Fields United Methodist Church

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

August 6, 2020

“While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, this is my Son, the beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him.”  Matthew 17:5

Sometimes we just need to hear the Lord’s voice along the way; we need to know that there is someone beyond ourselves to guide our steps when our legs are weakened by life’s challenges. God does speak with clarity yet at times it does not seem very clear. Have you ever noticed that after a storm the sky seems crystal clear and the air pure? God often times speaks in new beginnings. I spoke to a man who witnessed to me his philosophy of life. He said, “Pastor, God gives us a new blessing every time a new day begins; God gives us a fresh start and tells us he loves us with the dew on the grass and the sunrise in the sky.” The man gave me the gift of his great faith and how he hears the voice of God through the beginning of a new day.  God, through Jesus the Beloved, speaks and often times interrupts what we may think reality is in order to remind us of the reality of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ speaking to us every moment of every day, offering hope for the next day if not the next moment of life. We are living in uncertain times, maybe it has always been like that but with the ongoing pandemic and unrest in our nation it just seems magnified. There is hope because there is Jesus. Through Jesus, God is still speaking to you, offering hope and grace even and especially where your life has led you thus far. You are God’s beloved, especially you. God is speaking to you along the way, it is just a matter of seeing the miracle of God’s Word lived out in the everyday. Take time to listen to God, in the majesty of creation, in the comfort of a friend, and in the warmth of a kind word. Though there may be uncertain times, know that God still speaks and is along the way with you, especially today. 

Rev. Tom Joyce, pastor

Fields United Methodist Church