I find it really interesting that the first place that Jesus does a miracle in Johns Gospel - with much encouragement from his mum - was to turn water in to wine. At a wedding. Jesus was at a party! Wouldn’t it be great to have had more details - like, was Jesus the first one on the dance floor, or did he prefer to watch his friends dance? (The Chosen series has a really cool episode about Jesus at this party, worth watching!) Either way, Jesus was at the centre of life in the community!
And I wonder what it would have felt like when the Spirit of God was poured out upon Jesus’ disciples on the day of Pentecost. I love Andrew Roberts’ description:
The church was born in gladness - gladness at all that Jesus had done, and gladness in receiving the spirit promised by the prophets. There was gladness in the home, gladness in the temple and gladness on the streets.
Gladness may not be a word we use in everyday speech, but we can “be glad” for others, and it's generally a feeling or state of well-being and contentment, or being filled with joy. Is that your experience of the church today? And of other Christians?
Psalm 100 is all about gladness and praise: “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs… Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
Gladness can be found in mountain top moments of life - when a child is born, or marvelling at the incredible stars in central Otago where there is no other light pollution, or receiving an award you have worked hard for, or getting tickets to see your favourite music artist, or when you watch a close friend getting married.
Gladness can also be felt in the day-to-day - seeing the sunrise, receiving a care package from someone who knows you could need it, joining in with the kids having a water fight, or winning a soccer match.
Scientifically, there has been research looking at the benefit of feeling more joy - from laughter therapy, the power of positive thought, the mind shift when you smile, mindfulness… there is a lot out there. Healthline researched the benefits of feeling more joy, and found that it scientifically promotes a healthier lifestyle, boosts the immune system, and fights stress and pain. Read this article from last year about joy's critical part in Christian transformation.
Offering gladness and generosity is a habit - we need to practice it, and it can often start in the practice of gratitude. A while back I purchased a “gratitude journal" for my 7-year-old niece, not from a Christian bookstore but from a mainstream school book catalogue. It seems the world has caught onto the power of gratitude, and what happens to yourself when you are thankful. The shift that happens from “woe is me” to “wow, lucky me!”
So, what could this look like in our communities? Maybe we could think about the language and tone we use to talk to others - both in person and online. We could spread joy through radical acts of hospitality, having community meals or church picnics with family games. Whether it's hosting church fairs with free face painting or a Christmas tree festival in our local cathedrals, our buildings and activities could be important in community events.
Gladness is good news for us, and good news for our communities. Basically, to have fun together has got to be a good thing right? Being generous benefits all of us, the givers and the receivers. For my family, we have found ways to have fun and share gladness together - but what we have noticed is that we actually have way more fun when we invite others to join us.
By the way, this article made from extracts of my class Whānau on Mission! It offers heaps of suggestions on how to live out faith as a family. You can watch it for free!
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
I find it really interesting that the first place that Jesus does a miracle in Johns Gospel - with much encouragement from his mum - was to turn water in to wine. At a wedding. Jesus was at a party! Wouldn’t it be great to have had more details - like, was Jesus the first one on the dance floor, or did he prefer to watch his friends dance? (The Chosen series has a really cool episode about Jesus at this party, worth watching!) Either way, Jesus was at the centre of life in the community!
And I wonder what it would have felt like when the Spirit of God was poured out upon Jesus’ disciples on the day of Pentecost. I love Andrew Roberts’ description:
The church was born in gladness - gladness at all that Jesus had done, and gladness in receiving the spirit promised by the prophets. There was gladness in the home, gladness in the temple and gladness on the streets.
Gladness may not be a word we use in everyday speech, but we can “be glad” for others, and it's generally a feeling or state of well-being and contentment, or being filled with joy. Is that your experience of the church today? And of other Christians?
Psalm 100 is all about gladness and praise: “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs… Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
Gladness can be found in mountain top moments of life - when a child is born, or marvelling at the incredible stars in central Otago where there is no other light pollution, or receiving an award you have worked hard for, or getting tickets to see your favourite music artist, or when you watch a close friend getting married.
Gladness can also be felt in the day-to-day - seeing the sunrise, receiving a care package from someone who knows you could need it, joining in with the kids having a water fight, or winning a soccer match.
Scientifically, there has been research looking at the benefit of feeling more joy - from laughter therapy, the power of positive thought, the mind shift when you smile, mindfulness… there is a lot out there. Healthline researched the benefits of feeling more joy, and found that it scientifically promotes a healthier lifestyle, boosts the immune system, and fights stress and pain. Read this article from last year about joy's critical part in Christian transformation.
Offering gladness and generosity is a habit - we need to practice it, and it can often start in the practice of gratitude. A while back I purchased a “gratitude journal" for my 7-year-old niece, not from a Christian bookstore but from a mainstream school book catalogue. It seems the world has caught onto the power of gratitude, and what happens to yourself when you are thankful. The shift that happens from “woe is me” to “wow, lucky me!”
So, what could this look like in our communities? Maybe we could think about the language and tone we use to talk to others - both in person and online. We could spread joy through radical acts of hospitality, having community meals or church picnics with family games. Whether it's hosting church fairs with free face painting or a Christmas tree festival in our local cathedrals, our buildings and activities could be important in community events.
Gladness is good news for us, and good news for our communities. Basically, to have fun together has got to be a good thing right? Being generous benefits all of us, the givers and the receivers. For my family, we have found ways to have fun and share gladness together - but what we have noticed is that we actually have way more fun when we invite others to join us.
By the way, this article made from extracts of my class Whānau on Mission! It offers heaps of suggestions on how to live out faith as a family. You can watch it for free!
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
