Fields United Methodist Church

Celebrate Jesus!

Pastor Tom Joyce

March 6, 2023

“Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as the kingdom of heaven belongs.”

Matthew 19:14

To look into the eyes of a child is to catch a glimpse of the joy of living a life embraced by the loving arms of Jesus. Children witness the beauty of all that God has provided and a hope that is eternal.  Jesus welcomed the little children to his heart to offer them a gift that can never be taken away from them. The sense of wonder that a child has can be muted over time by the cares and bitter crosses of the realities of human life but still is instilled in their soul.  It is the wonder in a child’s eyes that witness to us the importance of living a life of faith with hearts that are wide open to the presence of Jesus. We are each called to receive Jesus as a child receives the wonders of this life. As Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:15) The little children in our midst are a precious gift from God and need our endless love, care, and protection just as God offers eternal love, care and protection to us; “See what love the Father has given us that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are.” (I John 3:1) Just as Jesus welcomed the little children, Jesus welcomes you the “wonders of his love.”  You are loved by God as a precious and beloved child, and just as Jesus received and blessed the little children, you are blessed and have been received into the loving arms of Jesus to live with a sense of wonder the joy in this life and the life to come.  Receive the joy of the Lord with a sense of wonder as through the eyes of a child, and be blessed beyond measure.