Fields United Methodist Church

Side by Side with Jesus.                                                  Pastor Tom Joyce

January 1, 2021

“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Luke 3:22

There is no better time to “remember your baptism” than the first day of a new year, to remember that God loves you unconditionally, even when you feel unloved or not deserving of God’s love. There will be times this year when you will experience the joy of living and for that, “thank you Jesus!” Then there will be other times that may not be warm and fuzzy, times where a reminder of God’s love is needed more than ever. When Jesus was baptized, God spoke and proclaimed Jesus to be the “beloved.” When you were baptized, the heavens celebrated and again God proclaimed that you are beloved by God. There are times when you need to start over again and to refocus and to reclaim what God through Jesus has given you. No matter what happened in 2020, 2021 is a new year with new adventures as well as new challenges, but you are not alone because you are the beloved of God.  You are part of Jesus, the church; no matter the path life has you following, remember Jesus is worth following more.  The Book of Ecclesiastes proclaims, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Make the season of this new year a time of new beginnings in your relationship with Jesus, filled with the joy of knowing that you are truly walking side by side with him through the “still waters” and “green pastures” of life. Have faith especially in this new year more than ever that you are God’s beloved, and be convinced that “neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate [you] from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) Take 2021 to deepen your love of God and of neighbor, making real the vows you made to God at your baptism. Remember your baptism and the love God has for you in Jesus. You have been blessed because you are the beloved, honored, and precious in God’s sight. (Isaiah 43:4)

Rev. Tom Joyce