“The seventy returned in joy . . .! Luke 10: 7a

Jesus sent his disciples out as messengers to proclaim that the kingdom of God has come near. The disciples came back from their travels with joy, for they were amazed about how well things had gone. In the same way, when we go out as Jesus instructs us, we like the disciples are often filled with joy and thanksgiving for the wonderful things that are done in Jesus’ name.   

We can rejoice when we are God’s hands and feet in spreading God’s love to those whom we meet. May we be open to being God’s messengers in our daily walk, and may we be open to God’s spirit by our daily prayer, Bible study, and reflection, which supplies what is needed for this journey! Vernon T.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

This is one of my favorite Bible verses, which has helped me over the years. I have memorized Bible verses to help me cope with the challenges of life. While traveling in my marketing job, (before going to the seminary) I would write a verse on an old business card and then place it on my car dash. This helped me try to keep a positive attitude as I went from one agency visit to another. These verses were there to help with my attitude. 

Later on I would write Bible verses on a white board in my office for my support, but it also helped others who saw it. Thus, memorizing and reciting Bible verses are very much who I am and help me keep my focus on God's kingdom and this spiritual pilgrimage. Think of doing something similar to assist you on your journey. Vernon T.  

“What if some were unfaithful? Will their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! . . . let God be proved true.” Romans 3: 3-4

This verse is somewhat of a tongue twister, talking about one’s faithlessness versus God’s faithfulness. As fallible human beings we have times when we doubt, become discouraged, and misguided. It happens to all of us no matter how strong our faith seems to be nor how well our spiritual pilgrimage appears to be going at the moment.

That doesn’t mean that God loves us any less. God is love and can’t help but love us. For during these moments of distress, God is still there waiting for us to turn our focus on God’s will in our lives, versus our own issues. During your daily challenges and joys may you see God’s love in all of life’s situations. Blessings on your journey! Vernon T.    

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:10-12

In this short passage “spirit” is used three times. There are many definitions of this word, and can be looked at from many different angles. If one is on a spiritual pilgrimage, it could mean that invisible power that can give guidance and comfort for us. 

In the footnote of my Harper Collins Study Bible it shows that the holy spirit in verse 11 means “God’s sustaining, powerful presence.” No matter how it is defined, the writer of this Psalm wants to have a right and willing spirit, and wants the Lord God and the Holy Spirit to be near by. As we daily travel on our spiritual walk may we also desire the same. Blessings on your walk! Vernon T.  

                                               Vernon T. Jones' Sermon Rejoice With Me!     
                                                              9-15-13,  Luke 15:1-10 

Today’s readings speak of being lost in sin and being found in mercy. Exodus and I Timothy relate historical/theological accounts of actual persons in our faith history who once turned against God’s will but who were folded back into grace. The Timothy and Luke passages also address the issue of how God is the one seeks the lost and who joyfully exercises the power to save. Both look to Jesus as the Savior of the lost. The parables in Luke teach us about God’s relentless pursuit to find us when we are lost.

Being lost can be a terrible thing especially for young people, when they stray away from their family and friends. Being alone, lost, and afraid are emotions that would stress even the bravest of people. Being lost is something that we all try our best to keep from happening, because of what may occur in the process.

We know that wherever Jesus traveled crowds followed him, because of his teachings and miracles. I would venture to say that these crowds also felt a genuine love and concern that were not felt from any other of the so-called prophets or religious leaders of the time. Jesus was different from anyone else they had seen before. Thus, the crowds wanted to be around him. 

The reading begins with the tax collectors and sinners coming near to him. Additionally the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling that Jesus welcomed and ate with sinners. According to the customs then to eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners was especially offensive in Israel, where food laws separated the religiously proper from sinners. Tax collectors were suspect not only for collaborating with foreign powers but also for dishonesty. 

Those designated as “sinners” by the Pharisees would have included not only persons who broke the moral laws, but also those who did not maintain the ritual purity practiced by the Pharisees. Those two groups of people would have considered themselves lost from the established church at that time, and the established church would have thought the same way as well. Thus the religious leaders were upset that these “people” would be welcomed by and eating with Jesus. 

In the Luke reading we are confronted by two parables about something being lost and the efforts to find them. The two parables were about a shepherd and a woman both of whom were held in low esteem in Jesus’ day. First, Jesus’ religious brothers disapprove of his companions and then Jesus uses two offensive images, shepherds and women to describe God’s action in regards to the lost. God is like the shepherd and the woman, the Lord God finds the lost and then rejoices in that finding.    

Jesus goes on to tell them about things that were lost and then were found and how a celebration was held when that happened. I would like to briefly discuss a couple of points about this passage that I hadn’t thought about before. #1: What was lost was once part of the entire group. #2: For me the most important part of this passage was about the REJOICING that went on when things that were lost were found.

#1: The two items in these parables that were lost were a sheep and a coin. What we may often miss is that these things were once part of the shepherd’s flock and the woman’s ten coins, a part of the larger body before being lost. They weren’t just some stray-orphan type object floating out there all alone in the world. They were once part of something, they had an identity, they had roots so to speak. In both cases the owner expends great effort to recover the once lost possessions. 

Relating this point to us today, those who are disconnected from the relationship that God would want them to have through Jesus Christ aren’t just some stray-orphan type people either. Those who may consider themselves lost were once in a relationship with God. Like the sheep and the coin that were being looked for, God is seeking us, wanting us to return to a loving relationship with God-self. When we look at our situation in this way, it makes it easier to return. 

#2: As I mentioned before, the most important part of this passage for me was the part of REJOICING that went on when the things that had been lost, were found. Listen to some of the verses from this passage and how the theme “Rejoice with me” occurs often.

              When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his                 friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” (Jesus) Just              so, I tell, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need              no repentance . . . When she (the woman) has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying                     “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.” (Jesus) Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the                          presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

The shepherd and the woman first call their friends and neighbors. They want their friends and neighbors to REJOICE WITH THEM! When something good happens in life you want to share the good news with someone else. You don’t want to keep it to your self; you want the world to know. The shepherd and woman said  “Rejoice with me.” 

In both parables Jesus takes this rejoicing to a higher plane by his concluding comments. He said that there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Joy-----in heaven and in the presence God’s angels over one sinner who repents!

Thus there is rejoicing in heaven when the lost are found or come back into a loving relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Joy and rejoicing over one sinner who repents. Do we sometimes miss the importance of the mission and ministry that we and others have been called to do? Do we sometimes think that living a life that is open to the “so-called sinners and tax collector types” that are in our midst is not worth our effort, because who cares about one lowly sinner? 

God cares about one lowly sinner, and God and God’s angels rejoice  when they repent, and there is in joy in heaven when that happens. God cared so much about one lowly sinner that God gave Jesus as a sacrifice so that those believe can have all of their sins forgiven and have the gift of eternal life. Those who repent will once again be in a loving relationship with God. When this happens the lost are found, and come back to where God intended them to all along. Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension made all of this possible. Because of Jesus’ actions God’s grace and mercy are available to all who repent.

May we be open to being a witness of God’s grace, love, and mercy to those who are lost. We are witnesses by how we think, live, and act on a daily basis whether as an individual, a family, or a community. When this happens, we can call our friends and neighbors and ask them to rejoice with us. Just one sinner who repents is a cause for celebration, and then there is joy in heaven.    Amen!

Copyright © 2013 Vernon T. Jones Alpena, MI  All Rights Reserved

“Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,  . . .  but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.” Psalm 1: 1-2

I am a fairly big sports fan, and have also read my fair share of sport stories and biographies. One of the common themes that has appeared is that the very best in any field, devotes a great amount of time in developing their abilities. A person can’t rely solely on their natural gifts, a great amount of hard work is also required.

Likewise, if a person who proclaims that Jesus Christ is Lord of their life, and then wanted to develop a closer loving relationship with Jesus, it seems that they would also need to devote time in studying the Bible in order to develop this relationship. This verse mentions meditating day and night, which could be interpreted as this practice becoming part of the very fiber of ones life. For those on this spiritual journey may you find the time, every day, to meditate! Vernon T.   

“I [the Lord God] dwell . . . with those who are contrite and humble in spirit.” Isaiah 57:15b

When we think of dwelling with someone, we often think of people that are close to us, for the most part those who love us and want to be around us. Of course there are other situations where we dwell with people that share a common goal or task, like those in the military or in a college dorm. They may not love us or want to around us, but they do so for the sake of the common goal. 

The dwelling that is referred to in this verse is more like those who love us and want to be around us. It is written countless times that dwelling with and being with humankind is something God wants to do and in fact loves to do. Our part is to have a contrite, and humble heart and spirit to be able to receive this gift. May your spiritual pilgrimage prepare your heart and spirit to receive this indwelling of the Lord God! Vernon T.  

                                                Vernon T. Jones 9-1-13 Sermon
                                                         Luke 14:1, 7-14

In today’s reading Jesus is at a banquet at a Pharisees’ house on the Sabbath where he was being watched very closely. The religious leaders were always trying to find something that he did wrong, something that they could charge him with. That appeared to be Jesus’ fate, no matter where he was, or what he was doing, someone was always waiting to see if he did something to go against the established customs of that time. He dealt with this attention by maintaining his relationship with the Lord God, and keeping his focus on establishing God’s kingdom in his time. 

This is a somewhat humorous story, because not only do we have the religious leaders looking at Jesus and what he was going to do, we also have Jesus watching the guests coming in and where they were sitting. From this observation, we get another lesson from Jesus about what was really important in the world he was expressing versus what the religious leaders believed was important. 

Banquets of this type were very lavish and long, some writers note that they could last up to a week. It was an honor to be invited to something like this, and everyone wanted to be seem by the important people. Also, these banquets were times for philosophers and teachers to impart their wisdom. 

The other aspect about this was that if you were invited to one of these banquets at some point it was your duty, to invite your hosts to an opulent party that you would give in the future.

Thus, we have two expected behaviors concerning  these parties, (# one) you were to come and talk about intelligent topics, and (# two) you were to invite the current host to a future party; however, it wasn’t the practice to invite the poor, or uneducated people to one of these fancy meals. The Pharisees were a group of people who separated themselves from the common people of society.

Jesus’ story had any number of key messages, but a couple of them are highlighted in verse eleven, “For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” As he spoke, Jesus indicated that it was better to initially take a lower seat, and then be asked to move up to a better seat, rather than be asked to move back to a lower seat after choosing a better one. 

Jesus also taught that when you gave a banquet you should invite those who aren’t able to repay you, ----the poor, lame, and blind, ----rather than the wealthy, in doing that you will be blessed. Jesus wanted them to know that there is no pecking order in God’s kingdom; that by including all those we normally exclude, we both share and receive a foretaste of the feast to come, a feast at which, whether we play host or guest, we will be God’s guests. Jesus basically said that all are welcome to God’s table and in God’s kingdom. 

Jesus is basically starting a social revolution: things that the religious leaders had practiced and carried on for many years were something that Jesus had no use for. Jesus calls for inclusion of those who cannot return the invitation. No wonder the Pharisees were always watching him closely----he was always going against the current culture.

Jesus was also trying to show the religious leaders and his followers that following him required a humble heart. In essence he was saying that our self-esteem and self-worth come from our relationship with God and not who we know, what we know, nor any so called success that we may obtain. Jesus knew that God has freely given us a dignity and worth that we could never secure for ourselves. 

He knew that who we are comes to us as a gift from God, and not because of something we acquire, all we have to do is have an open-humble heart and spirit to receive it. This gift was shown fully in Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension which allow us to be in this loving relationship with our Lord God, who loves us and wants to come to us on a daily basis. 

Being humble is something that we all have a hard time grasping. People who are looked upon as successful are those who have obtained wealth, power, and esteem through hard work, drive, and good fortune. Being humble is too often looked upon as a weakness or being a door mat. 

However, when I look at Jesus’ life and those that followed him, I don’t see people who are door mats, but rather people who were humble but at the same time, strong in their faith, and were able to move mountains because they knew their strength came from God and not themselves. The humble part was knowing that their self-esteem and self-worth came from their relationship with God and not from anything that they did. Thus, humility is a mark of the followers of Jesus. 
Over the past few years I have learned more and more about the monastics and their practices and faith. Many were humble, yet were able to faithfully bring God’s kingdom into their time and space.  

Roberta Bondi in her book "To Pray and to Love," wrote “for the monastic teachers being humble meant knowing that we are all beloved children of God, that the worth of each person comes not from us---but from God.” Knowing that we all are beloved children of God should impact how we live each day. It should encourage us to reach out to those around us, in this community, our region, and to the wider church and world. 

Talking about being humble causes me to reflect on the time when I was attending Youngstown State University part-time while working full-time in a steel mill, I was on probation and prohibited twice from taking classes due to a low  grade point average. I had to remain out for a quarter each time before returning to classes. I came dangerously close  a third time, and would have been expelled but was saved by a grace-filled professor who gave a generous grade, allowing me to continue. 

I learned from that experience that when I focused on what Vernon Jones wanted to do the results ended up poorly. Instead, my focus had to be on God’s kingdom and God’s will in my life. I had to see my studies as part of God’s overall will in my life, versus where I thought I needed to go. It was very humbling for me, for I had to take just one course over three straight quarters in order to get my GPA up. It took me a total of eight years but I did earn my Bachelor’s Degree. Sometimes being humbled can be very painful. Some of you may have had similar situations where being made humble wasn’t  your idea, it just happened!

Being humble can also cause us to realize that it is very difficult to live a spiritually-centered life without spending time in prayer, Bible study, reflection, and listening to God’s word and Spirit. Jesus told his audience to humble themselves, not so much to know how to act at a banquet, but rather how to live in God’s kingdom here on earth. When God’s kingdom is our focus, we are no longer interested in exalting ourselves.   

Jesus has invited us to a new vision and way of being, where there is no first or last, where we are all bound to one another in God’s abundant love and grace. Being humble  isn’t something to be shunned, but embraced in the acknowledgment that our worth is a gift of God and not because we are educated, wealthy, powerful, or successful. 

May the Holy Spirit guide us, and may God richly bless us as we walk this spiritual pilgrimage together as a Christian community secure in the knowledge that God is with us and will direct our actions when we humbly seek God’s kingdom each and every day of our lives. Amen! 
  
Copyright © 2013 Vernon T. Jones Alpena, MI  All rights reserved