Fields United Methodist Church

Celebrate Jesus!

Pastor Tom Joyce

March 20, 2023

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28

There are times in everybody’s life where the storms are raging; uncertainty and challenges just seem overwhelming. Maybe there is just a feeling that something is off and we need to find comfort, even in the eye of the storm.  Where can you find rest and refreshment of both body and spirit?  Your help comes from “the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Ps. 121:2) Jesus is your calm in the midst of the storms of life, relief when you are just plain weary of life’s ebbs and flows. When Jesus says, “come to me, all…” he means all.  No matter how the world categorizes you or the circumstances that sap every last ounce of your strength, Jesus welcomes you as his beloved child and offers rest and revival now and always “even to the end of the age.”  That is a promise to you from God through Jesus, who created you, redeemed you, and has called you by name.  You are God’s beloved, and there is nothing you can do or anything you do along the way that will “separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39) When the seas of life seem overwhelming, lift up your hands in prayer and commend your life to Jesus; “you will find rest for your weary soul.”  That is an eternal promise from God to you. 

Celebrate Jesus!

Pastor Tom Joyce

March 6, 2023

“Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as the kingdom of heaven belongs.”

Matthew 19:14

To look into the eyes of a child is to catch a glimpse of the joy of living a life embraced by the loving arms of Jesus. Children witness the beauty of all that God has provided and a hope that is eternal.  Jesus welcomed the little children to his heart to offer them a gift that can never be taken away from them. The sense of wonder that a child has can be muted over time by the cares and bitter crosses of the realities of human life but still is instilled in their soul.  It is the wonder in a child’s eyes that witness to us the importance of living a life of faith with hearts that are wide open to the presence of Jesus. We are each called to receive Jesus as a child receives the wonders of this life. As Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:15) The little children in our midst are a precious gift from God and need our endless love, care, and protection just as God offers eternal love, care and protection to us; “See what love the Father has given us that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are.” (I John 3:1) Just as Jesus welcomed the little children, Jesus welcomes you the “wonders of his love.”  You are loved by God as a precious and beloved child, and just as Jesus received and blessed the little children, you are blessed and have been received into the loving arms of Jesus to live with a sense of wonder the joy in this life and the life to come.  Receive the joy of the Lord with a sense of wonder as through the eyes of a child, and be blessed beyond measure.

Celebrate Jesus!

Pastor Tom Joyce

February 27, 2023

“Jesus said to them, they need not go away; you give them something to eat.”

Matthew 14:16

So how could so many people be fed with so little food? Jesus fed 5000 people with only five loaves of bread and two fish. (Matthew 14:13-21) Consider this; the world was created by God with a word (Genesis 1) so Jesus feeds as the Word. Jesus was not as interested in the program as in the people it would serve. When Jesus says “feed them,” all are filled and are satisfied.  The miracle is a reality because Jesus works through us as we realize the calling to be the hands of Christ to a hungry world. Phillip, one of Jesus’ disciples, witnessed in a short one-year period Jesus feeding 5,000, then 4,000 people, then asked Jesus to “show him the Father,” since only miracles such as these could come from God. Jesus answered Phillip, “in fact the one who believes in me will also do greater works than these because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12) What Jesus did was to empower the disciples and all those who believe (us included) by the power of the Holy Spirit to feed those who hunger not only for food but for the Word of God.  You have been blessed by God through Jesus to be the hands of Christ to a hungry world. Jesus did feed the masses when he walked the dusty trails 2,000 years ago and continues to feed the masses many times over through all those who believe.  Through the Body of Christ, the church, millions and millions of people are fed every day. Jesus continues to feed those who are hungry, and in fact continues to serve the beloved of God, which is everybody.  You are blessed to be a blessing as you respond to Jesus calling you to, “give them something to eat.”  Thank you Jesus for the privilege to serve.