One of the first public messages that was recorded at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry was when he said, "the kingdom of God has come near." Thus, when Jesus came, he established the kingdom of God here on earth into this time and place. When Jesus gave us the words to what has been called the Lord’s Prayer, he told us to pray "your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Additionally, we are also to pray for and do our part to continue to bring about God’s kingdom into our present day. We take part in doing this when we strive for God’s kingdom and are guided by the Holy Spirit to do what we think is God’s will.
There are times in life when it is really apparent that God’s kingdom is present. Shirley and I were fortunate to be a part of something special when she was called to be the pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Alpena, MI. In this town there were a group of churches that have lived out a little bit of how God’s kingdom can look in this present age as they joined together to take part in various activities. This group was formed and operating before we got to Alpena and had several functions that they took part in doing the year. However, the most unique event is when they had midweek Lenten worship services.
Each Wednesday during Lent the services were rotated from church to church, they started with a simple soup and bread supper, which was followed by a worship service with a different clergy person preaching each week. It was truly neat and wonderful to have so many faith traditions coming together to break bread and have worship together.
We got to visit the churches, hear different speakers, and take part in a variety of worship styles. Even though each week the format was unlike the previous week, the worship was centered around praising God, and being in fellowship with other believers. Each year a specific Lenten theme was used for all of the services and the sermons delivered were based on that theme. In my mind this was a real example of having God’s kingdom be in this time and space.
The churches that were involved in the movement when we were there were from the United Methodist, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, Episcopal, Lutheran (ELCA) and Roman Catholic faith traditions. I realize that Alpena was not the only place that this was happening, and in fact there are probably many other places that are more diverse than the churches mentioned here. I would also say that those too are examples of God’s kingdom being present here and now. Being ecumenical in today’s world may indeed involve being part of events that include a wide range of faiths and religions.
On your spiritual pilgrimage look for places and events where you can sense that God’s kingdom is present, and where God’s will is being done and people from many faiths, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds come together for a common purpose. Then rejoice and praise God for being able to take part in such a wonderful movement! Peace, Vernon T.
Copyright © 2024 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved
There are times in life when it is really apparent that God’s kingdom is present. Shirley and I were fortunate to be a part of something special when she was called to be the pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Alpena, MI. In this town there were a group of churches that have lived out a little bit of how God’s kingdom can look in this present age as they joined together to take part in various activities. This group was formed and operating before we got to Alpena and had several functions that they took part in doing the year. However, the most unique event is when they had midweek Lenten worship services.
Each Wednesday during Lent the services were rotated from church to church, they started with a simple soup and bread supper, which was followed by a worship service with a different clergy person preaching each week. It was truly neat and wonderful to have so many faith traditions coming together to break bread and have worship together.
We got to visit the churches, hear different speakers, and take part in a variety of worship styles. Even though each week the format was unlike the previous week, the worship was centered around praising God, and being in fellowship with other believers. Each year a specific Lenten theme was used for all of the services and the sermons delivered were based on that theme. In my mind this was a real example of having God’s kingdom be in this time and space.
The churches that were involved in the movement when we were there were from the United Methodist, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, Episcopal, Lutheran (ELCA) and Roman Catholic faith traditions. I realize that Alpena was not the only place that this was happening, and in fact there are probably many other places that are more diverse than the churches mentioned here. I would also say that those too are examples of God’s kingdom being present here and now. Being ecumenical in today’s world may indeed involve being part of events that include a wide range of faiths and religions.
On your spiritual pilgrimage look for places and events where you can sense that God’s kingdom is present, and where God’s will is being done and people from many faiths, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds come together for a common purpose. Then rejoice and praise God for being able to take part in such a wonderful movement! Peace, Vernon T.
Copyright © 2024 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved
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