Fields United Methodist Church

Side by Side with Jesus.                                                          Pastor Tom Joyce

November 11, 2020

“He himself is before all things, and by him all things hold together.”

Colossians 1:17

If there was ever a time to try  keeping things together, it is now; 2020 is a year that keeps on giving that is for sure! Our lives have been pulled in so many directions this year more than ever before. But there is hope because there is Jesus. Growing up I enjoyed building model cars. One time I thought I would save some time and just snap each part together rather than using glue, which seemed to take a lot of time and tended to be messy, at least in my hands. At first the completed model looked great, until it was moved resulting in the entire thing falling apart. Think about faith as the glue that keeps your life together when life moves in all kinds of directions; it is the power that focuses attention on all that is hope-filled and joyful. Faith in Jesus Christ does not promise to keep the challenges of life from happening; it is not a bubble that insulates from the pain of being human. Faith is all about accepting that Jesus is side by side with us every step of the way, no matter where the path leads, and if we need to be carried through those times, Jesus will carry us. In the midst of an ever-changing world, where what seemed to be all together is no longer, there is the love of God through Jesus; the same yesterday, today and forever.  This is the day to remember that the love of Jesus will keep your life together, even when you think everything is falling apart.

Thank you Jesus, for the strength, hope, and wisdom to help me through this day; keep me strong in faith through good times and times of challenge, now and always.  Amen

Rev. Tom Joyce