Fields United Methodist Church

Thoughts Along the Way

Pastor Tom Joyce

December 28, 2021

“When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.”

Matthew 2:10

Three magi, probably astrologers, set out to see what this curious star was all about. They heard about a child that was born that was to be a king, but being astrologers, their interest was also this massive star that was to be over where the child now lived. But what they discovered was not simply a boy and a star, when they saw the child Jesus the star became secondary and they saw something they had never seen before; an epiphany, or the very manifestation of God. These three people experienced a miracle that could not be explained but only experienced; “they were overwhelmed with joy.” That’s what happens when we respond to God’s call. Sometimes it may feel like it is our plan, that we mapped out our journey, and as the case of the magi and even though other people may have ulterior motives for what we may be doing the reality is that God is in control. God is calling you to experience the wonder and the miracle of faith; it may come with a simple visit to a friend, or as a result of your curiosity along the way. Each of us are sojourners on life’s journey and when we are open to God’s presence we become “overwhelmed with joy” when we discover that it has been God all along that has been guiding us through every moment of every day of our lives. As the magi chose another road once they experienced the presence of God in Jesus, God will lead you another way filled with adventure and at times overwhelmed with grace that could only come from God. As you enter this new year in but a few days, be open to the epiphanies that will open your eyes to a new way to experience life, filled with hope, peace, joy, and the pure love of God that is eternal. Even the most mundane of journeys will become an adventure of faith that may even change your course in life; with every step being overwhelmed with the joy of knowing the One whose “name is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11)