Fulcrum

Jesus is the center of it all; To find true balance, we have to submit to him.

We can spend a lot of time and energy trying to find peace and happiness in this life. We have plenty of opportunity to spend money to achieve happiness in this life as well. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson lists happiness as one of our inalienable Rights. Does any one ever use the word “inalienable” outside of quoting the Declaration? Its a strange word 'inalienable'. Inalienable means that they cannot be taken away. It is something that is belongs to us by our very nature. We can't give it up even if we wanted to.

So we always have the right to pursue happiness. We try to do things that will bring us happiness and it seems that Happiness comes and goes or rather our awareness of our happiness comes and goes.

It seems like happiness came a little easier when we were kids. Your memories are probably different then mine. But it seems like the simple things of life brought the most happiness. At cookie at grandmas house has a greater impact than the most extravagant gift. Getting out of school at the end of the school year creates an unparalleled bliss for students (at least it did for me). Getting the attention of someone you particularly like...that's the stuff of happiness.

We forget these things though, or we think we can have more happiness by getting more cookies, or more attention or more of what ever. So we focus on getting more, so that our happiness will increase. We need to make more money to get more things. So that means we have to get a job that gives us that money...so that means that we need to pick a career that will give us that money...so we need to make the right life decisions that will lead us to that career. All in the pursuit of happiness. We struggle, work, toil all so that we can have the THINGS that will eventually lead us to that lifestyle that we have in our minds that will make us happy.

Butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, flour, baking soda, chocolate chips. Do you know what that makes? A pretty good chocolate chip cookie.

Will a chocolate chip cookie bring you happiness? No not in an of it's self. But there was a day at my grandma's house on cold water lake a few decades ago when she and I combined those ingredients and I licked that raw batter of the beater she removed from her mixer and I felt happy.

It must have been the recipe that she used, right? It must have been the right combination of the high humidity from the lake along with atmospheric pressure that day at that elevation. It must have been the temperature outside along with the deep shade of green that was the color of her lawn. It must have been the brand of products she used as ingredients to produce that kind of care free contentment, right?

In the Gospel lesson today Jesus ascends into heaven before the eyes of his disciples. That part is a mystery. When I was a child in the faith I imagined that scene as Jesus floating higher and higher as a kite would go as you let out more and more string. I am less sure about that image but what I do know is that he was with them then he was not.

But before that happened Jesus did something wonderful for his disciples.

He opened their minds so the could understand the scriptures. He explained to them how everything in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.

Jesus was the fulfillment. But we are also partners with Jesus in the fulfillment. Jesus gives the disciples and us a role to play in that fulfillment. “He said to them that the Christ would suffer and would rise from the dead on the third day, (his part) and repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem (our part). And look, I am sending you what my father promised. Bu stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

The law, prophets and psalms leading to Jesus, the fulfilled promise of the Holy Spirit centered on the Revelation of God on Jesus is our spiritual reality. Jesus is the center. Jesus is the focus. Jesus is the fulcrum.

It's like this: a simple lever. We have the whole system (a lever consisting of a board on a block). It only works if we have the fulcrum.

This reminds me of when I played with Lincoln logs as a kid. This was way before Wii, way before Nintendo and a little before the personal computer. With Lincoln logs you could build little log structures. It was fun for a while. But when the fun of building started to run out I would take the log pieces and place on it one of the plank pieces used for roofing . on one end of the plank piece I would place one of the small log pieces. Then I would strike, as hard as I could the other end of the plank to send that little piece flying as high and as far as I could make it go.

Sure ...I made dents in the ceiling but I was learning about physics, right?

Levers are useful. I found out how useful when Alex and I went on a mission trip a few years a go and we were dry-walling. It was my first experience with that kind of work and I was shown how to use a crow bar to lift a piece of dry wall into place so we could attach it to the wall. I would have struggled to hold that thing up while trying to attach it and it would have looked terrible. The tool worked.

The thing is we have to be careful that we are not using Jesus as a tool. Jesus did not come for us to use him as leverage.

Instead of a crowbar think more in terms of a teeter-totter. Teeter-totters are meant for children to enjoy. The good thing about teeter-totters is that you need someone else to make use of it. You lend your wight and your friend lends theirs and together you have fun. The problem with teeter-totters is when you friend decides to leave when you are still elevated and you hit the ground faster than you had hoped you would. You can play on a teeter-totter by your self but you have to be in the middle. You have to find balance. Either way Jesus, the fulcrum is at the center of it.

There is still a problem with this analogy though. Jesus is at the center but it is us who is in control. It is us who is striving and making the decisions. The spiritual life should look more like this (put the block on top of the plank.)

Jesus is the center of it all but to find true balance we have to submit to him. Jesus is not our tool. Jesus is not our source of entertainment. Jesus is our Lord. He has to come first. He has to be over us and before us before we can find true happiness.

So how is it with you today? Are you striving for happiness. I want to invite you today to look to Jesus for your happiness. Not as a means to get what you want. Not as a vehicle to get to where you want to go but finding happiness in his presence as his disciple learning from Him and listening for his voice.