Fields United Methodist Church

Side by Side with Jesus.                                                Pastor Tom Joyce

February 8, 2021

“O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Psalm 136:1

Seasons change; summer comes and goes, followed by fall, then winter, then the whisper of spring which harkens once again the summer’s warmth. This cycle has continued since the beginning of time, with every change of season comes preparations for the next. It has been said the only thing that never changes is change, and in the time we find ourselves change is a constant. The world has been grappling with a pandemic and with the passing of every month, let alone season, there is change. Yet along the windy road of a pandemic with all of its ups and downs, the only constant is God’s love for you, it has not, and will never change. That is why faith in God through Jesus Christ is so profoundly important and comforting; no matter where your journey leads you and no matter what happens along the way, God still loves you and always will. Depending upon the season, the love of Jesus can be difficult to see. I love summer, I love the warm sun beating down on my back and freedom of not donning a heavy coat every time I leave the house. Jesus is easily seen during the summer of life, yet there are other seasons where the presence of Jesus cannot readily be felt; the “winters” of isolation with its subsequent loneliness, the “falls” of preparing for winter, and the “springs” of cleaning up from winter’s wrath. Maybe to know God’s love, we need to prepare our lives to receive what always has been; the love of God through Jesus. Maybe the key to knowing the love of God is faith, “the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen.” (Hebrews 11:1) There are seasons of life where the love of God is obscured by grief, pain, uncertainty, and sin. It is by faith that even during these times, you are not alone and God’s love is holding you even tighter than ever before.  When you give thanks to the Lord for every season of life and every moment of being, you will know the power of the love of God, the same power that created you, called you by name, and redeemed you. Whether you are in the season of warmth or a season of bone-chilling cold, God’s love is with you; seasons change but the love of God for you “endures forever.”

Rev. Tom Joyce