This was not a very joyful time for me, and I recognized it.

Eventually, though not entirely by my choice, that job came to an end. At first, all I could think about was how much harder life was going to get as I needed to search for new employment. But I soon recognized the opportunity that was before me to refocus on church and my service in it. Sunday quickly became my favorite day of the week – a day when I could attend church for all three hours, home teach and otherwise be uplifted through my interactions with members of my ward. Sundays became a joyful day for me.

I’ve thought of this period of my life as a critical moment that shaped my testimony of Jesus Christ and his church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was a time where I could see clearly what my life was like at one point and compare it with what my life was like at another point. The differences were striking. I would never want to go back to where I was prior to losing that job.

Joy was the theme addressed by Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the general conference of the church in October.

In his talk, Elder Kearon focused on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints being the church of joy.

“I was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Christmas Eve of 1987, nearly 37 years ago,” he said. “That was a truly wonderful day in my life and in my eternal journey, and I’m profoundly grateful for the friends who prepared the way and brought me to the waters of that new birth.

“Whether your baptism was yesterday or years ago, whether you meet in a large multiward church building or under a thatched canopy, whether you receive the sacrament in remembrance of the savior in Thai or Swahili, I would like to say to you, welcome to the church of joy. Welcome to the church of joy.”

He continued, “Because of the loving plan of our Heavenly Father for each of his children, and because of the redeeming life and mission of our savior, Jesus Christ, we can — and should — be the most joyful people on earth. Even as the storms of life in an often-troubled world pound upon us, we can cultivate a growing and abiding sense of joy and inner peace because of our hope in Christ and our understanding of our own place in the beautiful plan of happiness.

“The Lord’s senior apostle, President Russell M. Nelson, has spoken of the joy that comes from a life centered on Jesus Christ in nearly every address he has given since becoming the president of the church. He summed it up so concisely: ‘Joy comes from and because of him. … For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy.'” (Hebrews 12:2)

I would like to emphasize Elder Kearon’s point by highlighting that President Nelson used the word “joy” four times in his most recent general conference address, which was about Jesus Christ’s eventual return to earth. I found his comments extremely instructive. Here are the references:

“Here is my promise to you: Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find him in the temple. You will feel his mercy. You will find answers to your most vexing questions. You will better comprehend the joy of his gospel.” (Alma 26:16)

“Jesus Christ took upon himself your sins, your pains, your heartaches and your infirmities. (Alma 7:11-12; Luke 4:18) You do not have to bear them alone. He will forgive you as you repent. He will bless you with what you need. (Alma 7:12) He will heal your wounded soul. (Psalm 147:3; Jacob 2:8) As you yoke yourself to him, your burdens will feel lighter. (Mosiah 24:14) If you will make and keep covenants to follow Jesus Christ, you will find that the painful moments of your life are temporary. Your afflictions will be ‘swallowed up in the joy of Christ.'” (Alma 31:38)

“Come unto Christ and ‘offer your whole [soul]’ to him. (Omni 1:26) This is the secret to a life of joy!”

“I bear my solemn witness that Jesus Christ is the son of God. I am his disciple. I am honored to be his servant. At his second coming, ‘the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.’ That day will be filled with joy for the righteous!”

Simply put, following Jesus Christ brings joy.

Much of Elder Kearon’s talk focused on the one-hour weekly gathering of church members referred to as sacrament meeting. Elder Kearon broke down the various components of the meeting, highlighting – with some humor – how Latter-day Saints can better allow themselves to feel the joy that is meant to be felt in the church.

“We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ. We are members of the church of joy. And nowhere should our joy as a people be more apparent than when we gather together each sabbath in our sacrament meetings to worship the source of all joy,” Elder Kearon said. “Here, we assemble with our ward and branch families to celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, our deliverance from sin and death and the savior’s powerful grace. Here, we come to experience the joy, refuge, forgiveness, thanksgiving and belonging found through Jesus Christ.

“Is this spirit of collective rejoicing in Christ what you find? Is this what you bring? Maybe you think this doesn’t have much to do with you, or perhaps you are simply used to how things have always been done. But we can all contribute, no matter our age or our calling, to making our sacrament meetings the joy-filled, Christ-focused, welcoming hour they can be, alive with a spirit of joyful reverence.

“Joyful reverence? ‘Is that a thing?’ you may ask. Well, yes, it is. We deeply love, honor and respect our God, and our reverence flows from a soul that rejoices in Christ’s abundant love, mercy and salvation. This joyful reverence to the Lord should characterize our sacred sacrament meetings.

“However, for many, reverence only means this: folding our arms tightly around our chests, bowing our heads, closing our eyes, and holding still — indefinitely.”

This was a particularly humorous moment as Elder Kearon physically demonstrated folding his arms, bowing his head and closing his eyes. He continued: “This might be a helpful way to teach energetic young children, but as we grow and learn, let us see that reverence is so much more than this. Is that how we would be if the savior were with us? No, for ‘in [his] presence is fulness of joy.’ (Psalm 16:11)

“Well, for many of us this transformation in sacrament services will take practice.”

The thought I had as I was listening to those words was that if we truly understood the purpose of sacrament meeting – why we are going and what is happening during that meeting – then we should have joy. We should have joy celebrating “the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, our deliverance from sin and death and the savior’s powerful grace.” We know what would have been the eternal destiny of our spirits if not for the atonement of Jesus Christ, so how can we not feel joy?

Another thought came in one simple line that Elder Kearon used: “Is this spirit of collective rejoicing in Christ what you find? Is this what you bring?”

Some people might say they don’t necessarily feel the “spirit of collective rejoicing in Christ” when they attend sacrament meeting. Maybe they don’t like what someone said. Maybe they don’t like how someone behaved. Maybe they’re so overwhelmed with life’s challenges that they forget what the purpose of sacrament meeting is. The question any of us who struggle in that way should be asking is: Are we bringing that spirit of rejoicing in Christ with us to sacrament meeting?

Joy is infectious. When one person exudes joy, other people around that person feel it and are more likely to exude it themselves. We all can and should take greater responsibility for the way other people behave by looking at how we personally behave.

A critical component of feeling joy at church comes in our motivation behind attending. Are we merely attending, or are we actively worshipping? Elder Kearon spoke of the difference.

“We do not gather on the sabbath simply to attend sacrament meeting and check it off the list,” he said. “We come together to worship. There is a significant difference between the two. To attend means to be present at. But to worship is to intentionally praise and adore our God in a way that transforms us.”

There’s a transformative power that comes from proper sacrament meeting worship. I know exactly what that feels like. If you aren’t feeling that transformative power, a helpful question would be: Are you intentionally praising and adoring God? Or are you only there because it’s where you figure you’re supposed to be?

What other actions can we take that will better allow us to feel the joy that is meant to be felt during sacrament meeting?

Elder Kearon continued, “If we are gathering in remembrance of the savior and the redemption he has made possible, our faces should reflect our joy and gratitude. Elder F. Enzio Busche once told the story of when he was a branch president and a young boy in the congregation looked at him on the stand and asked loudly, ‘What is the man with that mean face doing up there?’ Those who sit on the stand — speakers, leaders, choirs — and those who gather in the congregation communicate to each other this ‘welcome to the church of joy’ through the expressions they wear on their faces.

“As we sing, are we joining together to praise our God and King no matter the quality of our voices, or are we just mumbling or not singing at all? Scripture records that ‘the song of the righteous is a prayer unto [God]’ in which his soul delights. (Doctrine and Covenants 25:12) So let’s sing. And praise him. (Psalm 100:1)

“We center our talks and testimonies on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the fruits of humbly living their gospel, fruits that are ‘sweet above all that is sweet.’ Then we truly ‘feast … even until [we] are filled, that [we] hunger not, neither … thirst,’ (Alma 32:42) and our burdens become lighter through the joy of the son.” (Alma 33:23)

Most importantly, and the entire point of sacrament meeting, is the actual sacrament service.

“The glorious focal point of our services is the blessing and receiving of the sacrament itself, the bread and the water representing the atoning gift of our Lord and the whole purpose of our gathering,” Elder Kearon said. “This is ‘a sacred time of spiritual renewal’ when we witness anew that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ and make again the covenant to always remember the savior and keep his commandments.

“In some seasons of life, we may approach the sacrament with heavy hearts and overwhelming loads. At other times, we come free and unburdened from cares and troubles. As we listen intently to the blessing of the bread and water and partake of those sacred tokens, we may feel to reflect on the sacrifice of the savior, his agonies in Gethsemane, his anguish on the cross and the sorrows and pains he endured on our behalf. That will be what relieves our souls as we connect our suffering to his. At other times, we will feel to wonder with grateful awe at the ‘exquisite and sweet’ joy of what Jesus’s magnificent gift has made possible in our lives and in our eternities. (Alma 36:21) We will rejoice for what is yet to come — our cherished reunion with our beloved Father and risen savior.

“We may have been conditioned to suppose that the purpose of the sacrament is to sit in the pew thinking only about all the ways we messed up during the week before. But let’s turn that practice on its head. In the stillness, we can ponder the many ways we have seen the Lord relentlessly pursue us with his wonderful love that week. We can reflect on what it means to ‘discover the joy of daily repentance.’ We can give thanks for the times the savior entered into our struggles and our triumphs and the occasions when we felt his grace, forgiveness and power giving us strength to overcome our hardships and bear our burdens with patience and even good cheer. (Mosiah 24:13-15)

“Yes, we ponder the sufferings and injustices inflicted upon our redeemer for our sin, and that does cause sober reflection. But we sometimes get stuck there — in the garden, at the cross, inside the tomb. We fail to move upward to the joy of the tomb bursting open, the defeat of death and Christ’s victory over all that might prevent us from gaining peace and returning to our heavenly home. Whether we shed tears of sorrow or tears of gratitude during the sacrament, let it be in awesome wonder at the good news of the Father’s gift of his son.” (John 3:16-17)

We should be remembering the savior and his atonement throughout the whole week, but we have one day each week set apart especially as “a sacred time of spiritual renewal.” Are we thinking about all the things Elder Kearon discussed?

Of course, despite all this knowledge, and sometimes despite our best attempts, sacrament meeting, and, specifically, the sacrament service, may not entirely be what we would like it to be. Elder Kearon mentioned one potential reason.

“Now, for parents of children who are young or have special needs, there is often no such thing as a time of stillness and quiet reflection during the sacrament,” he said. “But in small moments throughout the week, you can teach by example the love, gratitude and joy you feel for and from the savior as you constantly care for his little lambs. No effort in this pursuit is wasted. God is so aware of you.”

Building on that point, he said, “Likewise at home, we can begin to enhance our hopes and expectations for our time at church. In family councils, we can discuss how each individual can contribute in meaningful ways to welcoming all to the church of joy. We can plan and expect to have a joyful experience at church.

“Ward and branch councils can envision and create a culture of joyful reverence for our sacrament hour, identifying practical steps and visual cues to help.”

What are we doing at home each week to put ourselves in a position to have a joyful experience at church? I think one trap I sometimes fall into is I get so busy during the week that I don’t even think about Sunday and the joyful experience at church I hope to have. Then Sunday comes, and I’m grateful for it, and it can be a good experience, but I wonder what it could be if I was more proactive in my efforts to “plan and expect to have a joyful experience at church” throughout each week.

“Joy looks different for different people,” Elder Kearon said. “For some, it may be exuberant greetings at the door. For others, it might be quietly helping people feel comfortable by smiling and sitting next to them with a kind and open heart. For those who feel left out or on the margins, the warmth of this welcome will be crucial. Ultimately, we can ask ourselves how the savior would want our sacrament hour to be. How would he want each one of his children to be welcomed, cared for, nourished and loved? How would he want us to feel when we come to be renewed through remembering and worshipping him?”

One lesson I keep learning over and over again is that the savior is willing to teach me if I’m willing to learn. If I want my sacrament hour to be what he wants it to be for me, if I want those around me to feel welcomed, cared for, nourished and loved the way he would want, if I want to feel renewed through remembering and worshipping him like I know he wants me to, then what do I need to do? There are answers he is willing to give me if I’m willing to hear it.

While closing his talk, Elder Kearon said: “At the start of my journey of faith, joy in Jesus Christ was my first great discovery, and it changed my world. If you have yet to discover this joy, embark on its quest. This is an invitation to receive the savior’s gift of peace, light and joy — to revel in it, to wonder at it and to rejoice in it every sabbath.

“Ammon in the Book of Mormon expresses the feelings of my heart when he says: ‘Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were [a people] that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name.

“‘Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, … my joy, and my great thanksgiving.’ (Alma 26:35-37)

“Welcome to the church of joy. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

Contact Ryan Comer at rcomer@standard.net. Follow him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rbcomer8388 and on X at @rbcomer8388.