Fields United Methodist Church

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

September 21, 2020

“Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been of old.”  Psalm 25:6

From the time of your conception, God has offered you mercy for those things you have done and those things you have left undone. That is good news, really good news!  Mercy does not deny wrongdoing, nor does it condone what has been done. God’s mercy is all about second chances, third chances, and enough chances for us to finally get this thing called life right. God offers the gift of mercy to free us from a life of always looking over our shoulder re-living the sins of our past. The psalm goes on to pray, “do not remember the sins of my youth.” (Psalm 25:7) Thank you Jesus!  God knows we didn’t know what we thought we knew growing up. It was a time of growth, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. As children of God, we are always growing in faith, at times traveling in the right direction and at times going in the wrong.  Mercy is the compassion of God that lifts us from the hole we have dug for ourselves, a hole too deep for us to escape on our own. Last year, we built a fence around our yard to keep our little dog from wondering the neighborhood. Holes were dug and left overnight for the city inspector to confirm the proper depth. As the fence posts

 were installed, there came a hole a skunk found its way into with absolutely no way to escape. So an escape path was dug, the skunk was released, never to find its way back again. So it is with our lives, the hole we have fallen into is sin; it is a dark hole that is all consuming and overwhelming for us to escape. It is by God’s mercy that we are lifted out of the hole to begin a new life, filled with grace, hope, joy, and peace. God continues to love you with the “steadfast love” of our Lord Jesus Christ no matter where you find yourself and will go to great lengths to set you free, even to the point of dying on a cross.  The mercy of God is a gift, a gift to be celebrated and shared.

Rev. Tom Joyce