Earlier this month, the closing ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics was held in Paris to considerable fanfare. You may have watched the very French opening and closing ceremonies, or any of the athletic competitions that occurred between them over the span of two weeks. Those of us stateside were able to watch Olympic athletes break world records and set personal bests because an American network broadcast their events on our televisions. If you tuned in at various points, you probably saw the inspiring TV commercial the network ran to trumpet the importance of playing, at all ages and stages of life. It ended with this tagline: “A Little Joy Goes a Long Way.” Whether the Olympics brought you and yours a little or a lot of joy this summer, there can be no doubt that joy goes far. In fact, it can travel around the globe almost instantaneously.
The Reverend Dr. 