Fields United Methodist Church

Side by Side with Jesus.                                                Pastor Tom Joyce

December 9, 2020

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Romans 15:13

The month of December for me, besides the obvious celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the preparations leading to Christmas, is operation “garbage bag.” Whether it is home or my church office, I begin throwing things away that I thought may have come in handy or of profound interest to make ready for a new year which is fast approaching. If the accumulation continued without resolution, there would be no room for the treasures of the new year! The birth of Jesus is about newness of life, of being filled with the joy of the eternal presence of God. But if we do not prepare to be filled with the “good stuff” of faith by getting rid of the stuff that just takes up space then there would be no room to be filled the gift of eternity. How do you react to the challenges of day to day living, especially in the season of the pandemic? If your reactions are anger, bitterness, envy, or a total focus on self, you have taken up space in your soul leaving little room for hope, let alone joy, not to mention Jesus. Just as Mary and Joseph found no room at the inn when searching for someplace to spend the night, there is no room for Jesus when you are full of stuff that draws your attention away from the grace, peace, hope and the joy that comes from faith in Jesus.  Maybe it is time to clean house a bit so that there is room for the Salvation of the World to enter your soul. This Christmas season is the time to turn back, to repent, from all those things that effectively block the joy of faith, that keeps you from knowing the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who has the power to cleanse your soul to receive life in the abundance of joy, “abounding in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” There is hope for a new day because there is joy made real by the promise of Jesus to be with you “now, even the end of the age.” You have been blessed, truly blessed by Jesus today, right now blessed by the joy of knowing you are never alone along the way. Because of the birth of Jesus, you are being filled with new life, equipped to “run the race with perseverance,” (Hebrews 12:1) and forever celebrating the joy of Jesus in your life.

Rev. Tom Joyce