Soul Matters Theme for December
Opening to Joy

When you were a child, you had unfettered access to wonder, curiosity, joy and resilience.  You splashed in puddles, you danced and laughed loudly.  …See the silliness and the happiness that comes from simply breathing.  That joy is yours: it’s inside you, waiting to be unleashed.

When you close your eyes and imagine the things you do from your soul that feel like a river of joy, what do you see?  Take a deep breath on that vision, exhale and repeat. Even as you exhale, hold that thought; let it give you pleasure.  Let it grow your joy muscle.  Claiming joy amplifies it.

…The smell of lilacs in the park, the sensation of a grape bursting in your mouth, the feeling of a hot bath…Times of wonder, a make-you-dance track and sunshine can ignite the feeling of joy, so essential to life itself.

—  Rev.Dr. Jacqui Lewis
Fierce Love: A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness That Can Heal the World, (2021)

The Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis is Senior Minister of Middle Collegiate Church in New York City. Rev Dr. Lewis and her multiracial, fully inclusive congregation work for racial, economic and LGBTQ/gender justice as part of their ministry to heal souls and the world. She is an activist, preacher, educator, and author. Dr. Lewis created two national television programs: Just Faith, an on-demand television program on MSNBC.com, and Chapter and Verse at PBS. Her books include Ten Essential Strategies for Becoming a Multiracial Congregation, and The Power of Stories, a Guide for Leaders in Multi-racial, Multi-cultural Congregations.