On the corner of 30th and Fifth one afternoon last week stood a man playing the saxophone. Most of us pedestrians hurried by, hardly noticing. We had places to go, people to see, things to do. But there he was, in spite of the hustling crowds, playing like Charlie Parker. His case was not brimming with donations, nor do I imagine he expected it to be. But still he played, almost oblivious to the lack of attention or lack of funds. He seemed to play for the pure joy of playing.

Joni Mitchell sang a song about that some years ago. 

Now me I play for fortunes
And those velvet curtain calls.
I've got a black limousine
And two gentlemen
Escorting me to the halls.
And I play if you have the money
Or if you're a friend to me,
But the one man band
By the quick lunch stand,
He was playing real good for free.

There's a lot to be said for doing something just for the joy of it. Maybe that something is teaching or tutoring. Maybe it's singing or accompanying. Maybe it's working on a Habitat House or visiting in a nursing center. Maybe it's baking bread and giving it away, or making phone calls to people who are ill.  Maybe it's just performing some random act of kindness every day -- doing something for someone with no desire whatsoever to be paid back. In fact, the payback is in the doing. It's called "joy."

It's been my experience across the years that the saddest people I have ever known are also almost without fail the most selfish people I have ever known. If a person's fundamental philosophy is "What’s in it for me?," the fact is enough will never be enough.

By the same token, consistently the happiest people I have ever known are also the most altruistic. The more they give away in the service of God or neighbor, the more they find that enhances their own lives and souls. I think that's what the old adage "You can't out-give God" actually means. The more we do for the world or give to the church or act on behalf of people, the more richness and depth we find in life. I suspect that's what Jesus was getting at when he said, "Whoever gives their life away for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall find it."

As that saxophonist played for the pure joy of playing, so can we serve for the pure joy of serving or love for the pure joy of loving. In the end, the surest way to find blessings is to be a blessing to others.