Fields United Methodist Church

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

September 3, 2020

“When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace be with you.”  John 20:19

Sometimes it seems it is just best to lock the door and let the world go by. We can all use a break once in a while, but that should not mean a break from God. In our rush to escape, there are times it just is easier to lock the door to our heart. The disciples had many fears when they locked the door to the house in which they were staying, but no lock can keep the presence of God through our Lord Jesus Christ from entering. Jonah thought he could lock God out of his life by running away, but it didn’t take long for God to find him. Just like the disciples, we may lock away our faith in fear of what others may think of us or what we believe.  We may fear that others have greater challenges than we have at this time so we lock away our faith until it is really needed. God feels otherwise; no matter how trivial you may feel your challenges are, or how fearful you are of how others may think of you, to God they are a big deal because you are a big deal to God. God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, will break any lock and open any door to offer you the peace of knowing that no matter where you find yourself along the way, no matter how insignificant you may feel, in the eyes of Jesus you are loved; you matter. The grace of Jesus is boundless, and Jesus has gone to great lengths, even death on a cross, to offer the precious gift of faith to you at this very moment. You are blessed this day with the eternal presence of Jesus and nothing in this world or the world to come will be able to separate you from the “love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Lock the door of your heart all you want; Jesus has the master key!

Rev. Tom Joyce