Fields United Methodist Church

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

August 31, 2020

“They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord among the trees of the garden.”  Genesis 3:8

From the beginning of time, people have run from God attempting to hide from the call that God has put on everyone to live a life of grace and serve the one who calls each by name. It is just hard to imagine that God would have any use for us so a knee-jerk reaction is to run, just as Jonah ran from God’s calling. God loves you far too much to deprive you of the joy of serving the Lord. You have been blessed with incredible gifts that are uniquely yours to witness the presence of God through Jesus to those around you. Even if you run away, God will find you because God needs you, the people of God need you. I told God when God called me to ministry at 15 years old no, “no God I am not going to serve you as a pastor.” So I ran, as fast as my little legs could carry me. Twenty years later, I relented and responded to God’s call, but on my terms, or so I thought. I told God I wanted to be a chaplain in a hospital and no way wanted to preach or lead a church. But God had other plans, as I have been serving local churches for the past 26 years. Run and hide all you want, but When God has plans for you, God will find you. St. Paul writes of the “Body of Christ,” where each part has been blessed with certain things that add to the total ministry of Jesus Christ. There is always something you can do, because you are you… You may feel like you don’t have the time, but God will make the time for you. You may feel like you do not have the right words, but God will give you the words you need. You may think that someone else would do a better job, but God knows you are the best person for the job. You may think you don’t have the gifts to serve, but you do. Even if you say no, the Creator of the universe gives a resounding Yes to you!

Rev. Tom Joyce, pastor