are you happy?

Don't we all just want to be happy? I know I do, which is why this last Sunday's sermon was especially sweet. Brian is a friend of ours - we had the pleasure of getting to know him and his lovely wife Sonia while he served as an intern at Capitol Hill Baptist. They have been living in North Carolina the past year, and will soon be moving to Philadelphia to plant a new church. It was so nice to catch up with him as he stopped by Del Ray Baptist last Sunday to deliver the sermon.

Speaking of the sermon, it was so, so good. Sometimes as Christians we spend a lot of time talking about sin and our need for a Savior. Those are good things. Confessing sin and meditating on our dependence on God are necessary for the Christian life. Being a Christian certainly isn't just about being happy, but have you been rejoicing in your Savior lately? We are happy travelers with happy hearts headed to a happy destination. Hopefully you can delight in that truth today, especially if you are feeling weary.

As Brian said, "Jesus is the captain of happiness." I love that. So listen & be happy.

We also sang this hymn on Sunday, which is an old spiritual written by a Methodist preacher in the 1800s. It's not a familiar hymn to me, but it's quickly becoming a favorite. [Here is a college choir singing it. Lyrics are below.]

Hark, I hear the harps eternal
Ringing on the farther shore,
As I near those swollen waters
With their deep and solemn roar.

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, praise the lamb!
Halleluja, hallelujah,
Glory to the great I AM!

And my soul, tho' stained with sorrow,
Fading as the light of day,
Passes Swiftly o'er those water,
To the city far away. 

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, praise the lamb!
Halleluja, hallelujah,
Glory to the great I AM!

Some have crossed before us safely, 
To that land of perfect rest;
Can you hear them singing faintly
In the mansions of the blest?

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, praise the lamb!
Halleluja, hallelujah,
Glory to the great I AM!

Mighty Jesus bear us over
There to kneel before they throne.
May we join Thy saints forever
Praising Thee and Thee alone. 

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, praise the lamb!
Halleluja, hallelujah,
Glory to the great I AM!