Fields United Methodist Church

Side by Side with Jesus.                                                                 Pastor Tom Joyce

November 13, 2020

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.”

Colossians 1:19

In my office there is a picture of Jesus laughing, without reservation. When I think of Jesus, I think of joy, not the giddy, one-time emotion like finishing a bowl of wonderful ice cream but rather the joy of the one who created us, called us by name, and loves us so much that he “sent his only son that whoever believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” I think of the fullness of God’s love and presence being the person of Jesus the Christ. But the gift did not stop there, as the fullness of God was “pleased to dwell” in Jesus, that same “fullness” is offered all who turn back to Jesus, repent, and seek to live a life full of grace, hope, peace, and the joy of the Lord. We fill our cars with gas, fill our cup with water, and every once in a while fill ourselves with worry. Maybe it is time to reconnect with the love of God through Jesus Christ that fills our souls with the amazing love of God that has a way of transforming who we are and how we see God’s creation that surrounds us. The fullness of God was “pleased to dwell” in Jesus because God’s sole purpose in sending Jesus was so we could also celebrate the “fullness” of God’s love in our lives. In this season of pandemic we can dwell on the negative effects of COVID on our lives or we could recognize the challenges of the pandemic but our focus would be on the eternal presence of God through Jesus with the power of the Holy Spirit offering us hope and wisdom to overcome a worldwide pandemic or anything else that may impact our lives. Walking side by side through this life with Jesus offers conviction that there would be nothing in this life that would separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:39) Allow Jesus to fill your soul with his renewing presence, and you will know the power and the freedom that only comes through faith in Jesus.

Rev. Tom Joyce