Fields United Methodist Church

Celebrate Jesus!

Pastor Tom Joyce

March 21, 2022

“Then Jesus said to him, ‘today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and save the lost.”

Luke 19:1-10

The story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) is a testimony of God’s mercy and grace that even somebody so thoroughly corrupted by sin is welcomed back home, with open arms and great celebration! When there is confession and repentance, salvation comes “today!” No matter how far down the “Street of Many Names” that includes pride, arrogance, selfishness, and dishonesty someone finds themselves, Jesus invites the traveler to turn back (repent), accept who they have been (confession), and accept the healing grace of Jesus (profession).  No matter how far down you have traveled that well-trod path and no matter if you think you are at the point of no return, there is hope because there is Jesus. The healing touch of Jesus reaches beyond the hole you have dug for yourself and refuses to listen to the negative commentary of others so the miracle of salvation can heal, redeem, and reclaim what “once was lost, but now is found.” (John Newton) Trust the Lord and know that you have an open invitation to accept the healing of Jesus in your life allowing the “steadfast love of God to surround you” (Psalm 32); you will be held in the very palm of God’s hand now and forever. That is a promise to you from Jesus so that you may live in the abundance of God’s love now, even to the end of the age.