Fields United Methodist Church

Side by Side with Jesus.                                                Pastor Tom Joyce

January 29, 2021

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”  Psalm 23:5

God wants you to know that no matter what, where, and no matter the circumstance, God is with you.  When God became flesh and dwelled among us in Jesus, God’s promise to be with you even to the end of the age was fulfilled. The reality of living in the world is that people will have different opinions about how life should be; some of which you may agree with and some of which you may disagree. Jesus sat at many a table with those who it is safe to say Jesus differed in opinion and who he flat out disagreed with how they lived their lives. Yet Jesus never kicked them out of the room, never distanced himself from them rather got to know who they were and offered them something that was as rare in those days as it is often today; grace. God has offered you mercy and grace to overflowing no matter where you find yourself today. The same mercy and grace that you are to share especially with those with whom we disagree. As Jesus said, “if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.” (Luke 6:32) God has anointed you with the power to heal, transform, and witness Jesus Christ in all your living, whether surrounded by friends of like mind or those you just can’t figure out. Jesus has called you to love your neighbor without qualifying who is your neighbor. You have been offered “overflowing” grace and mercy especially for times such as these to reach those who are seemingly unreachable and those who may well be “enemies.”  You have been anointed by God’s presence and offered all that is necessary to witness a far more excellent way to live. God loves you too much to ever leave you alone. Accept the comfort, peace, and courage that you have been offered by God through Jesus to fully understand and share the peace that can only come from God. You have been equipped, anointed, and appointed to share the gifts that you have received, to overflowing. God loves you more than you could ever conceive and is with you always and everywhere, “even to the end of the age.”

Rev. Tom Joyce