Die Happy
Is life worth living?
The title of this sermon is a little morbid I know.
Church is meant to be a place – or so we think – where we celebrate, where we talk about the good things. Where we condemn the bad things. Where good people – neat people – holy people gather on a Sunday.
But if we let our church be only a place of positives – we end up a little out of balance. A little bit unreal… It becomes for us a little band aid to cover a gaping wound.
* * *
In reading and preaching, in much of our theology there is a glaring gap – a gap where we choose not to deal with the difficult and depressing parts of our life stories.
We pick and choose the parts of scripture that are all light and air – and tend to ignore the parts that ask questions.
We prefer to engage with people whose lives are together and happy – we don't like it when life gets smelly and a bit messy.
Questions:
Despair
There are a few characters in the Bible who get really depressed and question why they are alive – or why they should carry on living:
The Ecclesiast exclaims: "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity." (Ecclesiastes 1:2)
Job: "Why did I not die at birth?"
Elijah: "It is enough, now, O LORD, please take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." (1 Kings 19:4)
Jonah: "O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live…" (Jonah 4:8)
Jonah
The story of Jonah is quite amusing.
We've lost how funny it is because in the last 200 years the thing about the story of Jonah that has worried us the most is whether or not a person can be swallowed by a whale.
That's not really the point.
The point is that it's a satire about Israel's reluctance to share the grace of their God with other peoples (and their animals).
Jonah is carried – by a big fish to Nineveh – to tell them about God and the fact that the road they're heading down leads to destruction.
Immediately they all repent and fast – even the animals wear sack cloth and ashes as a sign of penetance and God has mercy on them…
Jonah is upset with God – sulks – says he could die – the Lord sends a tree to shade him – the tree dies – he sulks and asks again to die.
God reminds Jonah that the tree belongs to him, God and not to Jonah, and as such Jonah has no right to sulk. Just as the people of Nineveh also belong to him… and God can love them, have mercy on them if he likes.
Story of the Labourers
In Jesus parable Jesus points out another case of people grumbling… Rabbi's of Jesus time told a similar story[i] - a story in which those who went out earlier got paid more – and those who went out later got paid less.
In Jesus story the early ones and the late ones get paid the same.
Similar to the story of Jonah – Jesus is telling people to stop grumbling about who seems to get the better deal.
Paul's Joy in Living
Paul is quite different to Jonah and the grumbling labourers in Matthew's gospel.
He gets a raw deal – but continues to believe that life is actually worth living.
And Paul has had some experiences that would have made most of us give up pretty smartly:
In 2 Corinthians 11 he tells some of the story of what he has been through for the sake of the gospel…
He's been imprisoned, flogged, had 40 lashes minus 1 5 times (40 lashes was meant to kill you). Been beaten with rods 3 times, stoned once, shipwrecked 3 times, spent a night adrift at sea – he has been in danger from rivers, bandits, his own people and gentiles, in the city and the wilderness, he has been without food, he has been cold and naked…
All these things…
(If I hadn't stopped at being imprisoned, I think the lashing might have convinced me to give up.) Or at least to moan at God.
In spite of all he has gone through - imprisoned again for the sake of the gospel – possibly facing a sentence of death – he is writing a letter to the Philippians, giving thanks to them and for them, reminding them of the grace of God. Encouraging them to carry on working for the Kingdom.
For him life is incredibly worthwhile, he doesn't ask to die even though he has no reason to fear death:
"For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain."
- Philippians 1:21
"…my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better."
- Philippians 1:23
But he chooses life – because for him life is invested with purpose, a purpose that can be worked for the best in spite of whatever circumstances he faces.
* * *
He reminds me of the frog in this picture – trying to strangle the bird even though it's already in the bird's mouth.
* * *
All he is worried about is that the gospel is proclaimed – he makes sure to tell people about it and live it even when he is in prison.
He rejoices that the Roman guards are hearing about the gospel because he is in prison.
He is happy whether the gospel is proclaimed by preachers with wrong motivation or with right – as long as – in his words – Christ is proclaimed; even though the ones with wrong motivation make it even more difficult for him to do what he is doing.
For Paul – in spite of hardship – in spite of the fact that sometimes it looks like he will be defeated. Everything is invested with meaning and purpose – and that purpose – is the coming of the Kingdom of God.
The good news of the gospel.
* * *
I think Paul's joy comes from the fact that he knows that in the battle between the frog and the bird…
The frog eventually wins.
Being happy…
Right now, in the world around us, news isn't good. Economies are suffering because of the greedy actions of people in influential stock exchanges.
I don't really understand what that all means, but I know that Ouma Buttermilk Rusks were R14 a few weeks ago and now they're R19.
* * *
We like to grumble.
When I worked as a waiter at Vergelegen in Somerset West I was often tempted to hit people over the head with an empty wine bottle when I heard them whining about the country…
Eating steak, drinking the finest wine on a Spring afternoon and moaning about anything and everything.
It's easy to do.
If I get you started… Zuma, Mbeki, Zimbabwe, Xenophobia, Poverty, BEE in its present shape and form…
I probably won't be able to get you to stop.
I'm moaning about the moaners.
So I'll stop.
* * *
In the face of some of the hardship that we are facing today; comparatively small when held up against what Paul has gone through, Christians really do have the opportunity to "shine like stars in the world" as Paul says later on in Philippians 2:15.
But why?
* * *
Because like Paul – we believe – that in the end – the frog wins.
* * *
In his letter to the Philippians Paul keeps referring to the Christian's hope – the hope of resurrection and the day of justice…
1:6 - …the one who began a good work in you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
1:10 - …so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness…
1:23 - …my desire is to depart and be with Christ…
2:16 – It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labour in vain.
3:10 – I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death…
3:14 - …I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus…
3:21 – He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory….
* * *
In 1 Corinthians 15:19 he writes: "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied."
* * *
For Paul – the sure and certain hope of the resurrection and the future day of justice makes all the sufferings of this life worthwhile – and that is why he rejoices – even in suffering, even when he is facing death.
Because of this hope, Paul argues, we should continue to work for the Kingdom of God because the Kingdom of God is eternal – and the sufferings of this world are passing distractions on the way.
* * *
The Christian life does not take away our pain and suffering. We will suffer broken relationships, broken bodies, broken dreams – we will like Paul, know what it is to go hungry, know what it is to be in danger. Hopefully we won't be imprisoned or beaten. We'll probably suffer disappointment in business we'll probably get sick – suffer from depression – lose our way sometimes…
But ultimately – it will all be worthwhile and we can continue to rejoice – because of the real and present hope we have in Christ.
* * *
Paul asks at the end of chapter 1, that we live our lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, that we don't allow ourselves to be intimidated by those who oppose us… because God has "graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well…"
I pray that in this we may come to know that life really is worth living; because we know – that in the end – our actions, our sufferings for the Kingdom are not in vain, but eternal.
Amen
[i] CS Keener and InterVarsity Press, eds., The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, ed. CS Keener and InterVarsity Press (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993), sec. Mt 20
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