Cultivating Joy

Introduction

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. Growing up in Texas, we didn’t experience the four seasons—the brutal heat of summer and the chilling effect of winter are all we had.

One of the joys of moving to New York was experiencing the pops of color during Fall—the vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows.

However, these pops of joy are short-lived for me because now all the leaves have fallen to the ground, which means the labor of love that comes with enjoying fall. Raking of the leaves—oh Joy?

Yet, I know that soon winter will fade, and the hope of spring is around the corner. The leaves will grow again, leading to the joyful season that I find in the spring.

In our Psalm reading, we journey with the Israelites who are rejoicing in their restoration and return to their homeland.

We also pray with them for the hard work and challenging times ahead in cultivating a decimated land. This psalm is their story.

I want to share a story about a friend of mine, Emma. Emma is 81 years old, widowed, has mobility issues, and lost her only mode of transportation.

She contacted Hearts and Hands, looking for someone to drive her to a restaurant. She receives meals weekly from an excellent organization.

However, she missed the social element of eating with her husband and wants a change of scenery from eating home-delivered meals.

She wanted to get out of the house—but more importantly, have a conversation.

She didn’t just want a volunteer driver to take her from the house to the restaurant; she wanted a companion to come in and enjoy a meal while they chatted.

Finding a driver or volunteer to provide this companionship was initially challenging, so I stepped up and took her out.

She told me how she met her husband and what a wonderful man he was. He waited on her hand and foot and treated her like a queen.

So much so that she always asks me to help her figure out the tip because her husband would always do that for her.

When her husband passed away, it was heartbreaking for her. They were soul mates, having met in high school and never dating anyone else.

They had a daughter who was the joy of their lives. She was talented and an accomplished accountant—the first in her family to attend college.

Unfortunately, her daughter was killed in a car accident.

Having lost her husband and her only daughter—Emma was at risk of being socially isolated.

Her health problems and mobility problems resulting in the loss of her ability to drive could have easily exasperated those issues.

According to the U.S. Surgeon General, loneliness has been linked to many negative health consequences, including a higher risk of developing dementia, depression, and even heart disease.

It can have the same impact on your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

There are times when we worry so much that we get stuck. When this occurs, Jesus invites us to cultivate joy in our lives.

The question is, when we get stuck in our story, how does Jesus instruct us to break this writer's block and look towards the kingdom? Let’s dive into the text and see how Jesus invites us to cultivate joy.

Trust in God

In today's gospel lesson, we hear some of the Sermon on the Mount. Specifically, Jesus is teaching his disciples not to worry about life, food, or clothing.

The disciples didn’t have the luxuries that we have today. Can you imagine if Jesus told you not to worry about transportation?

How would we get to our doctor’s appointments? Physicians don’t make house calls these days.

How would we get our food for the upcoming week?

Okay, for those privileged and tech-savvy—imagine Jesus saying not to worry about internet outages.

Whoa! There goes DoorDash and Instacart.

As we gather for the holidays and reconnect with family, it’s essential to put our worries and concerns aside and be present in the moment with our loved ones.

I want to share a story about a friend of mine who is a father who was drowning in worry about his daughter’s choices.

The constant worrying consumed his thoughts and prayers, so he stopped communicating with her.

When he realized that his fears were creating a barrier between them and started to focus more on trust instead of anxiety, they began to reconnect.

Reinforcing that worry can impede our relationships and lead us into isolation.

Our Bible study last week discussed how worrying can become disabling. Ruminating on what’s not going well in our lives can be life-limiting.

Jesus asks, “And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life?”

Jesus is reminding us to be mindful and present in the moment.

As my dear friend John observed, if you’re worrying whether the turkey will be done with the rest of the meal…

You might miss opportunities to catch up with family members and be present.

Worrying can be physically exhausting. It can create tension, agitation, restlessness, stomach discomfort, and increased heart rate.

Last week, we talked about compassion.

Research demonstrates that higher levels of self-compassion are linked to increased feelings of happiness, optimism, curiosity, and connectedness…

…as well as decreased anxiety, depression, rumination, and fear of failure.

When we can be more compassionate towards ourselves and others, we lay the foundation for cultivating joy.

What does cultivating joy look like?

Cultivating joy is rooted in trusting God, as the Israelites trusted God to restore them from exile.

Their fortunes turned, and they were filled with laughter and joy.

Cultivating joy means trusting in God, remembering what God has done for us in the past, and trusting that God will continue to provide and care for us, as the Israelites sang along their pilgrimage.

Cultivating joy means trusting God in our current trials and realizing that our trials are not the end but a pathway to future joy.

Christ's resurrection is the ultimate example of joy emerging from sorrow, inviting us to share that hope.

Cultivating joy is living more into Christ. As we step into this period of thanksgiving with friends and family, I want to invite you to:

Practice gratitude and take the time to reflect on what you’re thankful for.

Spend time with your loved ones and develop authentic relationships you can draw upon when you need a pick-me-up.

Live your faith in action by doing things for others.

Practice self-care, whatever that might look like for you. For me, it might be getting out on a hiking trail or reading a book that isn’t theologically dense for a change!

Trust me, at this point in the semester, I am on the edge of my seat for a good historical novel with court intrigue or an adventure-filled Rick Riordan book.

When we get stuck in our story, Jesus reminds us to break the writer's block by trusting God to cultivate joyful practices.

You are Sacred

Cultivating Joy involves a little more than trusting in God. It also consists of trusting yourself—trusting that you are made in God's image, that you are a child of God, and that you are sacred.

Jesus brings forth this beautiful imagery so that we can reflect upon our sacredness.

“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

Earlier this week, we started to get out our Christmas decorations. Decorating for Christmas brings me joy because it brings back many childhood memories.

My family has always had a tradition of making handmade ornaments, and they were always themed. My ornaments featured a rocking horse, my brother’s a bear, and my sister's a carousel.

These ornaments were special to us… They hold significant meaning and have been carefully cared for over the past forty years.

In the same way, each of us is like that ornament; God created us with extreme value and provides for us.

When we dwell in God’s love and recognize our self-worth in God’s eyes, we create a space to cultivate joy and share it with others.

As family and friends gather over the holiday season, worrying or getting caught up in negative feelings can be easy.

Jesus invites us to embrace our identity as a sacred creation by asking, “Are you not of more value than they? "

I want to invite you to introduce yourself and engage with others with genuine joy.

When someone asks how you are, respond enthusiastically, sharing something positive or joyful about your recent experiences.

This practice cultivates your joy and inspires those around you to recognize their sacredness.

When we get stuck in our story, Jesus reminds us to break the writer's block by recognizing our sacredness to cultivate joy.

Faith in Action

We discussed cultivating joy by trusting in God and recognizing our sacredness.

We touched briefly on living our faith in action to cultivate joy, and I want to explore that a bit more with you all in our closing moments.

Jesus redirects the disciples' attention from worrying to seeking “first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

If we are too caught up in our worries, we lose sight of what is essential. We allow noise into our minds and distractions into our hearts.

How do we live our faith in action if we’re too distracted by our worries? How do we care for our neighbors?

This past week, I had the privilege to honor a Hearts and Hands volunteer with a Paul Harris Recognition, an honor reserved by local Rotary clubs to celebrate individuals who do amazing things in the community.

I saw kingdom work being done through this volunteer.

The volunteer’s name is Al. He has been with our agency for ten years and has volunteered over 800 hours, driving 10,000 miles to help older adults with transportation to medical, social, and wellness appointments.

Al also does much more than transportation. He helps with minor home repairs, such as staining a deck or changing light bulbs.

Al also helps to reduce social isolation by providing companionship. In particular, there is this one widow who is blind and likes to walk around the neighborhood or maybe the outlet mall during the cooler months to get exercise.

You see, friends, when we quiet our minds and still our hearts—we can listen and see that kingdom around us.

We can see neighbors who take care of a widow who lost her husband and needs a touchup on their stairwell.

We can see neighbors who care for the visually impaired and provide exercise by walking around the block in the summer or the outlet mall in the winter.

We see neighbors who care for the most vulnerable in our community by helping them with transportation.

So many times, we think living our faith in action or making a difference requires a grand gesture. We also tend to believe we need to be self-sacrificing. But it doesn’t have to be that way…

You know, one of the practices that I use in my self-care is gratitude.

When I feel stressed or overwhelmed, I take a few moments to pull out some cards—thank you, thinking of you, well wishes—and write two or three notes.

What I am doing here is redirecting my worries and stress into building up others. I am seeking the kingdom of God, where we all care for each other and lean on one another.

When we quiet our minds and still our hearts—we can listen to the needs of those around us and live our faith in action.

Often, we get stuck in our own story because we think it needs to be epic in proportion. However, if there is anything we learn throughout the gospel lessons, tiny seeds—small actions—grow into something even more incredible.

Two weeks ago, I wrote a note to a colleague feeling down and out. The first holiday season is approaching, and he won’t be celebrating with his mother, who recently passed.

I wrote him a note of encouragement, love, and remembrance—a note to honor her legacy and the gift she brought into this world…

…a recognition of the sacredness of this man and the joy he brings into the world.

Days later, I received a tearful phone call about how much that simple note meant and how he was so stuck in his head that he didn’t see his value. That simple act of love, cultivating joy, liberated him from his rumination and saw how special he was.

Friends, when we cultivate joy and seek God's kingdom and righteousness, we allow God to work within us.

When we cultivate joy, we give space for transforming our innermost soul.

Cultivating joy is kingdom work, and as we move into the holidays, I invite you to reflect on how you might cultivate joy by living your faith in action.

Many non-profits in the community provide individual, group, or family-based opportunities.

Some non-profits have opportunities to meet you where you’re at in your lifestyle—whether it’s making phone calls from home, buying a couple of extra cans of soup to put in the blessing box, light office work, driving older adults to essential appointments, delivering meals, or more active work such as raking leaves or snow shoveling for older adults.

There are opportunities for everyone to live their faith in action, and I invite you to explore them here at Covenant or volunteermatch.org.

When we get stuck in our story, Jesus reminds us to break the writer's block by cultivating joy in living our faith in action.

Kerygmatic Fulfillment

Friends, Christ embodies the restoration and joy portrayed in our Psalm reading through His redemptive work and reassurance of God’s provision in the Gospel reading.

Jesus fulfills God's promise of comfort and sustenance to His people, showing the source of our joy and security.

This morning, we sang our opening hymn: “This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long; this is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long.”

Don’t get stuck in your story with worries about whether everything will be perfect this holiday season.

Let us rejoice and be grateful for the many blessings which God provides.

Friends, I invite you to cultivate joy to move your story forward as we move into the holiday season. Trust in God, know you are sacred, and live your faith in action.

In the name of our creator, redeemer, and sustainer, Amen.