This week we, as a country, will be celebrating our 250th Anniversary. We are a diverse country and so people acknowledge this date in different ways: Some of you are celebrating by getting together with family and friends, others will attend fireworks. Some may be protesting the ways they feel the country has not lived up our promises and values. But, however you celebrate our country’s anniversary, I’m glad that you are here today.
Thomas Jefferson penned the inspirational and aspirational preamble of The Declaration of Independence which declares, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and….. the Pursuit of happiness.”
Life, Liberty, the pursuit of happiness – these are good words, inspiring words – carefully chosen to be words upon which even in a divided society then and now, all people can agree.
But what does “the pursuit of happiness” mean? I recently learned that an earlier draft said “property”. But the pursuit of happiness was and is more expansive than property. It is not seeking fleeting pleasures, striving to get ahead, or to accumulate the most riches. That was what the King of England represented. It is not about “pulling oneself up you’re your bootstraps” and seeking the best for you and yours. That’s individualism. Instead, the pursuit of happiness meant then and now becoming the best that you could be – and that included civic engagement and caring for the neighbor.
And that sounds like what Jesus calls us to do. Love and care for the neighbor. The “pursuit of happiness” means caring for not only ourselves but also our neighbor and the world around us.
But it is easy for us to go astray.
Jesus has been healing and teaching and proclaiming Good news to the people – but, in the beginning of our Gospel, Jesus sounds frustrated with “this generation” – which could apply to our generation too. In that day, people – especially the Pharisees, those who were supposed to be focused on following God’s word and God’s way were not listening to God’s message. They didn’t listen to John the Baptist and they didn’t listen to Jesus. Instead, they were so intent on following the human interpretation of those laws that they ended up putting their interpretation of the law above God.
In the verses that the lectionary skips over, Jesus pronounces WOE on the cities where he had done a lot of teaching – and yet they (the religious leaders especially) had not listened. But then… in the midst of his tirade against these cities, Jesus breaks into prayer.
Wouldn’t that be a great thing for us to emulate? At those times in which we are furious with something – and with reason – that we do what Jesus did. Instead of letting the horrible thing take up all of our energy and consume us, we turn away from focusing on it– whatever it is -- and instead start talking with God.
When Jesus says Amen, he turns to the people, full of compassion and, reading from Eugene Peterson’s translation Jesus says:
Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
For you see, the pursuit of happiness is found in following Jesus. Jesus invites us, actually commands us to rest – to put away our strivings and instead follow him and “Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”
Taking time to rest isn’t always easy to do when there are pressing needs around us. But this is nothing new. I read a story recently of a group of faithful pioneers on a journey to California in a wagon train. They travelled six days and then, taking their sabbath, they would rest on the seventh day. But as the seasons changed, some in their group were anxious that they were going to get there before winter and so they argued that they should keep going and not take a break for the Sabbath. The group split into two and the next Sabbath, some of them kept going, while the others rested. Guess which group got to California first? It turned out that not only did the people need to stop to pray and rest, but the horses needed a break too and pulled much more strongly and quickly when they got a Sabbath rest.
After all, in Deuteronomy when God gave the commandment to rest – it was for all of God’s creation – not just for the rich and powerful and not just for people. The workers, the animals, the land all need rest.
This rest that Jesus calls us into is not a perpetual vacation. Jesus invites us, commands us, to take a real rest.
But even though we need rest, what Jesus invites into is more than just rest. Jesus invites us to “learn from me.” As one scholar points out, The command to “learn from me” in the Greek is related to the word for “disciple.” This is an invitation to discipleship and to living a life with Jesus.
This is also the answer to our pursuit of happiness It is an invitation to walk with Jesus so that we learn how to live “freely and lightly.” For when we walk freely and lightly – the “burden” ; the mission that we are given feels light.
For example, a friend of mine in Northfield got involved in driving students to school during the “surge” of ICE this past winter. She said that even while she was horrified at the way her neighbors were forced to live – she was really happy to get to know her neighbors kids in driving them to school. And she was surprised at the joy of community that she shared in being a part of the crew that helped simply drive scared kids to school. She did not see this work as a hardship. As Jesus said, ...” I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.” Or, in the words of an old song, “He aint heavy; He’s my brother.” She – and many others - felt honored to be able to help her neighbor.
God has called us into community, for to be yoked with Jesus means to care for our neighbor just as Jesus cares for us. I see that in the work that the New Creation teams have been doing in building relationships, sharing the gifts of our congregations and in exploring, together the possibilities for a future life together.
Brothers and sisters, siblings in Christ, may your “pursuit of happiness” be filled by your walk with Jesus who promises not to lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. But to instead fill you with joy, peace, love and courage and to give you rest. Thanks be to God. Amen.