaching, and the lesson is this: Happiness is before you. Grasp it. It’s a decision away – a decision to put Christ first in everything.
AMEN