Fields United Methodist Church

Jesus Along the Way: Words of Grace and Hope.                   Pastor Tom Joyce

October 22, 2020

“A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

Ezekiel 36:26

I grew up with a car that was nothing but patchwork; fenders were held together with bailing wire and holes filled with this magic goo called “bondo.” The engine worked, sometime, but never how it should. One day the old engine had enough and it needed to be replaced; the old engine was history and the new one worked great. There are times when our spirit, our “heart,” needs help; we fail to see God working because there is so much going on in our lives right now; pandemic, work, school, weather; all put together wears on our “heart,” causing us to be hardened to those around us. The really good news is that God is not done with us and will do whatever it takes, by whatever means necessary to replace our spiritual heart to one that celebrates life rather than condemns, sees hope rather than hopelessness, and will offer us the awareness of the presence of God through Jesus Christ all along the way.  This “heart of flesh” that God offers us is Jesus Christ living within us, enabling every part of our being to witness the grace, peace, love, hope, and joy of Jesus Christ to all those around us.  It can be easy to turn off the world around us, to live on our proverbial island, disconnected with the people that God has placed along the way. But Jesus offers an alternative to living to ourselves; it is a spirit of renewal, a spirit of refreshment, and a spirit that has a way of transforming our “heart of stone,” to one that not only sees the needs of others but responds to them. Give Jesus a try, and “let the Son of God enfold you with his Spirit and his love. Let him fill your heart and satisfy your soul. O give him all the things that hold you, and his spirit like a dove will descend upon your life and make you whole.” (Spirit Song, #347UMH) What is holding you back from allowing Jesus by the Holy Spirit to offer you the very Spirit of God that will offer you joy and peace, in abundance?

Rev. Tom Joyce