Fields United Methodist Church

Thoughts Along the Way

Pastor Tom Joyce

December 21, 2021

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those he favors.”

Luke 2:13-14

The celebration of Christmas, the birth of our Lord Jesus the Christ, is confirmation that you matter to God, that you are one of those whom God favors.  God loved you before Jesus was born in an old dirty stable; you are a precious part of God’s love story that began long, long ago. You need to know that you matter to God, you matter so much that the rejoicing that is in heaven broke through all that might have kept you from fully knowing the fact of God’s love poured into you and made real through the birth, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The angels singing to the shepherds gives hope and assurance that no matter where you are on the journey of life, the detours taken, or the circumstances you find yourself in at this moment, there is hope; there is peace; there is joy because the heavenly host is inviting you to celebrate a second chance or maybe just to confirm that the Creator of the Universe cares about you, is with you, and will continue to be with you even to the end of the age. The choir of angels celebrates what has always been and now you know that no matter what, you are loved by God and all that has taken place, from the prophets of old to the reality of the birth of Jesus into your world happened to give you the eternal gift of salvation.  “Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere, that Jesus Christ is born.”  To you, for you, is “born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”