Happiness is something of a core value in the United States. Perhaps the best known line from this country’s Declaration of Independence concerns certain unalienable rights that belong to all people, and should be protected by any government – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Happiness is connected with the foundational beginning of this country, and connected with a foundational part of who we are as human beings. But isn’t it interesting that while life and liberty are listed without any qualifiers, happiness is connected to the word pursuit? There is an admission there that happiness is elusive. We have a right to be able to pursue it, but no government can guarantee we will actually find happiness.

Don’t we know well the elusive nature of happiness in our own lives and culture? What seems to make us happy one day fails to do so the next. Some things we think will make us happy end up being a big letdown. This, I think, is why we find ourselves so often changing homes, jobs, investments, friends, and spouses. We are in pursuit of happiness, but we are struggling to find it.

In both Hebrew and Greek there is a word to communicate a state of happiness. In English this word is “blessed”, as in “Blessed are you…” This word might make you think of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. There Jesus gives a list of people with certain characteristics. They are not characteristics typically associated with happiness, yet each of these people Jesus calls “blessed.” Happiness is the state of these people.

How is it that these people are happy? This thing we have a right to pursue but which is so elusive, these people have found! How? Is it their character – meekness or peacemaking - that is the secret? This isn’t what Jesus is saying. Instead, he is saying that these people are happy before they are meek or poor in spirit. Those characteristics are only the outcome of their happy state. Instead their state of happiness comes from the identity they have from being in Jesus, and the gifts they will receive in him – inheriting the earth, seeing God, etc. In Jesus the pursuit of happiness ends because happiness is found. How are you pursuing happiness in your life? I know I need to continue to hear the words of Jesus to remind me that when I believe in him, happiness is no longer something to be pursued, but is part of who I am in Christ.

We’ve been reading and reflecting on some passages from Philippians in our recent worship. In this letter, Paul encourages God’s people to take on the character of Gospel Citizens, following the example of Jesus, the one who has given them this identity. One of the characteristics we are encouraged toward is humility. Humility you might define as having a proper view of yourself before God and others. In Romans 12:3 Paul puts it like this: “Do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”

In Philippians, Romans, and all throughout Scripture, this proper estimation of self is an essential part of our being conformed to the character of God or Christ. But what a challenging thing this is! I know that I am prone to overestimate my own value in comparison to others (even God!). This isn’t just something I think in my mind, but is something that ends up being lived out in the ways I act and spend my time and energy. Just a few short moments of reflection on this reminds me of how much growth I still need in a proper estimation of myself. Perhaps you are like me in this too.

So what can help us move in the right direction on this so we are conforming to the character of Christ? For one, I think it is helpful to surround ourselves with people who are examples of humility and are striving toward further growth in this character. Who might be an example of this in your life? Talk with these people about this. Share in this difficult striving together as God’s people. I’ve found again and again that my own maturing as a Christian happens most fruitfully when I am in connection with others who are running the same race.

Even more importantly, I think we need to keep seeing Jesus. In Philippians 2, Paul puts forth Jesus as the ultimate example for us to follow. Part of this description of Jesus’ character is that he didn’t think of himself too highly (even though he is God!), but rather emptied himself for our benefit. If I continue to see this character in my Lord, I am confident it will work the same character in my own heart. Reflecting on this today brought me to one particular instance of Jesus’ life. As he is on the cross, dealing with suffering I can’t begin to imagine, some taunt Jesus and yell out, “Save yourself if you really are the Son of God.” Save yourself. Here is the summary of how we typically live as humans. Save yourself. And here is Jesus’ opportunity to act this way too, to act on his own behalf, to escape the misery that he is under and serve his own needs. I tremble to think what my choice would have been if that situation had been mine. But Jesus, even in this most trying of moments, doesn’t view himself as more important than others. Save yourself Jesus. But Jesus remains silent and on the cross, and saves us instead. What humility! What love! This is the character of our Lord. This too, is the character of his followers.

This morning as I looked out my window, I noticed the clouds above were racing by quickly. Some days the clouds seem like they’ve been grandly painted into the sky. They don’t seem to move so much as hang playfully in the air. Other days the clouds seem to build upon themselves in ominous fashion; billowing, tumbling and darkening ever closer to the ground. Then there are days like this morning when the clouds seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere else, like their business – their bringing of shade or precipitation or laughter – is needed elsewhere.

As I watched the clouds racing around, it also made me think of how often clouds are connected in Scripture with the Lord and his actions. Sometimes the clouds have an ominous feel about them, as when the Lord rides a swift cloud to Egypt in judgment, and the idols of the land tremble before him (Isaiah 19). Sometimes the clouds are a harbinger of gift or blessing, such as when Elijah and his servant see a cloud rising from the sea after a long drought in Israel (1 Kings 18). Sometimes the presence of clouds is a reminder of God’s presence and readiness to help (Exodus 13 & Deuteronomy 33:26), or of the witnesses of God’s people who surround us and have gone before us (Hebrews 12:1). As the clouds seem often to just appear or be present in the sky, so the Lord’s help and the community of his followers is present and near. The clouds in Scripture also point toward the Day/Return of the Lord (Revelation 1:7) and the power of the Lord (Mark 13:26).

Why all of this language about clouds in Scripture? Perhaps it is because there always are clouds. In every age, in every area of the earth, there are days when clouds come. Some days bring storms, some days bring sunshine, some days are a mix, but clouds, and the variety of them, are an experience we all know and share. We all know clouds and a good deal about the weather signs they bear, but I think God speaks in the language of clouds to us so we can look at them and see beyond just the weather. All the variety of images and language about clouds in Scripture gives me the opportunity to look up and not only know what the weather might be like, but also the opportunity to understand a little more of what God is like. He is a gracious provider, he is judge of all, he is all-powerful, he is our help, he is present, and he has a plan to come once more in power and make all things new. Every day is an opportunity to look up and hear God speaking and showing himself, even in those “cotton balls in the sky.”

As I watched the clouds hurrying about this morning, God pointed me to Psalm 104:3. “He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind.” As I watched the clouds race by, I was reminded of the Lord who created them and who continues to watch over me and all his creation. I was reminded of how God’s business has to do with earth and with us, and it gave me joy to think of him racing in his cumulus cloud chariot as he continues to bring about his purposes. As I looked up at the clouds racing by, my heart finally was moved with the Psalmist and that cloud of witnesses to simply proclaim, “Praise the Lord, O my soul!”

“We believe in one God, who is one single essence, in whom there are three persons…namely, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” (Belgic Confession Art. 8). The Trinity is a central component of the Christian faith and yet also one of the most difficult to comprehend. We’ve done our best to put language and pictures to how this triune nature of God works (maybe you’ve heard the comparison to the states of water or the three parts of an egg), but the reach of these descriptions can only go so far. There will always be some inability for us to comprehend the three-in-one nature of God. Perhaps for this reason the doctrine of the Trinity has come under attack often and from different parties over the course of history. Yet the language of Scripture, particularly in the New Testament, points unapologetically toward the triune nature of God. No text is more forthcoming of this than Matthew 28:19. Jesus commands his disciples to baptize in the name (singular, not names) of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Three persons, one name, one God.

While the effort to try and understand or explain the Trinity better is a worthy one, perhaps it is even more fruitful for us to explore the outcomes and meanings of this belief. What does this three-in-one nature tell us about God? About ourselves? Many things, no doubt. Think for one of the impact on relationships this belief carries with it. Belief in the Trinity is to say that God has always enjoyed within his own being perfect relationship. Recount the ways in Scripture we hear the Father speaking of the Son or the Son speaking of the Spirit, etc. The three persons of the Trinity are always giving glory, adoration and love to one another. Our best relationships in life fill us with immense joy, so we can begin to imagine the perfect and eternal happiness God enjoys within the relationships of the Trinity.

What about me and my relationships? When I see the joy and love of God in the relationships of the Trinity, I see his will for that same joy and love in my life as well. God created us to share his wonderful, eternal reality. God’s desire in creating humanity is that we’d know his happiness in our relationships to him and each other. Belief in the Trinity is an assurance that God wants to be in joyful relationship with us, and wants us to be in loving relationships with other human beings, because this type of relating is who God is at his core. Perfect, loving relationship is who God is, always has been, and always will be. While this is difficult for us to comprehend, one joy of believing in the Trinity is experiencing God’s gift of this to us in our lives and relationships. It is the plan and grace of God – Father, Son and Spirit – to empower and lead us toward this eternal end with him and one another.

There is a story in Greek mythology of a great wrestling match between Hercules and Antaeus. Antaeus was a giant who seemed to never tire or lose strength, and as such had never been defeated in a wrestling match. As Hercules engaged him in battle, he ran into the same problem all the rest of Antaeus’ opponents had – he couldn’t break the giant’s great strength. Every time Hercules would throw him to the ground and think Antaeus would be weakened or injured, he would quickly regain his power. Finally, Hercules figured things out. Antaeus’ mother Gaea was the earth, and so as long as Antaeus stayed in contact with her he had strength. So instead of throwing Antaeus to the ground, Hercules lifted Antaeus off of the ground and his strength waned until Hercules defeated the giant.

There is much similarity in this story to that of Samson in Scripture. Samson was afforded extraordinary strength due to his special relationship with the Lord. The symbol of this strength and relationship was his long hair which had never been cut. The hair itself wasn’t the source of Sampson’s strength (although it is easy to get that impression at first glance) but instead his connection with the Lord. When he broke that connection and betrayed that trust to Delilah, then his strength was lost and he was defeated. Only upon connecting once more in his trust of the Lord does Sampson regain his strength and then not even chains or a building can hold him down.

As I’ve thought about my own journey with Jesus this truth is all the more clear. When I look at the times when I’ve really felt beaten down by life – defeated – it has always been at a time when I’ve lost some contact with Jesus. Maybe I was trusting in my own strength or someone else’s in that moment, or maybe it was the struggles of life themselves that pulled me away, but whatever the case I’d lost touch with the one who had knit me together in my mother’s womb – the ultimate source of my strength. On the flip side, when I’ve been in touch with Jesus, when I’ve been at rest in him, my weaknesses in life seem to be swallowed up in his strength. It isn’t something I can really explain, it is simply what I’ve found to be true. It is also what I’ve discovered to be part of the story of God’s people forever.

In Hebrews 11, a chapter which recites many heroes of the faith, the author near the end of this list offers several extraordinary feats these believers accomplished through their connection with God. One of these feats he lists is that their weakness was turned to strength (Heb. 11:34). The things in life that should defeat us, through our connection to Jesus somehow bring a result of strength. This is extraordinary and hard to explain, but then again maybe it shouldn’t surprise us all that much. After all, this is precisely the type of thing that God says would happen when we stay in touch with him – “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isa. 40:31)

“I never saw her, she must have been in my blind spot.” This is a line we might say following an accident or near accident while driving on the road. For those who have driven a few miles over the years in cars or trucks, you know that every vehicle has some blind spots. Depending on the car or truck you are driving these blind spots will be a little different. For example, the blind spots on a tractor trailer won’t be the same as those on a VW Beetle, but all vehicles have them. Regardless of the other benefits, safety features, or power the vehicle might possess, if we aren’t aware of the blind spots, we are likely to get into trouble. Nowadays vehicles are even equipped with extra technology to try and help a driver see these blind spots and be protected from the danger they cause.

I would put forward that as a person I am no different from a car in this matter. I too have lots of benefits – gifts, talents, skills – but I also have some blind spots. My blind spots probably aren’t exactly the same as your blind spots, but they are there nonetheless. If I fail to admit or recognize their presence, it is quite likely that I’m going to run into some trouble. In a car this trouble comes in the form of a car accident, for myself this trouble comes in the form of wrecked or damaged relationships.

God has created us all uniquely and has blessed each of his people with different gifts. Romans 12:4-8 is one of the passages which lists some of these different gifts. Some are prophets, some are servants, some are teachers, some are encouragers, some are givers, some are leaders and some are merciful, Paul writes. These are all good qualities - needed qualities. These are all part of what makes you or me who we are. Yet none of us possess all of them in full, instead some of these characteristics define our personalities more than others. There is nothing wrong with this either; God designed us so that we would need one another in community. However, since this is true, it also means that we have some blind spots driven by our unique personalities. And if I fail to recognize these things, I’m likely to damage relationships with others in the community rather than build them up.

If I have the gift of prophecy my blind spot might be showing mercy, and without recognizing this blind spot, this good gift of prophecy becomes a means to trample others with what they are failing at. If I have a generous personality my blind spot might be recognizing that sometimes plans need to be put into place and executed to truly help someone rather than just a simple act of giving. But if I don’t see this I tend to see those who want to put these plans into place as lacking love or slowing me down. Many of our conflicts in the church and life in general flow from our personality differences and from not being aware of our blind spots. It is healthy for us to have an awareness of our blind spots so that we can avoid the damage they can cause in our relationships. This is especially useful for us in a church community because it helps us see how we need one another. The gift of the prophet is valuable, but she needs the merciful person to check her blind spot. The gift of the generous person is valuable but he needs the leader to check his blind spot, and so on. God has designed us in this way such that we see our need of each other and lean on each other, and, ultimately, that we see our need of him and lean on his strength. “In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

If you’ve driven down Interstate 94 through Indiana before, then you’ve probably noticed the large landfill that sits on the south side of the highway as you pass by Michigan City. This landfill is closed now, and from a quick glance looks as much like a natural area as a landfill nowadays. I have a relationship with this landfill as I spent many days on top of this hill while working as a land surveyor. By the time I was there, the landfill was already closed, so I never saw (and smelled) what it looked like when it was active. However, I did work at several other landfills that were active while I was there.

I found the process of these sites to be somewhat fascinating. We would come out and survey a cell where the garbage was to go. At this point the cell was just a large crater in the ground. But then, as garbage trucks came and went week after week, this crater would become a large hill full of garbage. Eventually this garbage would be covered over by several layers and materials so that little by little the garbage could decompose or be converted into something useful. Once this cover was on the garbage, the sites were converted into more beautiful and useful things like golf courses, hiking trails and nature preserves.

This picture at the landfill made me think of God’s language of covering over our sins. Scripture tells us that we as human beings are by nature landfills of sin. It flows out of us naturally and we stink because of it. But God sends Jesus, and through him forgives and covers over that sin so that we can be something more beautiful and useful – we can be as God created us to be. As we still live our lives here on earth, God’s intention is that this sin is bit by bit decomposing and becoming less a part of us until it is gone.

There is another part of this as well. I mentioned that I never saw the landfill outside Michigan City in an active state, but I worked with a few people who had. This landfill had been closed once before they told me, but it had to be reopened because some things hadn’t been done right. As a result, some of the garbage had to be dug back up and moved to other places. My co-workers described the horrible conditions of working at the site during this stage. The smell was terrible and would attach to them. In fact, a few got thrown out of restaurants they went to for lunch because of how bad they smelled from working there. Once this garbage was covered and decomposing, it isn’t meant to be dug back up.

I think there is a lesson in this picture too. When we come to know Jesus Christ and the forgiveness or covering of our sin that God grants us in him, we are to be changed people. Sin is to be decomposing in us while the fruit of the Spirit is becoming alive in us more and more. When we dig back up parts of that sinful nature after coming to know Christ, it stinks even worse than it did before. Maybe that is why Scripture talks about it being even worse for those who have heard the message of Christ and yet choose to go back into the patterns of sin (see 2 Peter 2:20-21). When we see and experience that God is willing to cover over and get rid of our sins and our sinful nature, we are not meant to uncover that old nature again.

As we reflect again this season on the impact of Jesus’ birth, we need to see with wonder that through him God has covered over our sins. Even now God is putting to death in us the garbage of our sinful nature and bringing us to life as he intended us to live it – in relationship and harmony with him and with each other. God accomplished this by becoming a human being like us, and by taking the weight of our garbage on himself. What forgiveness! What healing! What an awesome God!

“Don’t hurry, don’t worry, you’re only here for a short visit, so be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”

This quote is attributed to a famous, early 20th Century golfer named Walter Hagen. His phrase might even be the origin of the saying, “Stop to smell the roses.” In many ways I’m not surprised that such a quote would come from a golfer. Of all the games and sports out there, golf is one that is meant to be played in a leisurely fashion, and it is meant to be closely connected with nature and the elements. My experience on the golf course probably would be much improved if I would keep those things in mind! What this quote really gets at, though, is taking the time to appreciate the wonder of life that is all around us. This type of wonder, I fear, is being stolen from us by the fast pace of our lives.

Psalm 19 talks about God’s creation pouring forth speech; declaring from one end of the world to the other the glory of God. The wonders of creation tell us of the wonder of the God who created it all. But, it is hard to hear this when you have a million other things to attend to on your schedule. When you have work, and meetings, and kids to get to practice, and parties to plan, and on and on, it is hard to stop and smell the flowers. This is a great loss. This is something we need to reclaim as God’s people.

God created the universe and us in the creative and beautiful way that he has so we could stop and spend some moments simply in awe. So we would see the magnitude of fall colors and be left in wonder of the God who made things like this. So we would see our spouse and be left in awe of the God who put such a complex and unique person together and saw fit to connect them to our life and story. So we would take in the powerful sights and sounds of a lakefront beach and be left in awe at the God who at the beginning separated the land from the water. We can’t let this wonder be taken from us by a busy schedule, by a fast-paced life. We are made, and all creation is made, so that we might be left in awe. We miss some of the purpose of God for us if we miss that. We miss some of how God speaks to us of who he is if we miss that. So, especially now, as things get faster and faster, it is good for us to be reminded to take some time to slow down, to appreciate, and to be left in awe of our God and all that he has done.

“A house does not make a home.” This is a line from rock band U2’s song “Sometimes You Can’t Make it on Your Own”. The band’s lead singer Bono wrote the song as a tribute to his father who died of cancer. The impact of this line is the difference between a house and a home – the difference between a building, furniture and things of that nature, and the presence and love of a real person and family. There might be a building we call a house, but it isn’t a home without the people we love filling it with their presence. In the case of this song, Bono is communicating that his house will feel less like a home without his father’s presence to fill it.

“A house does not make a home.” We have been thinking a lot recently about what it means to be Bethel, what it means to be God’s house. As I listened to this song the other day and heard this line, it struck a chord with me in regards to our vision statement and who we are as a church. A house does not make a home. We can state things nicely in a vision or mission statement, we can have beautiful buildings and a beautiful sanctuary, but while those things might point to us being a church house, they don’t mean in and of themselves that we are God’s home. Home is about real presence; in the case of us as a church it is about the real presence of God. If God is not present in our community, if he is not experienced through our worship, seen through our actions, or imaged through our relationships with one another, then we will have done all we can to build a house, but we won’t be a community that offers God’s home. We need to be intentional and persistent about praying for God’s Spirit, for God’s presence to be with us and before us as a community. Without it, all the other things we have, say and do are nothing more than window dressing.

“A house does not make a home.” Moses certainly knew this. When the Israelites were acting up and worshiping a golden calf, God had seen enough. He calls Moses and says, “Go ahead, you and your people, and go to the land I promised to give them. But I will not go with you because I might destroy you on the way.” But Moses knows that if God does not go with them, they will not be God’s people, they will not be God’s home anymore. Moses says, “We can’t go if you don’t go with us. What will distinguish us from anyone else if you aren’t present with us?” (Exodus 33) God’s people and God’s home are defined by his real presence and the experience of him. Without it, what is there to distinguish us from any other club, or group that has come together? We can’t go forward and live into a vision of who we are as God’s people without God with us. We need to pray for God’s presence always, pray as Moses prays in Exodus, “teach us your ways so we may know you and continue to find favor with you.” A house does not make a home, but the presence of our living God does and always will.