Are you Happy?

An interesting simple survey was recently completed. Interesting because the original survey was conducted in 1938 in Britain. The question: "What is Happiness?"

The 226 respondents were then asked to rank what 10 factors made them happy in order of importance.
The top 3:
1.) Security made the top spot!
2.) Knowledge made the number 2 spot!
3.) Religion made the number three spot!

Now 76 years later in 2015 the same question was asked and 489 people responded. The new top 3: Leisure, Good humor, and Security. The report did not list the order but it did say that religion has fallen to, you guessed it….number 10, last on the list!

The study is definitely not a real scientific study. For one thing, it depends on how people define religion. I would probably list "religion" at the bottom of the list too.

But one thing for sure, church, however you define that, is definitely not a priority for many today. Again I can see why. But let me give you a thought. God is a relational God. He wants to be in a full blown, intimate relationship with us. We have the Holy Spirit within us. He made all of us to be in a relationship with one another. A loving, caring, sharing, helping, forgiving, come to the rescue relationship with one another. Can that happen outside the church? Absolutely, but the church offers something that no other gathering does, God as the focus. It is once a week we come together with God as our focus! Sure we can go to our friends house and go on vacations, and meet people for dinner, and for meetings but church is the place where we come and meet and focus on God and our broken relationship with Him!

The reason for Church is to connect with God with other like minded people who agree that there is something "NOT Right" about us and the world and our relationship with God. It is at church where we struggle and sing, and question, and pray, and seek, and HOPE, that God will meet us at our brokenness! It's all we have.

Hope to see you this Sunday, Mothers day, at church! 12:00 noon 800 North Main Edwardsville, Immanuel Methodist Church.

Love, Pastor Kent