Fields United Methodist Church

Celebrate Jesus!

Pastor Tom Joyce

August 1, 2022

“This is my body, which is given for you.”

Luke 22:19

When Jesus sat with his disciples on the night before he was crucified, he offered them and us a gift of new life. The crushing burden of sin was overcome by Jesus on the cross so we may live a life bathed in mercy, grace, and peace. The sacrament of Holy Community binds us together with Jesus, each other, and all those who are now in heaven. Think of the church as the “Body of Christ,” a group of people bound together by God to share a whole new way of living and seeing the world and the people God has put on our path.  Jesus said through his body and blood we are part of a new covenant. (Luke 22:20) In other words, you are invited and welcomed by Jesus into a life of joy and peace, bound together with Jesus and those who journey with you along the journey of faith. When you consider the church, think about it not in terms of a building but of a community of people who have been welcomed, and who welcome others, to experience the joy of being set free from all those things that keep them from living a life that God intended from the beginning of time; a life of joy and peace.  Jesus is new life, and you are invited.  Thank you Jesus.