I hate to disappoint you if you came here this morning hoping to hear about the incredibly popular reality show Duck Dynasty. I stole the title for my sermon from the newly published book by Phil Robertson, the hirsute patriarch of his bearded family, who are now millionaires because of Phil’s invention of a superior duck call, the Duck Commander. Phil’s wisdom and deeply conservative Christian views are found in his book. I agree with my friend David Cook that programs like Duck Dynasty are part of a genre depicting Southerners as Hillbilly clowns. Think Beverly Hillbillies. I have to confess that before I became a Southerner I myself had some of those same prejudices, but enough of that. I hope you are here this morning because you want to be happy. So do I. But since few if any of us will invent something to bring us millions and make us happy, we have to find the answer in another direction. Phil and I share one conviction: the secret to happiness can be found in the teachings of Jesus.

Jesus had a lot to say about happiness. He begins his Sermon on the Mount with teachings about how to be happy. Before I get to that, the scholar in me needs to point out that the Sermon on the Mount is not a sermon at all but a collection of Jesus’ sayings that were recalled by his later followers. That doesn’t really matter.

Despite our understanding that Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, we need to remember that Jesus was also a man of good humor and joy. How do I know that is true? The Gospels tell us that Jesus was often invited to dinner parties. Can you imagine some man saying to his wife, “Let’s invite Jesus to dinner tonight. You know what a downer he is.” Nonsense! Jesus brought joy and happiness almost everywhere he went.

So it is not surprising that his teaching begins with a series of statements about happiness. Traditionally, we call these words “The Beatitudes” or “The Blesseds” because in older versions of the Bible, such as the King James Version, the word “blessed” is used. Contemporary translations such as the Good News Bible translate the same Greek word as happy instead of blessed because it probably comes closer in English to what Jesus meant. But the word happy has been used in so many superficial ways that we might come even closer to Jesus’ real meaning with words like satisfied or fulfilled.

When you stop to think about it, that is really what true happiness means, isn’t it? To be satisfied or fulfilled, to have a sense of wholeness or completeness? If we want to be happy, those are the qualities in life we are really looking for.

With that in mind, let’s look at these familiar words and see if Jesus can help us find the secret of happiness for our own lives. A convenient way to understand the nine beatitudes is to divide them into four groupings. “Happiness will come,” says Jesus, “to the persons who see their limitations; who seek help; who seize opportunities; and who serve, regardless of the cost.”

Let’s look at each of these four qualities of happiness.

First, happiness comes to those who see their own limitations. In our world we don’t like to see our limitations. We like to pretend that we are equal to anything. Because of business and professional expectations we may face, we aren’t likely to admit publicly any of our limitations. Our society rewards self-confident achievers and tends to penalize self-doubting believers, so we are likely to keep our beliefs and doubts to ourselves and pretend that we are capable of handling anything that comes along. While a certain amount of self-confidence is necessary for success in life, carried too far it can wreak havoc on persons and families.

Nothing can be more disastrous to a person than to think that he or she must always achieve, always succeed, always excel. Some of the most miserable people in the world are those who are constantly trying to prove to themselves how great they are. At the same time, some of the most dejected people are those who feel guilty because there is no way they can live up to the demands and expectations that their friends, their parents or peers impose upon them.

To all such people who are disappointed or discouraged as they chase madly after success, Jesus says: “Stop trying so hard. Be human. Remember that God knows us better than we know ourselves and God loves us in spite of our successes or failures.” Let go; Let God! See your limitations. Acknowledge them. Face them. Accept them. Live with them. Blessed – happy – are those who see their limitations – those who are poor in spirit; those who mourn; those who are humble.

There is a second way to be happy, said Jesus: “seek help in the right places. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. They shall be filled.”

In fairness to our Master I think I should point out that the original form of this beatitude is probably found in the Gospel of Luke: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they shall be filled.” Jesus was deeply concerned about people suffering want and deprivation. He wanted to assure them of God’s concern for them. You and I do not suffer from such poverty or hunger. I also think there is always a temptation to “spiritualize” some of the harder demands of the Gospel. Nevertheless, in this instance, I think Matthew has a valid insight. You and I may be spiritually malnourished whether we know it or not. Some are actually starving to spiritual death. And this is the strangest fact of all: many of these malnourished and starving people are in places of worship every week! And they go home as unfilled as when they came.

Of course, a part of the responsibility for that has to be laid at the door of the clergy. Sermons can be dull and irrelevant. Worship can be tired traditionalism or mindless innovation. But having acknowledged the problems that wait for us in our houses of worship, I am still convinced that most of the problem of spiritual malnourishment and starvation is brought with us into the pews. So many people come to worship neither expecting nor really wanting anything from God. In their own eyes, they’ve “got it all.” So why do they come week after week? Out of habit, I suppose, or as a way of keeping up appearances or because they want to be with family.

I understand that there comes a stage in starvation where one scarcely feels the hunger or thirst anymore – but that is the stage just before death. How is it for you? Do you know what it is to be hungry? To be thirsty? Do you know what it is to have a deep desire for God that feels as sharp as the pangs of hunger and thirst? If you feel those pangs, then you are on the road to true happiness. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for God’s spirit – whose greatest desire is to have lives in relationship with God.

There is a third way we can be happy. “Happy,” said Jesus, “are those who seize their opportunities.” Be careful now. We don’t want to get back into the success-oriented, fast track of life. Happy are those who seize the opportunity to show mercy rather than judgment; who rely on clear purposes rather than devious manipulations; who make peace rather than breed discord.

Up to now in our consideration of the Beatitudes, we have been talking about how we get ourselves in the way of God so that God cannot get through to us. But now the mood changes and Jesus tells us that there are places where asserting ourselves is good. “Blessed,” he said, “are the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers.” Notice that each of these qualities requires us to assert ourselves on behalf of others.

With keen understanding of human nature Jesus puts mercy next to purity of heart! The two together can spare us from being self-righteous about our own brand of purity. Actually, purity of heart is not so much a matter of our morals as it is a matter of being a clear channel through which God can act. And notice this: we need a lot of God’s mercy to overcome our own self-righteous purity. We also need to offer that same kind of mercy to others.

The people of mercy will see God, says Jesus. Not in God’s fullness – not face to face – but in showing mercy, we will feel a powerful sense of God’s presence. And this will lead us to be peacemakers among our friends as well as in our world so that redemptive power can begin its healing work. Blessed – happy, fulfilled, satisfied – are those who struggle for peace and do it in peaceful ways! Those who in the body politic who reconcile rather than retaliate, who develop relationships rather than destroy them, who build bridges rather than tear them down. Blessed are those who seize such opportunities – the merciful, the pure in purpose, the peacemakers.

Fourth, and finally, it all adds up to the fulfillment and happiness of those who serve, regardless of the cost.

In a world where we are taught from an early age to push ourselves forward and make a favorable impression, how refreshing to know there is another kind of world: a world where we serve, regardless of the consequences; a world where character is more important than circumstances; and a world where conviction shapes the final measure of our lives.

“Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires.” Do you know why? Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.” Not in the sky, by and by, but here and now. Right here on earth they are already in heaven and draw strength and power from it. They belong to a larger world with another set of values. They draw on personal and spiritual resources which give them that sweet combination of courage and compassion. Those who are sensitive can see it in their faces and hear it in their words. Whether it be in those well-known like Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa, or Martin Luther King, Jr., or in the hundreds and thousands of unknown saints of God, there is an inner radiance. Blessed are those who serve, regardless of the cost. They have found true happiness. They are in heaven right now though they are too humble to say so.

So how can we be happy and blessed? We can …

… see our limitations,

… seek help in the right places,

… seize opportunities to show mercy and make peace,

… serve, regardless of the cost or consequences.

That is the secret to real happiness. The good news is that we all can have it, have it if we want it. Do you want to be happy? Jesus says we can. Let’s begin now.