HAPPY EASTER!
 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God. All who love are born of God and know God; all who do not love do not know God.
Love does not insist on its own way, is not quick to take offense; it does not rejoice at wrong, but it rejoices in the right. Love is patient and kind; love is not envious or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love bears all things and believes all things. Love hopes all things and endures all things. Love will never come to an end. Prophecies will vanish; tongues will cease; and knowledge will pass away. For our knowledge and our prophecy are imperfect, but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass way. Now I know in part, then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. Now abide faith, hope, and love, these three; and the greatest of these is love. I John 4: 7, 8; I Corinthians 13: 4-10, 12-13 Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, and for some of the churches in American, (like ours) there will be a Palm procession. Many liturgical churches will be having a number of extra services next week leading up to Easter. For some Christians, Easter is the most holy day of the church year. Since I am married to a retired Lutheran (ELCA) pastor, I know how busy this week usually is. However, I grew up in an American Baptist Church in Youngstown, Ohio, and for us Holy Week did not have a lot of extra services. But Easter morning was a huge deal for us. Jerusalem Baptist Church was made of persons of Color, who had mainly come from the Southern States to find work up North. They were mostly blue-collar working people, who loved getting dressed up for Sunday worship. However, on Easter morning, they took getting dressed up to another level. Most everyone, got something new and lovely for the worship service. The hats, dresses, and suits were so colorful, and often people tried to outdo each other. Looking back many years later, I wonder, if the resurrection of Jesus on Easter, took a back seat to the clothes worn on that day. I am sure we were not the only church to do this. No matter what how your faith community celebrates Easter, I would encourage all of you, to try and realize that the resurrection of Jesus and the new birth that event brings into our lives---happens daily, when we are open to it. The love that our Lord God has for all of us as shown in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is still there, regardless of how we worship on Palm Sunday, during Holy Week, Easter or throughout the year. Acknowledging that this is still a very stressful time for the entire world, please find time to reflect about the wonderful gift given to humanity by our loving Lord. Try to look for areas of love and hope around you so that Easter can come to you, in more moments/days than just March 31, 2024. May God’s love and grace, bless you and your families/loved ones at this time. Peace, Vernon T. Copyright © 2024 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved During this Lenten season, some of us may be tempted to try and give up something for Lent. However, something else that could be done, is to DO something to enhance or develop our spiritual growth. One way to do this would be to take part in a retreat, which could be done in many different ways.
I have been very fortunate to be able to take several personal retreats in my life. One of them was when I was able to take part in a personal retreat at St. Augustine’s House, a Lutheran Monastery, in Oxford, MI. Part of the retreat was silent, and there were many opportunities for worship, as the Monks normally worship eight different times a day. I was able to make several of their worship periods each day, and I had time for my own prayer, reading, and reflection. The Monks were very welcoming and gracious to me while I was there. It was a very good experience for me, and I came away with a few good insights for me and the ministry that I feel called to. I would encourage you to think about taking part in something like that, somewhere, some day, when moved by the Holy Spirit to do so. You could also do a mini retreat, by just going off to a park, a waterfront, the mountains, an empty church; basically, any place where you can feel calm and quiet in your inner core, where you are able to pray, read, and reflect. Any time is a good time to do something like this, but the Lenten season has been set aside for prayer and reflection. Peace, Vernon T. Copyright © 2024 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved  " . . . seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator." Colossians 3: 9b-10
Two months after my high school graduation, I started working in a steel mill’s open-hearth department near my hometown, Youngstown, Ohio. I continued to work full time for nearly nine years until I earned my undergraduate degree. I had many different jobs during my time there, and some of the jobs required me to either get really dirty or be around a lot of heat causing me to perspire quite a bit. Thus, I normally had to take off the work clothes and shower before putting on my street clothes. It was a wonderful feeling to remove the dirty and smelly work clothes after my shift was over. After the shower and putting on the clean clothes I felt almost like a NEW person. In this passage from Colossians, we have the image of being stripped of the old self (old clothes) and being renewed into a new self (new clothes). The reader is encouraged to leave behind the old practices that they were once involved in, and to be renewed with the knowledge of a new life in Christ. As we take part in the spiritual pilgrimage and this Lenten season of prayer and reflection, the practices of the old self (old clothes) maybe something we do not feel like wearing any longer. Somewhat like when I could not wait to get my dirty clothes off after my shift was over. While striving to become a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ, may you leave behind those old things that prevent you from being renewed. May you be clothed with your new self (new clothes) in the image of Christ! Peace---Vernon T. Copyright © 2024 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved Litany for Lent
O Christ, out of your fulness we have all received grace upon grace. You are eternal hope; you are patient and full of mercy; you are generous to all who call upon you. Save us, Lord. O Christ, fountain of life and holiness, you have taken away our sins. On the cross you were wounded for our transgressions and were bruised for our iniquities. Save us, Lord O Christ, obedient into death, source of all comfort, our life and our resurrection, our peace and reconciliation; Save us, Lord O Christ, Savior of all who trust you, hope of all who die for you, and joy of all the saints: Save, us Lord Jesus, Lamb of God, have mercy on us, Jesus, bearer of our sins, have mercy on us. Jesus, redeemer of the world, grant us peace. God of love, as in Jesus Christ, you gave yourself to us, so may we give ourselves to you, living according to your holy will. Keep our feet firmly in the way where Christ leads us; make our mouths speak the truth that Christ teaches us; fill our bodies with the life that is Christ within us. In his holy name we pray. Amen. “Book of Common Worship---Daily Prayer” Westminster/John Knox press Recently I was fortunate enough to have an article in the Alpena News about “Winding Paths—My Spiritual Pilgrimage,” my most recent book. My sincere thanks to Darby at the newspaper for putting it in, and for friends in Alpena who look out for Shirley and me and let me know about it. It is so nice to be loved.
Below is a link to the online version. Peace, Vernon T. https://www.thealpenanews.com/life/2024/03/vernon-t-jones-releases-new-book-winding-paths-my-spiritual-pilgrimage/?fbclid=IwAR2euTDrdO0lGgDWSOR2x38tcFnaC07AXMKYaiDE-_KnwWQo2J2hiuj0uOY_aem_AYCOBrLr1M7HyxmofltCJe-s49VzM_1DvQjyRAl_sIrbjquUBkIOhFOiCGMygfphpxc Jesus, remember us when you come into your kingdom.
Hear our intercessions. For your church around the world, we ask new life. For all who carry out ministries in your church, we ask grace and wisdom. For people who have accepted spiritual disciplines, we ask inspired discipleship. For Christians of every land, we ask new unity in your name. For Jews and Muslims and people of other faiths we ask your divine blessing. For those who cannot believe, we ask your faithful love. For governors and rulers in every land, we ask your guidance, For people who suffer and sorrow, we ask your healing peace. Holy God, your Word, Jesus Christ, spoke peace to a sinful world and brought humanity the gift of reconciliation by the suffering and death he endured. Teach those who bear his name to follow the example he gave us. May our faith, hope, and charity turn hatred to love, conflict to peace, and death to eternal life; through Christ our Lord. Amen. “Book of Common Worship---Daily Prayer” Westminster/John Knox press |
Archives
January 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed
